beloved one, are now to me, flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood, kin of my kin, my bountiful wine-press for a while, and shall be later on my companion and my helper.  You shall be avenged in turn, for not one of them but shall minister to your needs.  But as yet you are to be punished for what you have done.  You have aided in thwarting me.  Now you shall come to my call.  When my brain says “Come!” to you, you shall cross land or sea to do my bidding.  And to that end this!’

“With that he pulled open his shirt, and with his long sharp nails opened a vein in his breast.  When the blood began to spurt out, he took my hands in one of his, holding them tight, and with the other seized my neck and pressed my mouth to the wound, so that I must either suffocate or swallow some to the . . .  Oh, my God!  My God!  What have I done?  What have I done to deserve such a fate, I who have tried to walk in meekness and righteousness all my days.  God pity me!  Look down on a poor soul in worse than mortal peril.  And in mercy pity those to whom she is dear!” Then she began to rub her lips as though to cleanse them from pollution.

As she was telling her terrible story, the eastern sky began to quicken, and everything became more and more clear.  Harker was still and quiet; but over his face, as the awful narrative went on, came a grey look which deepened and deepened in the morning light, till when the first red streak of the coming dawn shot up, the flesh stood darkly out against the whitening hair.

We have arranged that one of us is to stay within call of the unhappy pair till we can meet together and arrange about taking action.

Of this I am sure.  The sun rises today on no more miserable house in all the great round of its daily course.

CHAPTER 22

JONATHAN HARKER’S JOURNAL

3 October.—­As I must do something or go mad, I write this diary.  It is now six o’clock, and we are to meet in the study in half an hour and take something to eat, for Dr. Van Helsing and Dr. Seward are agreed that if we do not eat we cannot work our best.  Our best will be, God knows, required today.  I must keep writing at every chance, for I dare not stop to think.  All, big and little, must go down.  Perhaps at the end the little things may teach us most.  The teaching, big or little, could not have landed Mina or me anywhere worse than we are today.  However, we must trust and hope.  Poor Mina told me just now, with the tears running down her dear cheeks, that it is in trouble and trial that our faith is tested.  That we must keep on trusting, and that God will aid us up to the end.  The end!  Oh my God!  What end? . . .  To work!  To work!

When Dr. Van Helsing and Dr. Seward had come back from seeing poor Renfield, we went gravely into what was to be done.  First, Dr. Seward told us that when he and Dr. Van Helsing had gone down to the room below they had found Renfield lying on the floor, all in a heap.  His face was all bruised and crushed in, and the bones of the neck were broken.