Whoever has travelled in the New England States will remember, in some cool village, the large farmhouse, with its clean-swept grassy yard, shaded by the dense and massive foliage of the sugar maple; and remember the air of order and stillness, of perpetuity and unchanging repose, that seemed to breathe over the whole placeNothing lost, or out of order; not a picket loose in the fence, not a particle of litter in the turfy yard, with its clumps of lilac bushes growing up under the windowsWithin, he will remember wide, clean rooms, where nothing ever seems to be doing or going to be done, where everything is once and forever rigidly in place, and where all household arrangements move with the punctual exactness of the old clock in the cornerIn the family ?keeping-room,? as it is termed, he will remember the staid, respectable old book-case, with its glass doors, where Rollin?s History,1 Milton?s Paradise Lost, Bunyan?s Pilgrim?s Progress, and Scott?s Family Bible,2 stand side by side in decorous order, with multitudes of other books, equally solemn and respectableThere are no servants in the house, but the lady in the snowy cap, with the spectacles, who sits sewing every afternoon among her daughters, as if nothing ever had been done, or were to be done,?she and her girls, in some long-forgotten fore part of the day, ?did up the work,? and for the rest of the time, probably, at all hours when you would see them, it is ?done up The old kitchen floor never seems stained or spotted; the tables, the chairs, and the various cooking utensils, never seem deranged or disordered; though three and sometimes four meals a day are got there, though the family washing and ironing is there performed, and though pounds of butter and cheese are in some silent and mysterious manner there brought into existence On such a farm, in such a house and family, Miss Ophelia had spent a quiet existence of some forty-five years, when her cousin invited her to visit his southern mansionThe eldest of a large family, she was still considered by her father and mother as one of ?the children,? and the proposal that she should go to Orleans was a most momentous one to the family circleThe old gray-headed father took down Morse?s Atlas3 out of the book-case, and looked out the exact latitude and longitude; and read Flint?s Travels in the South and West,4 to make up his own mind as to the nature of the country The good mother inquired, anxiously, ?if Orleans wasn?t an awful wicked place,? saying, ?that it seemed to her most equal to going to the Sandwich Islands, or anywhere among the heathen It was known at the minister?s and at the doctor?s, and at Miss Peabody?s milliner shop, that Ophelia StClare was ?talking about? going away down to Orleans with her cousin; and of course the whole village could do no less than help this very important process of taking about the matterThe minister, who inclined strongly to abolitionist views, was quite doubtful whether such a step might not tend somewhat to encourage the southerners in holding on to their slaves; while the doctor, who was a stanch colonizationist, inclined to the opinion that Miss Ophelia ought to go, to show the Orleans people that we don?t think hardly of them, after allHe was of opinion, in fact, that southern people needed encouragingWhen however, the fact that she had resolved to go was fully before the public mind, she was solemnly invited out to tea by all her friends and neighbors for the space of a fortnight, and her prospects and plans duly canvassed and inquired intoMiss Moseley, who came into the house to help to do the dress-making, acquired daily accessions of importance from the developments with regard to Miss Ophelia?s wardrobe which she had been enabled to makeIt was credibly ascertained that Squire Sinclare, as his name was commonly contracted in the neighborhood, had counted out fifty dollars, and given them to Miss Ophelia, and told her to buy any clothes she thought best; and that two new silk dresses, and a bonnet, had been sent for from BostonAs to the propriety of this extraordinary outlay, the public mind was divided,?some affirming that it was well enough, all things considered, for once in one?s life, and others stoutly affirming that the money had better have been sent to the missionaries; but all parties agreed that there had been no such parasol seen in those parts as had been sent on from New York, and that she had one silk dress that might fairly be trusted to stand alone, whatever might be said of its mistressThere were credible rumors, also, of a hemstitched pocket-handkerchief; and report even went so far as to state that Miss Ophelia had one pocket-handkerchief with lace all around it,?it was even added that it was worked in the corners; but this latter point was never satisfactorily ascertained, and remains, in fact, unsettled to this day Miss Ophelia, as you now behold her, stands before you, in a very shining brown linen travelling-dress, tall, square-formed, and angularHer face was thin, and rather sharp in its outlines; the lips compressed, like those of a person who is in the habit of making up her mind definitely on all subjects; while the keen, dark eyes had a peculiarly searching, advised movement, and travelled over everything, as if they were looking for something to take care of All her movements were sharp, decided, and energetic; and, though she was never much of a talker, her words were remarkably direct, and to the purpose, when she did speak In her habits, she was a living impersonation of order, method, and exactnessIn punctuality, she was as inevitable as a clock, and as inexorable as a railroad engine; and she held in most decided contempt and abomination anything of a contrary character The great sin of sins, in her eyes,?the sum of all evils,?was expressed by one very common and important word in her vocabulary??shiftlessness Her finale and ultimatum of contempt consisted in a very emphatic pronunciation of the word ?shiftless;? and by this she characterized all modes of procedure which had not a direct and inevitable relation to accomplishment of some purpose then definitely had in mindPeople who did nothing, or who did not know exactly what they were going to do, or who did not take the most direct way to accomplish what they set their hands to, were objects of her entire contempt,?a contempt shown less frequently by anything she said, than by a kind of stony grimness, as if she scorned to say anything about the matter As to mental cultivation,?she had a clear, strong, active mind, was well and thoroughly read in history and the older English classics, and thought with great strength within certain narrow limitsHer theological tenets were all made up, labelled in most positive and distinct forms, and put by, like the bundles in her patch trunk; there were just so many of them, and there were never to be any moreSo, also, were her ideas with regard to most matters of practical life,?such as housekeeping in all its branches, and the various political relations of her native villageAnd, underlying all, deeper than anything else, higher and broader, lay the strongest principle of her being?conscientiousnessNowhere is conscience so dominant and all-absorbing as with New England womenIt is the granite formation, which lies deepest, and rises out, even to the tops of the highest mountains Miss Ophelia was the absolute bond-slave of the ?ought Once make her certain that the ?path of duty,? as she commonly phrased it, lay in any given direction, and fire and water could not keep her from itShe would walk straight down into a well, or up to a loaded cannon?s mouth, if she were only quite sure that there the path layHer standard of right was so high, so all-embracing, so minute, and making so few concessions to human frailty, that, though she strove with heroic ardor to reach it, she never actually did so, and of course was burdened with a constant and often harassing sense of deficiency;?this gave a severe and somewhat gloomy cast to her religious character But, how in the world can Miss Ophelia get along with Augustine StClare,?gay, easy, unpunctual, unpractical, sceptical,?in short,?walking with impudent and nonchalant freedom over every one of her most cherished habits and opinions? To tell the truth, then, Miss Ophelia loved himWhen a boy, it had been hers to teach him his catechism, mend his clothes, comb his hair, and bring him up generally in the way he should go; and her heart having a warm side to it, Augustine had, as he usually did with most people, monopolized a large share of it for himself, and therefore it was that he succeeded very easily in persuading her that the ?path of duty? lay in the direction of New Orleans, and that she must go with him to take care of Eva, and keep everything from going to wreck and ruin during the frequent illnesses of his shop wife

Arthur says I am getting fatBy the way, I forgot to tell you that Arthur is hereWe have such walks and drives, and rides, and rowing, and tennis, and fishing together, and I love him more than everHe tells me that he loves me more, but I doubt that, for at first he told me that he couldn't love me more than he did thenThere he is, calling to meSo no more just at present from your loving, "Lucy-Mother sends her loveShe seems better, poor dear-We are to be married on 28 SeptemberSEWARDS DIARY 20 August-The case of Renfield grows even more interestingHe has now so far quieted that there are spells of cessation from his passionFor the first week after his attack he was perpetually violentThen one night, just as the moon rose, he grew quiet, and kept murmuring to himself The attendant came to tell me, so I ran down at once to have a look at himHe was still in the strait waistcoat and in the padded room, but the suffused look had gone from his face, and his eyes had something of their old pleadingI might almost say, cringing, softnessI was satisfied with his present condition, and directed him to be relievedThe attendants hesitated, but finally carried out my wishes without protest It was a strange thing that the patient had humour enough to see their distrust, for, coming close to me, he said in a whisper, all the while looking furtively at them, "They think I could hurt you! Fancy me hurting you! The fools!" It was soothing, somehow, to the feelings to find myself disassociated even in the mind of this poor madman from the others, but all the same I do not follow his thoughtAm I to take it that I have anything in common with him, so that we are, as it were, to stand togetherOr has he to gain from me some good so stupendous that my well being is needful to Him? I must find out later onTonight he will not speakEven the offer of a kitten or even a full-grown cat will not tempt him He will only say, "I don't take any stock in catsI have more to think of now, and I can wait After a while I left himThe attendant tells me that he was quiet until just before dawn, and that then he began to get uneasy, and at length violent, until at last he fell into a paroxysm which exhausted him so that he swooned into a sort of comaThree nights has the same thing happened, violent all day then quiet from moonrise to sunriseI wish I could get some clue to the causeIt would almost seem as if there was some influence which came and wentHappy thought! We shall tonight play sane wits against mad onesHe escaped before without our helpTonight he shall escape with itWe shall give him a chance, and have the men ready to follow in case they are required-"The expected always happens How well Disraeli knew lifeOur bird when he found the cage open would not fly, so all our subtle arrangements were for noughtAt any rate, we have proved one thing, that the spells of quietness last a reasonable timeWe shall in future be able to ease his bonds for a few hours each shop day

At last there came a time when it was evident that the patient was sinking fastHe might die at any momentI looked up at the Professor and caught his eyes fixed on mineHis face was sternly set as he spoke, "There is no time to loseHis words may be worth many livesI have been thinking so, as I stood hereIt may be there is a soul at stake! We shall operate just above the ear Without another word he made the operationFor 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 shop himself

Let me say at once how I stand, or seem to I only slept a few hours when I went to bed, and feeling that I could not sleep any more, got upI had hung my shaving glass by the window, and was just beginning to shaveSuddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and heard the Count's voice saying to me, "Good morning I started, for it amazed me that I had not seen him, since the reflection of the glass covered the whole room behind meIn starting I had cut myself slightly, but did not notice it at the momentHaving answered the Count's salutation, I turned to the glass again to see how I had been mistakenThis time there could be no error, for the man was close to me, and I could see him over my shoulderBut there was no reflection of him in the mirror! The whole room behind me was displayed, but there was no sign of a man in it, except myself This was startling, and coming on the top of so many strange things, was beginning to increase that vague feeling of uneasiness which I always have when the Count is nearBut at the instant I saw that the cut had bled a little, and the blood was trickling over my chinI laid down the razor, turning as I did so half round to look for some sticking plasterWhen the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throatI drew away and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifixIt made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe that it was ever there "Take care," he said, "take care how you cut yourselfIt is more dangerous that you think in this country Then seizing the shaving glass, he went on, "And this is the wretched thing that has done the mischiefIt is a foul bauble of man's vanityAway with it!" And opening the window with one wrench of his terrible hand, he flung out the glass, which was shattered into a thousand pieces on the stones of the courtyard far belowThen he withdrew without a wordIt is very annoying, for I do not see how I am to shave, unless in my watch-case or the bottom of the shaving pot, which is fortunately of metal When I went into the dining room, breakfast was prepared, but I could not find the Count anywhereSo I breakfasted aloneIt is strange that as yet I have not seen the Count eat or drinkHe must be a very peculiar man! After breakfast I did a little exploring in the castleI went out on the stairs, and found a room looking towards the South The view was magnificent, and from where I stood there was every opportunity of seeing itThe castle is on the very edge of a terrific precipiceA stone falling from the window would fall a thousand feet without touching anything! As far as the eye can reach is a sea of green tree tops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasmHere and there are silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests But I am not in heart to describe beauty, for when I had seen the view I explored furtherDoors, doors, doors everywhere, and all locked and boltedIn no place save from the windows in the castle walls is there an available exitThe castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner! CHAPTER 3 Jonathan Harker's Journal Continued When I found that I was a prisoner a sort of wild feeling came over meI rushed up and down the stairs, trying every door and peering out of every window I could find, but after a little the conviction of my helplessness overpowered all other feelingsWhen I look back after a few hours I think I must have been mad for the time, for I behaved much as a rat does in a trapWhen, however, the conviction had come to me that I was helpless I sat down quietly, as quietly as I have ever done anything in my life, and began to think over what was best to be doneI am thinking still, and as yet have come to no definite conclusionOf one thing only am I shop certain

Being myself one of the laziest of mortals, I had altogether too much fellow-feeling for the lazy; and when poor, shiftless dogs put stones at the bottom of their cotton-baskets to make them weigh heavier, or filled their sacks with dirt, with cotton at the top, it seemed so exactly like what I should do if I were they, I couldn?t and wouldn?t have them flogged for itWell, of course, there was an end of plantation discipline; and Alf and I came to about the same point that I and my respected father did, years beforeSo he told me that I was a womanish sentimentalist, and would never do for business life; and advised me to take the bank-stock and the New Orleans family mansion, and go to writing poetry, and let him manage the plantationSo we parted, and I came here ?But why didn?t you free your slaves?? ?Well, I wasn?t up to thatTo hold them as tools for money-making, I could not;?have them to help spend money, you know, didn?t look quite so ugly to meSome of them were old house-servants, to whom I was much attached; and the younger ones were children to the oldAll were well satisfied to be as they were He paused, and walked reflectively up and down the room ?There was,? said StClare, ?a time in my life when I had plans and hopes of doing something in this world, more than to float and driftI had vague, indistinct yearnings to be a sort of emancipator,?to free my native land from this spot and stainAll young men have had such fever-fits, I suppose, some time,?but then?? ?Why didn?t you?? said Miss Ophelia;??you ought not to put your hand to the plough, and look back ?O, well, things didn?t go with me as I expected, and I got the despair of living that Solomon didI suppose it was a necessary incident to wisdom in us both; but, some how or other, instead of being actor and regenerator in society, I became a piece of driftwood, and have been floating and eddying about, ever sinceAlfred scolds me, every time we meet; and he has the better of me, I grant,?for he really does something; his life is a logical result of his opinions and mine is a contemptible non sequitur ?My dear cousin, can you be satisfied with such a way of spending your probation?? ?Satisfied! Was I not just telling you I despised it? But, then, to come back to this point,?we were on this liberation businessI don?t think my feelings about slavery are peculiarI find many men who, in their hearts, think of it just as I doThe land groans under it; and, bad as it is for the slave, it is worse, if anything, for the masterIt takes no spectacles to see that a great class of vicious, improvident, degraded people, among us, are an evil to us, as well as to themselvesThe capitalist and aristocrat of England cannot feel that as we do, because they do not mingle with the class they degrade as we doThey are in our homes; they are the associates of our children, and they form their minds faster than we can; for they are a race that children always will cling to and assimilate withIf Eva, now, was not more angel than ordinary, she would be ruinedWe might as well allow the small-pox to run among them, and think our children would not take it, as to let them be uninstructed and vicious, and think our children will not be affected by thatYet our laws positively and utterly forbid any efficient general educational system, and they do it wisely, too; for, just begin and thoroughly educate one generation, and the whole thing would be blown sky highIf we did not give them liberty, they would take it ?And what do you think will be the end of this?? said Miss OpheliaOne thing is certain,?that there is a mustering among the masses, the world over; and there is a dies irae coming on, sooner or laterThe same thing is working in Europe, in England, and in this countryMy mother used to tell me of a millennium that was coming, when Christ should reign, and all men should be free and happyAnd she taught me, when I was a boy, to pray, ?thy kingdom come Sometimes I think all this sighing, and groaning, and stirring among the dry bones foretells what she used to tell me was comingBut who may abide the day of His appearing?? ?Augustine, sometimes I think you are not far from the kingdom,? said Miss Ophelia, laying down her knitting, and looking anxiously at her cousin ?Thank you for your good opinion, but it?s up and down with me,?up to heaven?s gate in theory, down in earth?s dust in practiceBut there?s the teabell,?do let?s go,?and don?t say, now, I haven?t had one downright serious talk, for once in my life At table, Marie alluded to the incident of Prue?I suppose you?ll think, cousin,? she said, ?that we are all barbarians ?I think that?s a barbarous thing,? said Miss Ophelia, ?but I don?t think you are all barbarians ?Well, now,? said Marie, ?I know it?s impossible to get along with some of these shop creatures