CHAPTER III

JONATHAN BARKER’S JOURNAL continued

WHEN I found that I was a prisoner a sort of wild feeling came

over me. I 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 feelings.

When 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 trap.

When, however, the conviction had come to me that I was help-

less 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 done.

I am thinking still, and as yet have come to no definite conclu-

sion. Of one thing only am I certain; that it is no use making

my ideas known to the Count. He knows well that I am impris-

oned; and as he has done it himself, and has doubtless his own

motives for it, he would only deceive me if I trusted him fully

with the facts. So far as I can see, my only plan will be to keep

my knowledge and my fears to myself, and my eyes open. I

am, I know, either being deceived, like a baby, by my own fears,

or else I am in desperate straits; and if the latter be so, I need,

and shall need, all my brains to get through.

I had hardly come to this conclusion when I heard the great

door below shut, and knew that the Count had returned. He

did not come at once into the library, so I went cautiously to

my own room and found him making the bed. This was odd, but

only confirmed what I had all along thought that there were

no servants in the house. When later I saw him through the chink

of the hinges of the door laying the table in the dining-room, I

was assured of it; for if he does himself all these menial offices,

surely it is proof that there is no one else to do them. This gave

me a fright, for if there is no one else in the castle, it must have

been the Count himself who was the driver of the coach that

brought me here. This is a terrible thought; for if so, what does

it mean that he could control the wolves, as he did, by only hold-

ing up his hand in silence. How was it that all the people at Bis-

tritz and on the coach had some terrible fear for me? What

meant the giving of the crucifix, of the garlic, of the wild rose,

of the mountain ash? Bless that good, good woman who hung

26

Jonathan Harker’s Journal 27

the crucifix round my neck! for it is a comfort and a strength

to me whenever I touch it. It is odd that a thing which I have

been taught to regard with disfavour and as idolatrous should

in. a time of loneliness and trouble be of help. Is it that there is

something in the essence of the thing itself, or that it is a medium,

a tangible help, in conveying memories of sympathy and com-

fort? Some time, if it may be, I must examine this matter and try

to make up my mind about it. In the meantime I must find out

all I can about Count Dracula, as it may help me to understand.

To-night he may talk of himself, if I turn the conversation that

way. I must be very careful, however, not to awake his suspicion.

Midnight. I have had a long talk with the Count. I asked

him a few questions on Transylvania history, and he warmed

up to the subject wonderfully. In his speaking of things and

people, and especially of battles, he spoke as if he had been pres-

ent at them all. This he afterwards explained by saying that to

a boyar the pride of his house and name is his own pride, that

their glory is his glory, that their fate is his fate. Whenever he

spoke of his house he always said «we,» and spoke almost in the

plural, like a king speaking. I wish I could put down all he said

exactly as he said it, for to me it was most fascinating. It seemed

to have in it a whole history of the country. He grew excited as

he spoke, and walked about the room pulling his great white

moustache and grasping anything on which he laid his hands

as though he would crush it by main strength. One thing he said

which I shall put down as nearly as I can; for it tells in its way

the story of his race:

«We Szekelys have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows

the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights, for

lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric

tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor

and Wodin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such

fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and

Africa too, till the peoples thought that the were-wolves them-

selves had come. Here, too, when they came, they found the Huns,

whose warlike fury had swept the earth like a living flame, till

the dying peoples held that in their veins ran the blood of those

old witches, who, expelled from Scythia had mated with the

devils in the desert. Fools, fools! What devil or what witch was

ever so great as Attila, whose blood is in these veins? "He held

up his arms. «Is it a wonder that we were a conquering race;

that we were proud; that when the Magyar, the Lombard the

28 Dracula

Avar, the Bulgar, or the Turk poured his thousands on our

frontiers, we drove them back? Is it strange that when Arpad

and his legions swept through the Hungarian fatherland he

found us here when he reached the frontier; that the Honfoglalas

was completed there? And when the Hungarian flood swept east-

ward, the Szekelys were claimed as kindred by the victorious

Magyars, and to us for centuries was trusted the guarding of

the frontier of Turkey-land; ay, and more than that, endless

duty of the frontier guard, for, as the Turks say, ’water sleeps,

and enemy is sleepless. ' Who more gladly than we throughout

the Four Nations received the ' bloody sword, ' or at its warlike

call flocked quicker to the standard of the King? When was re-

deemed that great shame of my nation, the shame of Cassova,

when the flags of the Wallach and the Magyar went down be-

neath the Crescent? Who was it but one of my own race who as

Voivode crossed the Danube and beat the Turk on his own

ground? This was a Dracula indeed! Woe was it that his own

unworthy brother, when he had fallen, sold his people to the

Turk and brought the shame of slavery on them! Was it not this

Dracula, indeed, who inspired that other of his race who in a

later age again and again brought his forces over the great river

into Turkey-land; who, when he was beaten back, came again,

and again, and again, though he had to come alone from the

bloody field where his troops were being slaughtered, since he

knew that he alone could ultimately triumph! They said that he

thought only of himself. Bah! what good are peasants without a

leader? Where ends the war without a brain and heart to con-

duct it? Again, when, after the battle of Mohacs> we threw off

the Hungarian yoke, we of the Dracula blood were amongst

their leaders, for our spirit would not brook that we were not

free. Ah, young sir, the Szekelys and the Dracula as their

heart’s blood, their brains, and their swords can boast a rec-

ord that mushroom growths like the Hapsburgs and the Roman-

offs can never reach. The warlike days are over. Blood is too

precious a thing in these days of dishonourable peace; and the

glories of the great races are as a tale that is told.»

It was by this time close on morning, and we went to bed.

(Mem., this diary seems horribly like the beginning of the «Ara-

bian Nights,» for everything has to break off at cockcrow or

like the ghost of Hamlet’s father.)

12 May. Let me begin with facts bare, meagre facts, veri-

fied by books and figures, and of which there can be no doubt.

Jonathan Harker’s Journal 29

I must not confuse them with experiences which will have to

rest on my own observation, or my memory of them. Last eve-

ning when the Count came from his room he began by asking me

questions on legal matters and on the doing of certain kinds of

business. I had spent the day wearily over books, and, simply

to keep my mind occupied, went over some of the matters I

had been examined in at Lincoln’s Inn. There was a certain

method in the Count’s inquiries, so I shall try to put them down

in sequence; the knowledge may somehow or some time be useful

to me.

First, he asked if a man in England might have two solicitors

or more. I told him he might have a dozen if he wished, but that

it would not be wise to have more than one solicitor engaged in

one transaction, as only one could act at a time, and that to

change would be certain to militate against his interest. He

seemed thoroughly to understand, and went on to ask if there

would be any practical difficulty in having one man to attend,

say, to banking, and another to look after shipping, in case local

help were needed in a place far from the home of the banking

solicitor. I asked him to explain more fully, so that I might not

by any chance mislead him, so he said:

«I shall illustrate. Your friend and mine, Mr. Peter Hawkins,

from under the shadow of your beautiful cathedral at Exeter,,

which is far from London, buys for me through your good sell

my place at London. Good! Now here let me say frankly, lest

you should think it strange that I have sought the services oi

one so far off from London instead of some one resident therCj

that my motive was that no local interest might be served save

my wish only; and as one of London residence might, perhaps,

have some purpose of himself or friend to serve, I went thus

afield to seek my agent, whose labours should be only to my

interest. Now, suppose I, who have much of affairs, wish to ship

goods, say, to Newcastle, or Durham, or Harwich, or Dover,

might it not be that it could with more ease be done by con-

signing to one in these ports? "I answered that certainly it would

be most easy, but that we solicitors had a system of agency one

for the other, so that local work could be done locally on instruc-

tion from any solicitor, so that the client, simply placing himself

in the hands of one man, could have his wishes carried out by

him without further trouble.

«But,» said he, «I could be at liberty to direct myself. Is it

not so?»

«Of course,» I replied; and «such is often done by men of

30 Dracula

business, who do not like the whole of their affairs to be known

by any one person.»

«Good! "he said, and then went on to ask about the means of

making consignments and the forms to be gone through, and of

all sorts of difficulties which might arise, but by forethought

could be guarded against. I explained all these things to him to

the best of my ability, and he certainly left me under the im-

pression that he would have made a wonderful solicitor, for there

was nothing that he did not think of or foresee. For a man who

was never in the country, and who did not evidently do much in

the way of business, his knowledge and acumen were wonderful.

When he had satisfied himself on these points of which he had

spoken, and I had verified all as well as I could by the books

available, he suddenly stood up and said:

«Have you written since your first letter to our friend Mr.

Peter Hawkins, or to any other?» It was with some bitterness

in my heart that I answered that I had not, that as yet I had

not seen any opportunity of sending letters to anybody.

«Then write now, my young friend/' he said, laying a heavy

hand on my shoulder: «write to our friend and to any other;

and say, if it will please you, that you shall stay with me until

a month from now.»

«Do you wish me to stay so long?» I asked, for my heart

grew cold at the thought.

«I desire it much; nay, I will take no refusal. When your

master, employer, what you will, engaged that someone should

come on his behalf, it was understood that my needs only were

to be consulted. I have not stinted. Is it not so?»

What could I do but bow acceptance? It was Mr. Hawkins’s

interest, not mine, and I had to think of him, not myself; and

besides, while Count Dracula was speaking, there was that in

his eyes and in his bearing which made me remember that i

was a prisoner, and that if I wished it I could have no choice.

The Count saw his victory in my bow, and his mastery in the

trouble of my face, for he began at once to use them, but in his

own smooth, resistless way:

«I pray you, my good young friend, that you will not dis-

course of things other than business in your letters. It will doubt-

less please your friends to know that you are well, and that you

look forward to getting home to them. Is it not so? "As he spoke

he handed me three sheets of note-paper and three envelopes.

They were all of the thinnest foreign post, and looking at them,

then at him, and noticing his quiet smile, with the sharp, canine

Jonathan Harker’s Journal 31

teeth lying over the red underlip, I understood as well as if he

had spoken that I should be careful what I wrote, for he would

be able to read it. So I determined to write only formal notes

now, but to write fully to Mr. Hawkins in secret, and also to

Mina, for to her I could write in shorthand, which would puzzle

the Count, if he did see it. When I had written my two letters

I sat quiet, reading a book whilst the Count wrote several notes,

referring as he wrote them to some books on his table. Then he

took up my two and placed them with his own, and put by

his writing materials, after which, the instant the door had

closed behind him, I leaned over and looked at the letters, which

were face down on the table. I felt no compunction in doing so,

for under the circumstances I felt that I should protect myself

in every way I could.

One of the letters was directed to Samuel F. Billingtonj

No. 7, The Crescent, Whitby, another to Herr Leutner, Varna; the

third was to Coutts & Co., London, and the fourth to Herren

Klopstock & Billreuth, bankers, Buda-Pesth. The second and

fourth were unsealed. I was just about to look at them when

I saw the door-handle move. I sank back in my seat, having just

had time to replace the letters as they had been and to resume

my book before the Count, holding still another letter in his hand,

entered the room. He took up the letters on the table and

stamped them carefully, and then turning to me, said:

«I trust you will forgive me, but I have much work to do in

private this evening. You will, I hope, find all things as you

wish.» At the door he turned, and after a moment’s pause said:

«Let me advise you, my dear young friend nay, let me warn

you with all seriousness, that should you leave these rooms you

will not by any chance go to sleep in any other part of the castle.

It is old, and has many, memories, and there are bad dreams for

those who sleep unwisely. Be warned! Should sleep now or ever

overcome you, or be like to do, then haste to your own chamber

or to these rooms, for your rest will then be safe. But if you be

not careful in this respect, then» He finished his speecn.-in_a,

gruesome way, for he motioned with his hands as if he were

washing them. I quite understood; my only doubt was as to

whether any dream could be more terrible than the unnatural,

horrible net of gloom and mystery which seemed closing around

me.

Later. I endorse the last words written, but this time there