Bram Stoker

What I saw was the Count’s head com­ing out from the win­dow. I did not

I was not alone. The room was the same, un­changed in any way since I came into it; I could see along the floor, in the bril­liant moon­light, my own foot­step

Good night, every­body.

“Friend Jonathan, this is to you for twice reas­ons. First, be­cause you are young and brave and can fight, and all en­er­gies may be needed at the last; and again that it is your right to des­troy him—that—which has wrought such woe to you and yours. Be not afraid for Madam Mina; she will be my care, if I may. I am old. My legs are not so quick to run as once; and I am not used to ride so long or to pur­sue as need be, or to fight with lethal weapons. But I can be of other ser­vice; I can fight in other way. And I can die, if need be, as well as younger men.

Oh, it did me good to see the way that these brave men worked. How can wo­men help lov­ing men when they are so earn­est, and so true, and so brave! And, too, it made me think of the won­der­ful power of money! What can it not do when it is prop­erly ap­plied; and what might it do when basely used. I felt so thank­ful that Lord Godalm­ing is rich, and that both he and Mr. Mor­ris, who also has plenty of money, are will­ing to spend it so freely. For if they did not, our little ex­ped­i­tion could not start, either so promptly or so well equipped, as it will within an­other hour. It is not three hours since it was ar­ranged what part each of us was to do; and now Lord Godalm­ing and Jonathan have a lovely steam launch, with steam up ready to start at a mo­ment’s no­tice. Dr. Se­ward and Mr. Mor­ris have half a dozen good horses, well ap­poin­ted. We have all the maps and ap­pli­ances of vari­ous kinds that can be had. Pro­fessor Van Helsing and I are to leave by the 11:40 train to­night for Ver­esti, where we are to get a car­riage to drive to the Borgo Pass. We are bring­ing a good deal of ready money, as we are to buy a car­riage and horses. We shall drive ourselves, for we have no one whom we can trust in the mat­ter. The Pro­fessor knows some­thing of a great many lan­guages, so we shall get on all right. We have all got arms, even for me a large-bore re­volver; Jonathan would not be happy un­less I was armed like the rest. Alas! I can­not carry one arm that the rest do; the scar on my fore­head for­bids that. Dear Dr. Van Helsing com­forts me by telling me that I am fully armed as there may be wolves; the weather is get­ting colder every hour, and there are snow-flur­ries which come and go as warn­ings.

It took all my cour­age to say good­bye to my darling. We may never meet again. Cour­age, Mina! the Pro­fessor is look­ing at you keenly; his look is a warn­ing. There must be no tears now—un­less it may be that God will let them fall in glad­ness.

Lord Godalm­ing tells me to sleep for a while, as it is enough for the present for one to be on watch. But I can­not sleep—how can I with the ter­rible danger hanging over my darling, and her go­ing out into that aw­ful place. … My only com­fort is that we are in the hands of God. Only for that faith it would be easier to die than to live, and so be quit of all the trouble.

I am afraid to think what may hap­pen to us. We are truly in the hands of God. He alone knows what may be, and I pray Him, with all the strength of my sad and humble soul, that He will watch over my be­loved hus­band; that whatever may hap­pen, Jonathan may know that I loved him and hon­oured him more than I can say, and that my latest and truest thought will be al­ways for him.

If I write no more Good­bye, Mina! God bless and keep you.

We ride to death of someone. God alone knows who, or where, or what, or when, or how it may be. …