We have walked with our humble friend thus far in the valley of slavery; first through flowery fields of ease and indulgence, then through heart-breaking separations from all that man holds dearAgain, we have waited with him in a sunny island, where generous hands concealed his chains with flowers; and, lastly, we have followed him when the last ray of earthly hope went out in night, and seen how, in the blackness of earthly darkness, the firmament of the unseen has blazed with stars of new and significant lustre The morning-star now stands over the tops of the mountains, and gales and breezes, not of earth, show that the gates of day are unclosing The escape of Cassy and Emmeline irritated the before surly temper of Legree to the last degree; and his fury, as was to be expected, fell upon the defenceless head of TomWhen he hurriedly announced the tidings among his hands, there was a sudden light in Tom?s eye, a sudden upraising of his hands, that did not escape himHe saw that he did not join the muster of the pursuersHe thought of forcing him to do it; but, having had, of old, experience of his inflexibility when commanded to take part in any deed of inhumanity, he would not, in his hurry, stop to enter into any conflict with him Tom, therefore, remained behind, with a few who had learned of him to pray, and offered up prayers for the escape of the fugitives When Legree returned, baffled and disappointed, all the long-working hatred of his soul towards his slave began to gather in a deadly and desperate formHad not this man braved him,?steadily, powerfully, resistlessly,?ever since he bought him? Was there not a spirit in him which, silent as it was, burned on him like the fires of perdition? ?I hate him!? said Legree, that night, as he sat up in his bed; ?I hate him! And isn?t he MINE? Can?t I do what I like with him? Who?s to hinder, I wonder?? And Legree clenched his fist, and shook it, as if he had something in his hands that he could rend in pieces But, then, Tom was a faithful, valuable servant; and, although Legree hated him the more for that, yet the consideration was still somewhat of a restraint to him The next morning, he determined to say nothing, as yet; to assemble a party, from some neighboring plantations, with dogs and guns; to surround the swamp, and go about the hunt systematicallyIf it succeeded, well and good; if not, he would summon Tom before him, and?his teeth clenched and his blood boiled?then he would break the fellow down, or?there was a dire inward whisper, to which his soul assented Ye say that the interest of the master is a sufficient safeguard for the slaveIn the fury of man?s mad will, he will wittingly, and with open eye, sell his own soul to the devil to gain his ends; and will he be more careful of his neighbor?s body? ?Well,? said Cassy, the next day, from the garret, as she reconnoitred through the knot-hole, ?the hunt?s going to begin again, today!? Three or four mounted horsemen were curvetting about, on the space in front of the house; and one or two leashes of strange dogs were struggling with the negroes who held them, baying and barking at each other The men are, two of them, overseers of plantations in the vicinity; and others were some of Legree?s associates at the tavern-bar of a neighboring city, who had come for the interest of the sportA more hard-favored set, perhaps, could not be imaginedLegree was serving brandy, profusely, round among them, as also among the negroes, who had been detailed from the various plantations for this service; for it was an object to make every service of this kind, among the negroes, as much of a holiday as possible Cassy placed her ear at the knot-hole; and, as the morning air blew directly towards the house, she could overhear a good deal of the conversationA grave sneer overcast the dark, severe gravity of her face, as she listened, and heard them divide out the ground, discuss the rival merits of the dogs, give orders about firing, and the treatment of each, in case of capture Cassy drew back; and, clasping her hands, looked upward, and said, ?O, great Almighty God! we are all sinners; but what have we done, more than all the rest of the world, that we should be treated so?? There was a terrible earnestness in her face and voice, as she spoke ?If it wasn?t for you, child,? she said, looking at Emmeline, ?I?d go out to them; and I?d thank any one of them that would shoot me down; for what use will freedom be to me? Can it give me back my children, or make me what I used to be?? Emmeline, in her child-like simplicity, was half afraid of the dark moods of CassyShe looked perplexed, but made no answerShe only took her hand, with a gentle, caressing movement ?Don?t!? said Cassy, trying to draw it away; ?you?ll get me to loving you; and I never mean to love anything, again!? ?Poor Cassy!? said Emmeline, ?don?t feel so! If the Lord gives us liberty, perhaps he?ll give you back your daughter; at any rate, I?ll be like a daughter to youI know I?ll never see my poor old mother again! I shall love you, Cassy, whether you love me or not!? The gentle, child-like spirit conqueredCassy sat down by her, put her arm round her neck, stroked her soft, brown hair; and Emmeline then wondered at the beauty of her magnificent eyes, now soft with tears ?O, Em!? said Cassy, ?I?ve hungered for my children, and thirsted for them, and my eyes fail with longing for them! Here! here!? she said, striking her breast, ?it?s all desolate, all empty! If God would give me back my children, then I could pray ?You must trust him, Cassy,? said Emmeline; ?he is our Father!? ?His wrath is upon us,? said Cassy; ?he has turned away in anger ?No, Cassy! He will be good to us! Let us hope in Him,? said Emmeline,??I always have had hope The hunt was long, animated, and thorough, but unsuccessful; and, with grave, ironic exultation, Cassy looked down on Legree, as, weary and dispirited, he alighted from his horse ?Now, Quimbo,? said Legree, as he stretched himself down in the sitting-room, ?you jest go and walk that Tom up here, right away! The old cuss is at the bottom of this yer whole matter; and I?ll have it out of his old black hide, or I?ll know the reason why!? Sambo and Quimbo, both, though hating each other, were joined in one mind by a no less cordial hatred of TomLegree had told them, at first, that he had bought him for a general overseer, in his absence; and this had begun an ill will, on their part, which had increased, in their debased and servile natures, as they saw him becoming obnoxious to their master?s displeasureQuimbo, therefore, departed, with a will, to execute his orders Tom heard the message with a forewarning heart; for he knew all the plan of the fugitives? escape, and the place of their present concealment;?he knew the deadly character of the man he had to deal with, and his despotic powerBut he felt strong in God to meet death, rather than betray the helpless He sat his basket down by the row, and, looking up, said, ?Into thy hands I commend my spirit! Thou hast redeemed me, oh Lord God of truth!? and then quietly yielded himself to the rough, brutal grasp with which Quimbo seized him ?Ay, ay!? said the giant, as he dragged him along; ye?ll cotch it, now! I?ll boun? Mas?r?s back ?s up high! No sneaking out, now! Tell ye, ye?ll get it, and no mistake! See how ye?ll look, now, helpin? Mas?r?s niggers to run away! See what ye?ll get!? The savage words none of them reached that ear!?a higher voice there was saying, ?Fear not them that kill the body, and, after that, have no more that they can do Nerve and bone of that poor man?s body vibrated to those words, as if touched by the finger of God; and he felt the strength of a thousand souls in oneAs he passed along, the shop trees

They came quickly in and closed the door behind them, the former saying, as they moved along the hall: "It is all rightSix boxes in each and we destroyed them all "Destroyed?" asked the Professor "For him!" We were silent for a minute, and then Quincey said, "There's nothing to do but to wait hereIf, however, he doesn't turn up by five o'clock, we must start offFor it won't do to leave MrsHarker alone after sunset "He will be here before long now," said Van Helsing, who had been consulting his pocketbook"Nota bene, in Madam's telegram he went south from CarfaxThat means he went to cross the river, and he could only do so at slack of tide, which should be something before one o'clockThat he went south has a meaning for usHe is as yet only suspicious, and he went from Carfax first to the place where he would suspect interference leastYou must have been at Bermondsey only a short time before himThat he is not here already shows that he went to Mile End nextThis took him some time, for he would then have to be carried over the river in some wayBelieve me, my friends, we shall not have long to wait nowWe should have ready some plan of attack, so that we may throw away no chanceHush, there is no time nowHave all your arms! Be ready!" He held up a warning hand as he spoke, for we all could hear a key softly inserted in the lock of the hall door I could not but admire, even at such a moment, the way in which a dominant spirit asserted itselfIn all our hunting parties and adventures in different parts of the world, Quincey Morris had always been the one to arrange the plan of action, and Arthur and I had been accustomed to obey him implicitlyNow, the old habit seemed to be renewed instinctivelyWith a swift glance around the room, he at once laid out our plan of attack, and without speaking a word, with a gesture, placed us each in positionVan Helsing, Harker, and I were just behind the door, so that when it was opened the Professor could guard it whilst we two stepped between the incomer and the doorGodalming behind and Quincey in front stood just out of sight ready to move in front of the windowWe waited in a suspense that made the seconds pass with nightmare slownessThe slow, careful steps came along the hallThe Count was evidently prepared for some surprise, at least he feared it Suddenly with a single bound he leaped into the roomWinning a way past us before any of us could raise a hand to stay himThere was something so pantherlike in the movement, something so unhuman, that it seemed to sober us all from the shock of his comingThe first to act was Harker, who with a quick movement, threw himself before the door leading into the room in the front of the houseAs the Count saw us, a horrible sort of snarl passed over his face, showing the eyeteeth long and pointedBut the evil smile as quickly passed into a cold stare of lion-like disdainHis expression again changed as, with a single impulse, we all advanced upon himIt was a pity that we had not some better organized plan of attack, for even at the moment I wondered what we were to doI did not myself know whether our lethal weapons would avail us anything Harker evidently meant to try the matter, for he had ready his great Kukri knife and made a fierce and sudden cut at himThe blow was a powerful one; only the diabolical quickness of the Count's leap back saved himA second less and the trenchant blade had shorn through his shop heart

None the less, however, it was a surpriseI suppose that nature works on such a hopeful basis that we believe against ourselves that things will be as they ought to be, not as we should know that they will beTranscendentalism is a beacon to the angels, even if it be a will-o'-the-wisp to manVan Helsing raised his hand over his head for a moment, as though in remonstrance with the AlmightyBut he said not a word, and in a few seconds stood up with his face sternly set Lord Godalming grew very pale, and sat breathing heavilyI was myself half stunned and looked in wonder at one after anotherQuincey Morris tightened his belt with that quick movement which I knew so wellIn our old wandering days it meant "actionHarker grew ghastly white, so that the scar on her forehead seemed to burn, but she folded her hands meekly and looked up in prayerHarker smiled, actually smiled, the dark, bitter smile of one who is without hope, but at the same time his action belied his words, for his hands instinctively sought the hilt of the great Kukri knife and rested there "When does the next train start for Galatz?" said Van Helsing to us generally "At 6:30 tomorrow morning!" We all started, for the answer came from Mrs "How on earth do you know?" said Art "You forget, or perhaps you do not know, though Jonathan does and so does DrVan Helsing, that I am the train fiendAt home in Exeter I always used to make up the time tables, so as to be helpful to my husbandI found it so useful sometimes, that I always make a study of the time tables nowI knew that if anything were to take us to Castle Dracula we should go by Galatz, or at any rate through Bucharest, so I learned the times very carefullyUnhappily there are not many to learn, as the only train tomorrow leaves as I say "Wonderful woman!" murmured the Professor "Can't we get a special?" asked Lord Godalming Van Helsing shook his head, "I fear notThis land is very different from yours or mineEven if we did have a special, it would probably not arrive as soon as our regular trainMoreover, we have something to prepareYou, friend Arthur, go to the train and get the tickets and arrange that all be ready for us to go in the morningDo you, friend Jonathan, go to the agent of the ship and get from him letters to the agent in Galatz, with authority to make a search of the ship just as it was hereQuincey Morris, you see the Vice Consul, and get his aid with his fellow in Galatz and all he can do to make our way smooth, so that no times be lost when over the DanubeJohn will stay with Madam Mina and me, and we shall consultFor so if time be long you may be delayedAnd it will not matter when the sun set, since I am here with Madam to make report "And I," said MrsHarker brightly, and more like her old self than she had been for many a long day, "shall try to be of use in all ways, and shall think and write for you as I used to doSomething is shifting from me in some strange way, and I feel freer than I have been of late!" The three younger men looked happier at the moment as they seemed to realize the significance of her wordsBut Van Helsing and I, turning to each other, met each a grave and troubled glanceWe said nothing at the time, however When the three men had gone out to their tasks Van Helsing asked MrsHarker to look up the copy of the diaries and find him the part of Harker's journal at the CastleShe went away to get shop it

He insisted upon looking over Lucy's papers himselfI asked him why, for I feared that he, being a foreigner, might not be quite aware of English legal requirements, and so might in ignorance make some unnecessary trouble He answered me, "I know, I knowYou forget that I am a lawyer as well as a doctorBut this is not altogether for the lawYou knew that, when you avoided the coronerI have more than him to avoidThere may be papers more, such as this As he spoke he took from his pocket book the memorandum which had been in Lucy's breast, and which she had torn in her sleep "When you find anything of the solicitor who is for the late MrsWestenra, seal all her papers, and write him tonightFor me, I watch here in the room and in Miss Lucy's old room all night, and I myself search for what may beIt is not well that her very thoughts go into the hands of strangers I went on with my part of the work, and in another half hour had found the name and address of MrsWestenra's solicitor and had written to himAll the poor lady's papers were in orderExplicit directions regarding the place of burial were givenI had hardly sealed the letter, when, to my surprise, Van Helsing walked into the room, saying, "Can I help you friend John? I am free, and if I may, my service is to you "Have you got what you looked for?" I asked To which he replied, "I did not look for any specific thingI only hoped to find, and find I have, all that there was, only some letters and a few memoranda, and a diary new begunBut I have them here, and we shall for the present say nothing of themI shall see that poor lad tomorrow evening, and, with his sanction, I shall use some When we had finished the work in hand, he said to me, "And now, friend John, I think we may to bedWe want sleep, both you and I, and rest to recuperateTomorrow we shall have much to do, but for the tonight there is no need of usAlas!" Before turning in we went to look at poor LucyThe undertaker had certainly done his work well, for the room was turned into a small chapelle ardenteThere was a wilderness of beautiful white flowers, and death was made as little repulsive as might beThe end of the winding sheet was laid over the faceWhen the Professor bent over and turned it gently back, we both started at the beauty before usThe tall wax candles showing a sufficient light to note it wellAll Lucy's loveliness had come back to her in death, and the hours that had passed, instead of leaving traces of 'decay's effacing fingers', had but restored the beauty of life, till positively I could not believe my eyes that I was looking at a corpse The Professor looked sternly graveHe had not loved her as I had, and there was no need for tears in his eyesHe said to me, "Remain till I return," and left the roomHe came back with a handful of wild garlic from the box waiting in the hall, but which had not been opened, and placed the flowers amongst the others on and around the bedThen he took from his neck, inside his collar, a little gold crucifix, and placed it over the mouthHe restored the sheet to its place, and we came away I was undressing in my own room, when, with a premonitory tap at the door, he entered, and at once began to shop speak

When I came in view again the cloud had passed, and the moonlight struck so brilliantly that I could see Lucy half reclining with her head lying over the back of the seatShe was quite alone, and there was not a sign of any living thing about When I bent over her I could see that she was still asleepHer lips were parted, and she was breathing, not softly as usual with her, but in long, heavy gasps, as though striving to get her lungs full at every breathAs I came close, she put up her hand in her sleep and pulled the collar of her nightdress close around her, as though she felt the coldI flung the warm shawl over her, and drew the edges tight around her neck, for I dreaded lest she should get some deadly chill from the night air, unclad as she wasI feared to wake her all at once, so, in order to have my hands free to help her, I fastened the shawl at her throat with a big safety pinBut I must have been clumsy in my anxiety and pinched or pricked her with it, for by-and-by, when her breathing became quieter, she put her hand to her throat again and moanedWhen I had her carefully wrapped up I put my shoes on her feet, and then began very gently to wake her At first she did not respond, but gradually she became more and more uneasy in her sleep, moaning and sighing occasionallyAt last, as time was passing fast, and for many other reasons, I wished to get her home at once, I shook her forcibly, till finally she opened her eyes and awokeShe did not seem surprised to see me, as, of course, she did not realize all at once where she was Lucy always wakes prettily, and even at such a time, when her body must have been chilled with cold, and her mind somewhat appalled at waking unclad in a churchyard at night, she did not lose her graceShe trembled a little, and clung to meWhen I told her to come at once with me home, she rose without a word, with the obedience of a childAs we passed along, the gravel hurt my feet, and Lucy noticed me winceShe stopped and wanted to insist upon my taking my shoes, but I would notHowever, when we got to the pathway outside the chruchyard, where there was a puddle of water, remaining from the storm, I daubed my feet with mud, using each foot in turn on the other, so that as we went home, no one, in case we should meet any one, should notice my bare feet Fortune favoured us, and we got home without meeting a soulOnce we saw a man, who seemed not quite sober, passing along a street in front of usBut we hid in a door till he had disappeared up an opening such as there are here, steep little closes, or 'wynds', as they call them in ScotlandMy heart beat so loud all the time sometimes I thought I should faintI was filled with anxiety about Lucy, not only for her health, lest she should suffer from the exposure, but for her reputation in case the story should get windWhen we got in, and had washed our feet, and had said a prayer of thankfulness together, I tucked her into bedBefore falling asleep she asked, even implored, me not to say a word to any one, even her mother, about her sleep-walking adventure I hesitated at first, to promise, but on thinking of the state of her mother's health, and how the knowledge of such a thing would fret her, and think too, of how such a story might become distorted, nay, infallibly would, in case it should leak out, I thought it wiser to do soI have locked the door, and the key is tied to my wrist, so perhaps I shall not be again disturbedLucy is sleeping soundlyThe reflex of the dawn is high and far over the sea? Same day, noonLucy slept till I woke her and seemed not to have even changed her sideThe adventure of the night does not seem to have harmed her, on the contrary, it has benefited her, for she looks better this morning than she has done for weeksI was sorry to notice that my clumsiness with the safety-pin hurt herIndeed, it might have been serious, for the skin of her throat was piercedI must have pinched up a piece of loose skin and have transfixed it, for there are two little red points like pin-pricks, and on the band of her nightdress was a drop of bloodWhen I apologised and was concerned about it, she laughed and petted me, and said she did not even feel itFortunately it cannot leave a scar, as it is so tiny Same day, night-We passed a happy dayThe air was clear, and the sun bright, and there was a cool breezeWe took our lunch to Mulgrave Woods, shop Mrs