DR. SEWARD’S DIARY

2 October.—­I placed a man in the corridor last night, and told him to make an accurate note of any sound he might hear from Renfield’s room, and gave him instructions that if there should be anything strange he was to call me.  After dinner, when we had all gathered round the fire in the study, Mrs. Harker having gone to bed, we discussed the attempts and discoveries of the day.  Harker was the only one who had any result, and we are in great hopes that his clue may be an important one.

Before going to bed I went round to the patient’s room and looked in through the observation trap.  He was sleeping soundly, his heart rose and fell with regular respiration.

This morning the man on duty reported to me that a little after midnight he was restless and kept saying his prayers somewhat loudly.  I asked him if that was all.  He replied that it was all he heard.  There was something about his manner, so suspicious that I asked him point blank if he had been asleep.  He denied sleep, but admitted to having “dozed” for a while.  It is too bad that men cannot be trusted unless they are watched.

Today Harker is out following up his clue, and Art and Quincey are looking after horses.  Godalming thinks that it will be well to have horses always in readiness, for when we get the information which we seek there will be no time to lose.  We must sterilize all the imported earth between sunrise and sunset.  We shall thus catch the Count at his weakest, and without a refuge to fly to.  Van Helsing is off to the British Museum looking up some authorities on ancient medicine.  The old physicians took account of things which their followers do not accept, and the Professor is searching for witch and demon cures which may be useful to us later.

I sometimes think we must be all mad and that we shall wake to sanity in strait waistcoats.

Later.—­We have met again.  We seem at last to be on the track, and our work of tomorrow may be the beginning of the end.  I wonder if Renfield’s quiet has anything to do with this.  His moods have so followed the doings of the Count, that the coming destruction of the monster may be carried to him some subtle way.  If we could only get some hint as to what passed in his mind, between the time of my argument with him today and his resumption of fly-catching, it might afford us a valuable clue.  He is now seemingly quiet for a spell . . .  Is he?  That wild yell seemed to come from his room . . .

The attendant came bursting into my room and told me that Renfield had somehow met with some accident.  He had heard him yell, and when he went to him found him lying on his face on the floor, all covered with blood.  I must go at once . . .

CHAPTER 21

DR. SEWARD’S DIARY

3 October.—­Let me put down with exactness all that happened, as well as I can remember, since last I made an entry.  Not a detail that I can recall must be forgotten.  In all calmness I must proceed.