Whilst he was speaking,Lucy had been examining the flowers and smelling them.Now she threw them down, saying, with half-laughter, and half-disgust:--
“Oh, Professor, I believe you are only putting up a joke on me.Why, these flowers are only common garlic.”
To my surprise, Van Helsing rose up and said with all his sternness,his iron jaw set and his bushy eyebrows meeting:--
“No trifling with me!I never jest!There is grim purpose in all I do;and I warn you that you do not thwart me. Take care,for the sake of others if not for your own.” Then seeing poor Lucy scared, as she might well be,he went on more gently: “Oh, little miss, my dear,do not fear me. I only do for your good;but there is much virtue to you in those so common flowers.See, I place them myself in your room.I make myself the wreath that you are to wear. But hush!no telling to others that make so inquisitive questions.We must obey, and silence is a part of obedience;and obedience is to bring you strong and well into loving arms that wait for you. Now sit still awhile. Come with me, friend John, and you shall help me deck the room with my garlic, which is all the way from Haarlem, where my friend Vanderpool raise herb in his glass-houses all the year. I had to telegraph yesterday, or they would not have been here.”
We went into the room, taking the flowers with us.The Professor’s actions were certainly odd and not to be found in any pharmacopoeia that I ever heard of. First he fastened up the windows and latched them securely; next, taking a handful of the flowers, he rubbed them all over the sashes, as though to ensure that every whiff of air that might get in would be laden with the garlic smell. Then with the wisp he rubbed all over the jamb of the door, above, below, and at each side, and round the fireplace in the same way. It all seemed grotesque to me, and presently I said:--
“Well, Professor, I know you always have a reason for what you do,but this certainly puzzles me.It is well we have no sceptic here,or he would say that you were working some spell to keep out an evil spirit. ”
“Perhaps I am!” he answered quietly as he began to make the wreath which Lucy was to wear round her neck.
We then waited whilst Lucy made her toilet for the night,and when she was in bed he came and himself fixed the wreath of garlic round her neck. The last words he said to her were:--
“Take care you do not disturb it;and even if the room feel close,do not to-night open the window or the door.”
“I promise,” said Lucy,“and thank you both a thousand times for all your kindness to me!Oh, what have I done to be blessed with such friends?”
As we left the house in my fly, which was waiting, Van Helsing said:--
“To-night I can sleep in peace,and sleep I want--two nights of travel,much reading in the day between,and much anxiety on the day to follow,and a night to sit up, without to wink.To-morrow in the morning early you call for me,and we come together to see our pretty miss,so much more strong for my ‘spell’ which I have work. Ho!ho!”
He seemed so confident that I,remembering my own confidence two nights before and with the baneful result,felt awe and vague terror.It must have been my weakness that made me hesitate to tell it to my friend,but I felt it all the more, like unshed tears.
CHAPTER XI
_Lucy Westenra’s Diary._
_12 September._--How good they all are to me.I quite love that dear Dr. Van Helsing.I wonder why he was so anxious about these flowers.He positively frightened me, he was so fierce.And yet he must have been right,for I feel comfort from them already. Somehow,I do not dread being alone to-night,and I can go to sleep without fear.I shall not mind any flapping outside the window. Oh,the terrible struggle that I have had against sleep so often of late;the pain of the sleeplessness,or the pain of the fear of sleep,with such unknown horrors as it has for me!How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears,no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly,and brings nothing but sweet dreams. Well,here I am to-night, hoping for sleep,and lying like Ophelia in the play,with “virgin crants and maiden strewments.” I never liked garlic before,but to-night it is delightful!There is peace in its smell;I feel sleep coming already. Good-night, everybody.
_Dr. Seward’s Diary._
_13 September._--Called at the Berkeley and found Van Helsing,as usual, up to time.The carriage ordered from the hotel was waiting.The Professor took his bag,which he always brings with him now.
Let all be put down exactly.Van Helsing and I arrived at Hillingham at eight o’clock.It was a lovely morning;the bright sunshine and all the fresh feeling of early autumn seemed like the completion of nature’s annual work. The leaves were turning to all kinds of beautiful colours, but had not yet begun to drop from the trees. When we entered we met Mrs. Westenra coming out of the morning room. She is always an early riser. She greeted us warmly and said:--
“You will be glad to know that Lucy is better.The dear child is still asleep.I looked into her room and saw her, but did not go in,lest I should disturb her.” The Professor smiled,and looked quite jubilant.He rubbed his hands together, and said:--
“Aha!I thought I had diagnosed the case.My treatment is working,” to which she answered:--
“You must not take all the credit to yourself, doctor.Lucy’s state this morning is due in part to me.”
“How you do mean, ma’am?” asked the Professor.
“Well, I was anxious about the dear child in the night,and went into her room.She was sleeping soundly--so soundly that even my coming did not wake her.But the room was awfully stuffy.There were a lot of those horrible,strong-smelling flowers about everywhere,and she had actually a bunch of them round her neck.I feared that the heavy odour would be too much for the dear child in her weak state, so I took them all away and opened a bit of the window to let in a little fresh air. You will be pleased with her, I am sure.”
She moved off into her boudoir,where she usually breakfasted early. As she had spoken,I watched the Professor’s face,and saw it turn ashen grey.He had been able to retain his self-command whilst the poor lady was present,for he knew her state and how mischievous a shock would be;he actually smiled on her as he held open the door for her to pass into her room. But the instant she had disappeared he pulled me, suddenly and forcibly, into the dining-room and closed the door.
Then, for the first time in my life,I saw Van Helsing break down.He raised his hands over his head in a sort of mute despair,and then beat his palms together in a helpless way;finally he sat down on a chair,and putting his hands before his face, began to sob,with loud, dry sobs that seemed to come from the very racking of his heart.Then he raised his arms again,as though appealing to the whole universe. “God!God!God!” he said. “What have we done,what has this poor thing done,that we are so sore beset?Is there fate amongst us still,sent down from the pagan world of old,that such things must be, and in such way?This poor mother, all unknowing,and all for the best as she think,does such thing as lose her daughter body and soul;and we must not tell her, we must not even warn her,or she die, and then both die. Oh, how we are beset!How are all the powers of the devils against us!” Suddenly he jumped to his feet. “Come,” he said,“come, we must see and act. Devils or no devils,or all the devils at once, it matters not;we fight him all the same.” He went to the hall-door for his bag;and together we went up to Lucy’s room.
Once again I drew up the blind,whilst Van Helsing went towards the bed.This time he did not start as he looked on the poor face with the same awful,waxen pallor as before.He wore a look of stern sadness and infinite pity.