Dracula

his great fortune could
do. But it is pleasure added to do for him, your friend; it is to
you that I come. Have then rooms for me at the Great Eastern Hotel, so
that I may be near to hand, and please it so arrange that we may see
the young lady not too late on to-morrow, for it is likely that I
may have to return here that night. But if need be I shall come
again in three days, and stay longer if it must. Till then good-bye,
my friend John.
- "Van Helsing."
-
-
{CH09 ^paragraph 75}
Letter, Dr. Seward to Hon. Arthur Holmwood
-
- "3 September.
"My dear Art,-
"Van Helsing has come and gone. He came on with me to Hillingham,
and found that, by Lucy's discretion, her mother was lunching out,
so that we were alone with her. Van Helsing made a very careful
examination of the patient. He is to report to me, and I shall
advise you, for of course I was not present all the time. He is, I
fear, much concerned, but says he must think. When I told him of our
friendship and how you trust to me in the matter, he said: 'You must
tell him all you think. Tell him what I think, if you can guess it, if
you will. Nay, I am not jesting. This is no jest, but life and
death, perhaps more.' I asked what he meant by that, for he was very
serious. This was when we had come back to town, and he was having a
cup of tea before starting on his return to Amsterdam. He would not
give me any further clue. You must not be angry with me, Art,
because his very reticence means that all his brains are working for
her good. He will speak plainly enough when the time comes, be sure.
So I told him I would simply write an account of our visit, just as if
I were doing a descriptive special article for The Dally Telegraph. He
seemed not to notice, but remarked that the smuts in London were not
quite so bad as they used to be when he was a student here. I am to
get his report tomorrow if he can possible make it. In any case I am
to have a letter.
{CH09 ^paragraph 80}
"Well, as to the visit. Lucy was more cheerful than on the day I
first saw her, and certainly looked better. She had lost something
of the ghastly look that so upset you, and her breathing was normal.
She was very sweet to the professor (as she always is), and tried to
make him feel at ease; though I could see that the poor girl was
making a hard struggle for it. I believe Van Helsing saw it, too,
for I saw the quick look under his bushy brows that I knew of old.
Then he began to chat of all