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awful women. They are real devils! I shall not remain alone with them; I shall try to crawl the castle wall. I shall take some of the gold with me. I may find a way from this dreadful place.

      And then away for home! Away to the quickest and nearest train! Away from this cursed spot, from this cursed land, where the devil and his children still walk with earthly feet!

      The precipice is steep and high. But it is better to try to escape than to stay here.

      Goodbye, all! Mina!

      Letter from Miss Mina Murray to Miss Lucy Westenra[58]

      9 May.

      My dearest Lucy,

      I want to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely. Jonathan and I sometimes write letters in shorthand, and he is keeping a stenographic journal of his travels abroad. When I am with you I shall keep a diary in the same way. I shall try to do what I see journalists do: interviewing and writing. I will tell you of my little plans when we meet. I have just received a few lines from Jonathan from Transylvania. He is well, and will return in about a week. It’s ten o’clock. Goodbye.

      Your loving

      Mina

      P. S. Tell me all the news when you write. I hear rumours, and especially of a tall, handsome, curly-haired man???

      Letter, Lucy Westenra to Mina Murray

      17, Chatham Street,

      Wednesday.

      My dearest Mina,

      I have nothing to tell you. There is really nothing to interest for walks and rides in the park. As to[59] the tall, curly-haired man, that is Mr. Holmwood.[60] He often comes to see us.

      We met some time ago a very interesting man. He is handsome and rich. He is a doctor and really clever. He is only nine-and-twenty, and he has his own lunatic asylum.[61] Mr. Holmwood introduced him to me, and he often comes now. He seems absolutely imperturbable. Arthur is not against him. Oh, Arthur!

      Mina, we have told all our secrets to each other since we were children; we have slept together and eaten together, and laughed and cried together. Oh, Mina, can you guess? I love him. Arthur. I think he loves me, too, although he has not told me so in words. But oh, Mina, I love him; I love him; I love him! Please, tell me all that you think about it.

      Mina, I must stop. Goodnight. Bless me in your prayers; and, Mina, pray for my happiness.

      Lucy

      P. S. Of course, this is a secret. Goodnight again.

      Letter, Lucy Westenra to Mina Murray

      24 May.

      My dearest Mina,

      Thanks, and thanks, and thanks again for your sweet letter. My dear, I shall be twenty in September, and yet I never had a proposal[62] till today, not a real proposal, and today I have had three. Three proposals in one day! Isn’t it awful! I feel sorry, really and truly sorry, for two of the poor fellows. Oh, Mina, I am so happy that I don’t know what to do with myself. And three proposals!

      Well, my dear, number One came just before lunch. I told you of him, Dr. John Seward,[63] the lunatic-asylum man,[64] with the strong jaw and the good forehead. He was very cool outwardly, but was nervous all the same. He spoke to me, Mina, very straightforwardly.[65] He told me how dear I was to him. He said that he was my friend. My dear, I must stop here at present, I feel so miserable, though I am so happy.

      24 May, evening.

      Arthur has just gone, so I can go on. Well, my dear, number Two came after lunch. He is an American from Texas, and he looks young and fresh. Mr. Quincey P. Morris[66] telling us his stories, and Arthur never told any, and yet —

      My dear, Mr. Morris is really well educated and has exquisite manners. He took my hand in his, and said ever so sweetly, “Miss Lucy, you are an honest hearted girl, I know. Tell me, is there any one else that you love? And if there is I’ll be just a very faithful friend.”

      My dear Mina, why are men so noble when we women are so little worthy of them? I was able to look into Mr. Morris’s brave eyes, and I told him, “Yes, there is some one I love.”

      Ever your loving

      Lucy.

      P. S. Oh, about number Three – I needn’t tell you of number Three, need I? Besides, it was all so confused. When he entered the room, he kissed me. I am very, very happy, and I don’t know what I have done to deserve it. God Himself sent me such a lover, such a husband, and such a friend.

      Goodbye.

      Dr. Seward’s Diary

      25 May. – No appetite today. I cannot eat, cannot rest. The only cure for this is work, so I went to the asylum. There is a patient there who is of great interest to me.

      R. M. Renfield,[67] 59. Sanguine temperament;[68] great physical strength; morbidly excitable; periods of gloom, fixed ideas.[69]

      Mina Murray’s Journal

      24 July. Whitby.[70] – Lucy met me at the station, she looks sweeter and lovelier than ever. This is a lovely place. The little river, the Esk,[71] runs through a deep valley. The valley is beautifully green. The houses of the old town are all red-roofed; there is a legend that one can see a white lady in one of the windows. Between it and the town there is a church. This is the nicest spot in Whitby.

      I shall go home at the moment. Lucy with her mother will be home soon.

      1 August. – I came up here an hour ago with Lucy, and we had a most interesting talk with my old friend. Lucy looks sweetly pretty in her white dress; she has got a beautiful colour since she has been here. She is so sweet with old people; I think they all fell in love with her.

      Lucy told me all over again about Arthur and their future marriage. That made me just a little sad, for I haven’t heard from Jonathan for a whole month.

      Same day, later. – I came up here alone, for I am very sad. There was no letter for me. Where is Jonathan? Does he think of me?

      Dr. Seward’s Diary

      5 June. – The case of Renfield becomes more interesting. He has certain qualities; selfishness, secrecy, and purpose.[72] He has some scheme, but what it is I do not yet know. He loves animals and insects very much, though his love is very strange. Just now his hobby is catching flies. What will he do with them? I must watch him.

      18 June. – He has turned to spiders, and has got several very big spiders in a box. He feeds them with his flies.

      1 July. – He disgusted me much. While with him, a horrid fly came into the room, he caught it, held it for a few moments between his finger and thumb, and, before I knew what he was going to do, put it in his mouth and ate it. I scolded him for it, but he argued quietly that it was very good and very wholesome. He has evidently some deep problem in his mind, for he keeps a little notebook in which he is always writing down something. Whole pages of it are filled with figures.

      8 July. – There is a method in his madness. He has managed to get a sparrow.[73] The spiders have diminished.

      19

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