?Poor critturs!? said Tom,??what made ?em cruel??and, if I give out, I shall get used to ?t, and grow, little by little, just like ?em! No, no, Missis! I?ve lost everything,?wife, and children, and home, and a kind Mas?r,?and he would have set me free, if he?d only lived a week longer; I?ve lost everything in this world, and it?s clean gone, forever,?and now I can?t lose Heaven, too; no, I can?t get to be wicked, besides all!? ?But it can?t be that the Lord will lay sin to our account,? said the woman; ?he won?t charge it to us, when we?re forced to it; he?ll charge it to them that drove us to it ?Yes,? said Tom; ?but that won?t keep us from growing wickedIf I get to be as hard-hearted as that ar? Sambo, and as wicked, it won?t make much odds to me how I come so; it?s the bein? so,?that ar?s what I?m a dreadin? The woman fixed a wild and startled look on Tom, as if a new thought had struck her; and then, heavily groaning, said, ?O God a? mercy! you speak the truth! O?O?O!??and, with groans, she fell on the floor, like one crushed and writhing under the extremity of mental anguish There was a silence, a while, in which the breathing of both parties could be heard, when Tom faintly said, ?O, please, Missis!? The woman suddenly rose up, with her face composed to its usual stern, melancholy expression ?Please, Missis, I saw ?em throw my coat in that ar? corner, and in my coat-pocket is my Bible;?if Missis would please get it for me Cassy went and got itTom opened, at once, to a heavily marked passage, much worn, of the last scenes in the life of Him by whose stripes we are healed ?If Missis would only be so good as read that ar?,?it?s better than water Cassy took the book, with a dry, proud air, and looked over the passageShe then read aloud, in a soft voice, and with a beauty of intonation that was peculiar, that touching account of anguish and of gloryOften, as she read, her voice faltered, and sometimes failed her altogether, when she would stop, with an air of frigid composure, till she had mastered herselfWhen she came to the touching words, ?Father forgive them, for they know not what they do,? she threw down the book, and, burying her face in the heavy masses of her hair, she sobbed aloud, with a convulsive violence Tom was weeping, also, and occasionally uttering a smothered ejaculation ?If we only could keep up to that ar?!? said Tom;??it seemed to come so natural to him, and we have to fight so hard for ?t! O Lord, help us! O blessed Lord Jesus, do help us!? ?Missis,? said Tom, after a while, ?I can see that, some how, you?re quite ?bove me in everything; but there?s one thing Missis might learn even from poor TomYe said the Lord took sides against us, because he lets us be ?bused and knocked round; but ye see what come on his own Son,?the blessed Lord of Glory,?wan?t he allays poor? and have we, any on us, yet come so low as he come? The Lord han?t forgot us,?I?m sartin? o? that ar?If we suffer with him, we shall also reign, Scripture says; but, if we deny Him, he also will deny usDidn?t they all suffer??the Lord and all his? It tells how they was stoned and sawn asunder, and wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, and was destitute, afflicted, tormentedSufferin? an?t no reason to make us think the Lord?s turned agin us; but jest the contrary, if only we hold on to him, and doesn?t give up to sin ?But why does he put us where we can?t help but sin?? said the woman ?I think we can help it,? said Tom ?You?ll see,? said Cassy; ?what?ll you do? Tomorrow they?ll be at you againI know ?em; I?ve seen all their doings; I can?t bear to think of all they?ll bring you to;?and they?ll make you give out, at last!? ?Lord Jesus!? said Tom, ?you will take care of my soul? O Lord, do!?don?t let me give out!? ?O dear!? said Cassy; ?I?ve heard all this crying and praying before; and yet, they?ve been broken down, and brought underThere?s Emmeline, she?s trying to hold on, and you?re trying,?but what use? You must give up, or be killed by inches ?Well, then, I will die!? said Tom?Spin it out as long as they can, they can?t help my dying, some time!?and, after that, they can?t do no moreI?m clar, I?m set! I know the Lord?ll help me, and bring me through The woman did not answer; she sat with her black eyes intently fixed on the floor ?May be it?s the way,? she murmured to herself; ?but those that have given up, there?s no hope for them!?none! We live in filth, and grow loathsome, till we loathe ourselves! And we long to die, and we don?t dare to kill ourselves!?No hope! no hope! no hope??this girl now,?just as old as I was! ?You see me now,? she said, speaking to Tom very rapidly; ?see what I am! Well, I was brought up in luxury; the first I remember is, playing about, when I was a child, in splendid parlors,?when I was kept dressed up like a doll, and company and visitors used to praise meThere was a garden opening from the saloon windows; and there I used to play hide-and-go-seek, under the orange-trees, with my brothers and sistersI went to a convent, and there I learned music, French and embroidery, and what not; and when I was fourteen, I came out to my father?s funeralHe died very suddenly, and when the property came to be settled, they found that there was scarcely enough to cover the debts; and when the creditors took an inventory of the property, I was set down in itMy mother was a slave woman, and my father had always meant to set me free; but he had not done it, and so I was set down in the listI?d always known who I was, but never thought much about itNobody ever expects that a strong, healthy man is going to dieMy father was a well man only four hours before he died;?it was one of the first cholera cases in New OrleansThe day after the funeral, my father?s wife took her children, and went up to her father?s plantationI thought they treated me strangely, but didn?t knowThere was a young lawyer who they left to settle the business; and he came every day, and was about the house, and spoke very politely to meHe brought with him, one day, a young man, whom I thought the handsomest I had ever shop seen

For a few moments the breathing continued to be stertorousThen there came a breath so prolonged that it seemed as though it would tear open his chestSuddenly his eyes opened, and became fixed in a wild, helpless stareThis was continued for a few moments, then it was softened into a glad surprise, and from his lips came a sigh of reliefHe moved convulsively, and as he did so, said, "I'll be quiet, DoctorTell them to take off the strait waistcoatI have had a terrible dream, and it has left me so weak that I cannot moveWhat's wrong with my face? It feels all swollen, and it smarts dreadfully He tried to turn his head, but even with the effort his eyes seemed to grow glassy again so I gently put it backThen Van Helsing said in a quiet grave tone, "Tell us your dream, Mr As he heard the voice his face brightened, through its mutilation, and he said, "That is DrHow good it is of you to be hereGive me some water, my lips are dry, and I shall try to tell youI dreamed?" He stopped and seemed faintingI called quietly to Quincey, "The brandy, it is in my study, quick!" He flew and returned with a glass, the decanter of brandy and a carafe of waterWe moistened the parched lips, and the patient quickly revived It seemed, however, that his poor injured brain had been working in the interval, for when he was quite conscious, he looked at me piercingly with an agonized confusion which I shall never forget, and said, "I must not deceive myselfIt was no dream, but all a grim reality Then his eyes roved round the roomAs they caught sight of the two figures sitting patiently on the edge of the bed he went on, "If I were not sure already, I would know from them For an instant his eyes closed, not with pain or sleep but voluntarily, as though he were bringing all his faculties to bearWhen he opened them he said, hurriedly, and with more energy than he had yet displayed, "Quick, Doctor, quick, I am dying! I feel that I have but a few minutes, and then I must go back to death, or worse! Wet my lips with brandy againI have something that I must say before I dieOr before my poor crushed brain dies anyhowThank you! It was that night after you left me, when I implored you to let me go awayI couldn't speak then, for I felt my tongue was tiedBut I was as sane then, except in that way, as I am nowI was in an agony of despair for a long time after you left me, it seemed hoursThen there came a sudden peace to meMy brain seemed to become cool again, and I realized where I wasI heard the dogs bark behind our house, but not where He was!" As he spoke, Van Helsing's eyes never blinked, but his hand came out and met mine and gripped it hardHe did not, however, betray himselfHe nodded slightly and said, "Go on," in a low voice Renfield proceeded"He came up to the window in the mist, as I had seen him often before, but he was solid then, not a ghost, and his eyes were fierce like a man's when angryHe was laughing with his red mouth, the sharp white teeth glinted in the moonlight when he turned to look back over the belt of trees, to where the dogs were barkingI wouldn't ask him to come in at first, though I knew he wanted to, just as he had wanted all alongThen he began promising me things, not in words but by doing them He was interrupted by a word from the Professor, "How?" "By making them happenJust as he used to send in the flies when the sun was shop shining

For a few moments the breathing continued to be stertorousThen there came a breath so prolonged that it seemed as though it would tear open his chestSuddenly his eyes opened, and became fixed in a wild, helpless stareThis was continued for a few moments, then it was softened into a glad surprise, and from his lips came a sigh of reliefHe moved convulsively, and as he did so, said, "I'll be quiet, DoctorTell them to take off the strait waistcoatI have had a terrible dream, and it has left me so weak that I cannot moveWhat's wrong with my face? It feels all swollen, and it smarts dreadfully He tried to turn his head, but even with the effort his eyes seemed to grow glassy again so I gently put it backThen Van Helsing said in a quiet grave tone, "Tell us your dream, Mr As he heard the voice his face brightened, through its mutilation, and he said, "That is DrHow good it is of you to be hereGive me some water, my lips are dry, and I shall try to tell youI dreamed?" He stopped and seemed faintingI called quietly to Quincey, "The brandy, it is in my study, quick!" He flew and returned with a glass, the decanter of brandy and a carafe of waterWe moistened the parched lips, and the patient quickly revived It seemed, however, that his poor injured brain had been working in the interval, for when he was quite conscious, he looked at me piercingly with an agonized confusion which I shall never forget, and said, "I must not deceive myselfIt was no dream, but all a grim reality Then his eyes roved round the roomAs they caught sight of the two figures sitting patiently on the edge of the bed he went on, "If I were not sure already, I would know from them For an instant his eyes closed, not with pain or sleep but voluntarily, as though he were bringing all his faculties to bearWhen he opened them he said, hurriedly, and with more energy than he had yet displayed, "Quick, Doctor, quick, I am dying! I feel that I have but a few minutes, and then I must go back to death, or worse! Wet my lips with brandy againI have something that I must say before I dieOr before my poor crushed brain dies anyhowThank you! It was that night after you left me, when I implored you to let me go awayI couldn't speak then, for I felt my tongue was tiedBut I was as sane then, except in that way, as I am nowI was in an agony of despair for a long time after you left me, it seemed hoursThen there came a sudden peace to meMy brain seemed to become cool again, and I realized where I wasI heard the dogs bark behind our house, but not where He was!" As he spoke, Van Helsing's eyes never blinked, but his hand came out and met mine and gripped it hardHe did not, however, betray himselfHe nodded slightly and said, "Go on," in a low voice Renfield proceeded"He came up to the window in the mist, as I had seen him often before, but he was solid then, not a ghost, and his eyes were fierce like a man's when angryHe was laughing with his red mouth, the sharp white teeth glinted in the moonlight when he turned to look back over the belt of trees, to where the dogs were barkingI wouldn't ask him to come in at first, though I knew he wanted to, just as he had wanted all alongThen he began promising me things, not in words but by doing them He was interrupted by a word from the Professor, "How?" "By making them happenJust as he used to send in the flies when the sun was shop shining

He is certainly a man of noble naturePoor dear Lucy was right about himHe stood up and opened a large drawer, in which were arranged in order a number of hollow cylinders of metal covered with dark wax, and said, "You are quite rightI did not trust you because I did not know youBut I know you now, and let me say that I should have known you long agoI know that Lucy told you of meShe told me of you tooMay I make the only atonement in my power? Take the cylinders and hear themThe first half-dozen of them are personal to me, and they will not horrify youThen you will know me betterDinner will by then be readyIn the meantime I shall read over some of these documents, and shall be better able to understand certain things He carried the phonograph himself up to my sitting room and adjusted it for meNow I shall learn something pleasant, I am sureFor it will tell me the other side of a true love episode of which I know one side alreadySEWARD'S DIARY 29 September-I was so absorbed in that wonderful diary of Jonathan Harker and that other of his wife that I let the time run on without thinkingHarker was not down when the maid came to announce dinner, so I said, "She is possibly tiredLet dinner wait an hour," and I went on with my workI had just finished MrsHarker's diary, when she came inShe looked sweetly pretty, but very sad, and her eyes were flushed with cryingThis somehow moved me muchOf late I have had cause for tears, God knows! But the relief of them was denied me, and now the sight of those sweet eyes, brightened by recent tears, went straight to my heartSo I said as gently as I could, "I greatly fear I have distressed you "Oh, no, not distressed me," she replied"But I have been more touched than I can say by your griefThat is a wonderful machine, but it is cruelly trueIt told me, in its very tones, the anguish of your heartIt was like a soul crying out to Almighty GodNo one must hear them spoken ever again! See, I have tried to be usefulI have copied out the words on my typewriter, and none other need now hear your heart beat, as I did "No one need ever know, shall ever know," I said in a low voiceShe laid her hand on mine and said very gravely, "Ah, but they must!" "Must! But why?" I asked "Because it is a part of the terrible story, a part of poor Lucy's death and all that led to itBecause in the struggle which we have before us to rid the earth of this terrible monster we must have all the knowledge and all the help which we can getI think that the cylinders which you gave me contained more than you intended me to knowBut I can see that there are in your record many lights to this dark mysteryYou will let me help, will you not? I know all up to a certain point, and I see already, though your diary only took me to 7 September, how poor Lucy was beset, and how her terrible doom was being wrought outJonathan and I have been working day and night since Professor Van Helsing saw shop us

It was just a quarter before twelve o'clock when we got into the churchyard over the low wallThe night was dark with occasional gleams of moonlight between the dents of the heavy clouds that scudded across the skyWe all kept somehow close together, with Van Helsing slightly in front as he led the wayWhen we had come close to the tomb I looked well at Arthur, for I feared the proximity to a place laden with so sorrowful a memory would upset him, but he bore himself wellI took it that the very mystery of the proceeding was in some way a counteractant to his griefThe Professor unlocked the door, and seeing a natural hesitation amongst us for various reasons, solved the difficulty by entering first himselfThe rest of us followed, and he closed the doorHe then lit a dark lantern and pointed to a coffinArthur stepped forward hesitatinglyVan Helsing said to me, "You were with me here yesterdayWas the body of Miss Lucy in that coffin?" "It was The Professor turned to the rest saying, "You hear, and yet there is no one who does not believe with me He took his screwdriver and again took off the lid of the coffinArthur looked on, very pale but silentWhen the lid was removed he stepped forwardHe evidently did not know that there was a leaden coffin, or at any rate, had not thought of itWhen he saw the rent in the lead, the blood rushed to his face for an instant, but as quickly fell away again, so that he remained of a ghastly whitenessVan Helsing forced back the leaden flange, and we all looked in and recoiled The coffin was empty! For several minutes no one spoke a wordThe silence was broken by Quincey Morris, "Professor, I answered for youYour word is all I wantI wouldn't ask such a thing ordinarily, I wouldn't so dishonour you as to imply a doubt, but this is a mystery that goes beyond any honour or dishonourIs this your doing?" "I swear to you by all that I hold sacred that I have not removed or touched herWhat happened was thisTwo nights ago my friend Seward and I came here, with good purpose, believe meI opened that coffin, which was then sealed up, and we found it as now, emptyWe then waited, and saw something white come through the treesThe next day we came here in daytime and she lay thereDid she not, friend John? "Yes "That night we were just in timeOne more so small child was missing, and we find it, thank God, unharmed amongst the gravesYesterday I came here before sundown, for at sundown the UnDead can moveI waited here all night till the sun rose, but I saw nothingIt was most probable that it was because I had laid over the clamps of those doors garlic, which the UnDead cannot bear, and other things which they shunLast night there was no exodus, so tonight before the sundown I took away my garlic and other thingsAnd so it is we find this coffin emptySo far there is much that is strangeWait you with me outside, unseen and unheard, and things much stranger are yet to beSo," here he shut the dark slide of his lantern, "now to the outside He opened the door, and we filed out, he coming last and locking the door behind shop him