"The letter to Hawkins--that I shall, of course, send on, since it isyours. Your letters are sacred to me. Your pardon, my friend, thatunknowingly I did break the seal. Will you not cover it again?" Heheld out the letter to me, and with a courteous bow handed me a cleanenvelope. I could only redirect it and hand it to him in silence. Whenhe went out of the room I could hear the key turn softly. A minutelater I went over and tried it, and the door was locked.
When, an hour or two after, the Count came quietly into the room, hiscoming wakened me, for I had gone to sleep on the sofa. He was verycourteous and very cheery in his manner, and seeing that I had beensleeping, he said:
"So, my friend, you are tired? Get to bed. There is the surest rest.I may not have the pleasure to talk to-night, since there are manylabours to me; but you will sleep, I pray." I passed to my room andwent to bed, and, strange to say, slept without dreaming. Despair hasits own calms.
_31 May._--This morning when I woke I thought I would provide myselfwith some paper and envelopes from my bag and keep them in my pocket,so that I might write in case I should get an opportunity; but again asurprise, again a shock!
Every scrap of paper was gone, and with it all my notes, my memorandarelating to railways and travel, my letter of credit, in fact, allthat might be useful to me were I once outside the castle. I sat andpondered a while, and then some thought occurred to me, and I madesearch of my portmanteau and in the wardrobe where I had placed myclothes.
The suit in which I had travelled was gone, and also my overcoat andrug; I could find no trace of them anywhere. This looked like some newscheme of villainy....
_17 June._--This morning, as I was sitting on the edge of my bedcudgelling my brains, I heard without a cracking of whips and poundingand scraping of horses' feet up the rocky path beyond the courtyard.With joy I hurried to the window, and saw drive into the yard two greatleiter-waggons, each drawn by eight sturdy horses, and at the head ofeach pair a Slovak, with his wide hat, great, nail-studded belt, dirtysheepskin, and high boots. They had also their long staves in hand. Iran to the door, intending to descend and try and join them throughthe main hall, as I thought that way might be opened for them. Again ashock: my door was fastened on the outside.
Then I ran to the window and cried to them. They looked up at mestupidly and pointed, but just then the "hetman" of the Szgany cameout, and seeing them pointing to my window, said something, at whichthey laughed. Henceforth, no effort of mine, no piteous cry or agonisedentreaty, would make them even look at me. They resolutely turned away.The leiter-waggons contained great, square boxes, with handles of thickrope; these were evidently empty by the ease with which the Slovakshandled them, and by their resonance as they were roughly moved. Whenthey were all unloaded and backed in a great heap in one corner of theyard, the Slovaks were given some money by the Szgany, and spitting onit for luck, lazily went each to his horse's head. Shortly afterwards Iheard the cracking of their whips die away in the distance.
_24 June, before morn
ing._--Last night the Count left me early, andlocked himself into his own room. As soon as I dared, I ran up thewinding stair, and looked out of the window which opened south. Ithought I would watch for the Count, for there is something going on.The Szgany are quartered somewhere in the castle, and are doing work ofsome kind. I know it, for now and then I hear a far-away, muffled soundas of mattock and spade, and, whatever it is, it must be to the end ofsome ruthless villainy.
I had been at the window somewhat less than half an hour, when I sawsomething coming out of the Count's window. I drew back and watchedcarefully, and saw the whole man emerge. It was a new shock to meto find that he had on the suit of clothes which I had worn whilsttravelling here, and slung over his shoulder the terrible bag which Ihad seen the women take away. There could be no doubt as to his quest,and in my garb, too! This, then, is his new scheme of evil: that hewill allow others to see me, as they think, so that he may both leaveevidence that I have been seen in the towns or villages posting my ownletters, and that any wickedness which he may do shall by the localpeople be attributed to me.
It makes me rage to think that this can go on, and whilst I am shutup here, a veritable prisoner, but without that protection of the lawwhich is even a criminal's right and consolation.
I thought I would watch for the Count's return, and for a long time satdoggedly at the window. Then I began to notice that there were somequaint little specks floating in the rays of the moonlight. They werelike the tiniest grains of dust, and they whirled round and gatheredin clusters in a nebulous sort of way. I watched them with a senseof soothing, and a sort of calm stole over me. I leaned back in theembrasure in a more comfortable position, so that I could enjoy morefully the aerial gambolling.
Something made me start up, a low, piteous howling of dogs somewherefar below in the valley, which was hidden from my sight. Louder itseemed to ring in my ears, and the floating motes of dust to take newshapes to the sound as they danced in the moonlight. I felt myselfstruggling to awake to some call of my instincts; nay, my very soulwas struggling, and my half-remembered sensibilities were striving toanswer the call. I was becoming hypnotised! Quicker and quicker dancedthe dust, and the moonbeams seemed to quiver as they went by me intothe mass of gloom beyond. More and more they gathered till they seemedto take dim phantom shapes. And then I started, broad awake and in fullpossession of my senses, and ran screaming from the place. The phantomshapes, which were becoming gradually materialised from the moonbeams,were those of the three ghostly women to whom I was doomed. I fled, andfelt somewhat safer in my own room, where there was no moonlight andwhere the lamp was burning brightly.
When a couple of hours had passed I heard something stirring in theCount's room, something like a sharp wail quickly suppressed; andthen there was silence, deep, awful silence, which chilled me. Witha beating heart, I tried the door; but I was locked in my prison, andcould do nothing. I sat down and simply cried.
As I sat I heard a sound in the courtyard without--the agonised cry ofa woman. I rushed to the window, and throwing it up, peered out betweenthe bars. There, indeed, was a woman with dishevelled hair, holding herhands over her heart as one distressed with running. She was leaningagainst a corner of the gateway. When she saw my face at the window shethrew herself forward, and shouted in a voice laden with menace:--
"Monster, give me my child!"
She threw herself on her knees, and raising up her hands, cried thesame words in tones which wrung my heart. Then she tore her hairand beat her breast, and abandoned herself to all the violences ofextravagant emotion. Finally, she threw herself forward, and, though Icould not see her, I could hear the beating of her naked hands againstthe door.
Somewhere high overhead, probably on the tower, I heard the voice ofthe Count calling in his harsh, metallic whisper. His call seemed tobe answered from far and wide by the howling of wolves. Before manyminutes had passed a pack of them poured, like a pent-up dam whenliberated, through the wide entrance into the courtyard.
There was no cry from the woman, and the howling of the wolves was butshort. Before long they streamed away singly, licking their lips.
I could not pity her, for I knew now what had become of her child, andshe was better dead.
What shall I do? What can I do? How can I escape from this dreadfulthrall of night and gloom and fear?
_25 June, morning._--No man knows till he has suffered from the nighthow sweet and how dear to his heart and eye the morning can be. Whenthe sun grew so high this morning that it struck the top of the greatgateway opposite my window, the high spot which it touched seemed tome as if the dove from the ark had lighted there. My fear fell from meas if it had been a vaporous garment which dissolved in the warmth. Imust take action of some sort while the courage of the day is upon me.Last night one of my post-dated letters went to post, the first of thatfatal series which is to blot out the very traces of my existence fromthe earth.
Let me not think of it. Action!
It has always been at night-time that I have been molested orthreatened, or in some way in danger or in fear. I have not yet seenthe Count in the daylight. Can it be that he sleeps when others wake,that he may be awake whilst they sleep? If I could only get into hisroom! But there is no possible way. The door is always locked, no wayfor me.
Yes, there is a way, if one dares to take it. Where his body has gonewhy may not another body go? I have seen him myself crawl from hiswindow; why should not I imitate him, and go in by his window? Thechances are desperate, but my need is more desperate still. I shallrisk it. At the worst it can only be death; and a man's death is not acalf's, and the dreaded Hereafter may still be open to me. God help mein my task! Good-bye, Mina, if I fail; good-bye, my faithful friend andsecond father; good-bye, all, and last of all Mina!
_Same day, later._--I have made the effort, and, God helping me, havecome safely back to this room. I must put down every detail in order.I went whilst my courage was fresh straight to the window on the southside, and at once got outside on the narrow ledge of stone which runsround the building on this side. The stones were big and roughly cut,and the mortar had by process of time been washed away between them.I took off my boots, and ventured out on the desperate way. I lookeddown once, so as to make sure that a sudden glimpse of the awful depthwould not overcome me, but after that kept my eyes away from it. Iknew pretty well the direction and distance of the Count's window, andmade for it as well as I could, having regard to the opportunitiesavailable. I did not feel dizzy--I suppose I was too excited--andthe time seemed ridiculously short till I found myself standing onthe windowsill and trying to raise up the sash. I was filled withagitation, however, when I bent down and slid feet foremost in throughthe window. Then I looked round for the Count, but, with surprise andgladness, made a discovery. The room was empty! It was barely furnishedwith odd things, which seemed to have never been used; the furniturewas something the same style as that in the south rooms, and wascovered with dust. I looked for the key, but it was not in the lock,and I could not find it anywhere. The only thing I found was a greatheap of gold in one corner--gold of all kinds, Roman, and British, andAustrian, and Hungarian, and Greek and Turkish money, covered with afilm of dust, as though it had lain long in the ground. None of it thatI noticed was less than three hundred years old. There were also chainsand ornaments, some jewelled, but all of them old and stained.
At one corner of the room was a heavy door. I tried it, for, since Icould not find the key of the room or the key of the outer door, whichwas the main object of my search, I must make further examination, orall my efforts would be in vain. It was open, and led through a stonepassage to a circular stairway, which went steeply down. I descended,minding carefully where I went, for the stairs were dark, being onlylit by loopholes in the heavy masonry. At the bottom there was a dark,tunnel-like passage, through which came a deathly, sickly odour, theodour of old earth newly turned. As I went through the passage thesmell grew closer and heavier. At last I pulled open a heavy doorwhich stood ajar, and
found myself in an old, ruined chapel, which hadevidently been used as a graveyard. The roof was broken, and in twoplaces were steps leading to vaults, but the ground had recently beendug over, and the earth placed in great wooden boxes, manifestly thosewhich had been brought by the Slovaks. There was nobody about, and Imade search for any further outlet, but there was none. Then I wentover every inch of the ground, so as not to lose a chance. I went downeven into the vaults, where the dim light struggled, although to do sowas dread to my very soul. Into two of these I went, but saw nothingexcept fragments of old coffins and piles of dust; in the third,however, I made a discovery.
There, in one of the great boxes, of which there were fifty in all, ona pile of newly dug earth, lay the Count! He was either dead or asleep,I could not say which--for the eyes were open and stony, but withoutthe glassiness of death--and the cheeks had the warmth of life throughall their pallor, and the lips were as red as ever. But there was nosign of movement, no pulse, no breath, no beating of the heart. I bentover him, and tried to find any sign of life, but in vain. He could nothave lain there long, for the earthy smell would have passed away ina few hours. By the side of the box was its cover, pierced with holeshere and there. I thought he might have the keys on him, but when Iwent to search I saw the dead eyes, and in them, dead though they were,such a look of hate, though unconscious of me or my presence, thatI fled from the place, and leaving the Count's room by the window,crawled again up the castle wall. Regaining my own chamber, I threwmyself panting upon the bed and tried to think....