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112 May.--Let me begin with facts--bare, meagre facts, verified by books and figures, and of which there can be no doubt.
2I must not confuse them with experiences which will have to rest on my own observation, or my memory of them. Last
3evening when the Count came from his room he began by asking me questions on legal matters and on the doing of certain
4kinds of business. I had spent the day wearily over books, and, simply to keep my mind occupied, went over some of the
5matters I had been examining at Lincoln's Inn. There was a certain method in the Count's inquiries, so I shall try to
6put them down in sequence; the knowledge may somehow or some time be useful to me. First, he asked if a man in England
7might 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
8more than one solicitor engaged in one transaction, as only one could act at a time, and that to change would be certain
9to militate against his interest. He seemed thoroughly to understand, and went on to ask if there would be any practical
10difficulty in having one man to attend, say, to banking, and another to look after shipping, in case local help were
11needed in a place far from the home of the banking solicitor. I asked him to explain more fully, so that I might not by
12any chance mislead him, so he said:-- "I shall illustrate. Your friend and mine, Mr. Peter Hawkins, from under the
13shadow of your beautiful cathedral at Exeter, which is far from London, buys for me through your good self my place at
14London. Good! Now here let me say frankly, lest you should think it strange that I have sought the services of one so
15far off from London instead of some one resident there, that my motive was that no local interest might be served save
16my wish only; and as one of London residence might, perhaps, have some purpose of himself or friend to serve, I went
17thus afield to seek my agent, whose labours should be only to my interest. Now, suppose I, who have much of affairs,
18wish to ship goods, say, to Newcastle, or Durham, or Harwich, or Dover, might it not be that it could with more ease be
19done by consigning to one in these ports?" I answered that certainly it would be most easy, but that we solicitors had a
20system of agency one for the other, so that local work could be done locally on instruction from any solicitor, so that
21the client, simply placing himself in the hands of one man, could have his wishes carried out by him without further
22trouble. "But," said he, "I could be at liberty to direct myself. Is it not so?" "Of course," I replied; and "such is
23often done by men of business, who do not like the whole of their affairs to be known by any one person." "Good!" he
24said, and then went on to ask about the means of making consignments and the forms to be gone through, and of all sorts
25of difficulties which might arise, but by forethought could be guarded against. I explained all these things to him to
26the best of my ability, and he certainly left me under the impression that he would have made a wonderful solicitor, for
27there was nothing that he did not think of or foresee. For a man who was never in the country, and who did not evidently
28do much in the way of business, his knowledge and acumen were wonderful. When he had satisfied himself on these points
29of which he had spoken, and I had verified all as well as I could by the books available, he suddenly stood up and
30said:-- "Have you written since your first letter to our friend Mr. Peter Hawkins, or to any other?" It was with some
31bitterness in my heart that I answered that I had not, that as yet I had not seen any opportunity of sending letters to
32anybody. "Then write now, my young friend," he said, laying a heavy hand on my shoulder: "write to our friend and to any
33other; 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
34long?" I asked, for my heart grew cold at the thought. "I desire it much; nay, I will take no refusal. When your master,
35employer, what you will, engaged that someone should come on his behalf, it was understood that my needs only were to be
36consulted. I have not stinted. Is it not so?" What could I do but bow acceptance? It was Mr. Hawkins's interest, not
37mine, and I had to think of him, not myself; and besides, while Count Dracula was speaking, there was that in his eyes
38and in his bearing which made me remember that I was a prisoner, and that if I wished it I could have no choice. The
39Count 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
40own smooth, resistless way:-- "I pray you, my good young friend, that you will not discourse of things other than
41business in your letters. It will doubtless please your friends to know that you are well, and that you look forward to
42getting home to them. Is it not so?" As he spoke he handed me three sheets of note-paper and three envelopes. They were
43all of the thinnest foreign post, and looking at them, then at him, and noticing his quiet smile, with the sharp, canine
44teeth lying over the red underlip, I understood as well as if he had spoken that I should be careful what I wrote, for
45he would be able to read it. So I determined to write only formal notes now, but to write fully to Mr. Hawkins in
46secret, and also to Mina, for to her I could write in shorthand, which would puzzle the Count, if he did see it. When I
47had written my two letters I sat quiet, reading a book whilst the Count wrote several notes, referring as he wrote them
48to some books on his table. Then he took up my two and placed them with his own, and put by his writing materials, after
49which, the instant the door had closed behind him, I leaned over and looked at the letters, which were face down on the
50table. I felt no compunction in doing so, for under the circumstances I felt that I should protect myself in every way I
51could. One of the letters was directed to Samuel F. Billington, No. 7, The Crescent, Whitby, another to Herr Leutner,
52Varna; the third was to Coutts & Co., London, and the fourth to Herren Klopstock & Billreuth, bankers, Buda-Pesth. The
53second and fourth were unsealed. I was just about to look at them when I saw the door-handle move. I sank back in my
54seat, having just had time to replace the letters as they had been and to resume my book before the Count, holding still
55another letter in his hand, entered the room. He took up the letters on the table and stamped them carefully, and then
56turning to me, said:-- "I trust you will forgive me, but I have much work to do in private this evening. You will, I
57hope, find all things as you wish." At the door he turned, and after a moment's pause said:-- "Let me advise you, my
58dear young friend--nay, let me warn you with all seriousness, that should you leave these rooms you will not by any
59chance go to sleep in any other part of the castle. It is old, and has many memories, and there are bad dreams for those
60who sleep unwisely. Be warned! Should sleep now or ever overcome you, or be like to do, then haste to your own chamber
61or to these rooms, for your rest will then be safe. But if you be not careful in this respect, then"--He finished his
62speech in a gruesome way, for he motioned with his hands as if he were washing them. I quite understood; my only doubt
63was as to whether any dream could be more terrible than the unnatural, horrible net of gloom and mystery which seemed
64closing around me. Later.--I endorse the last words written, but this time there is no doubt in question. I shall not
65fear to sleep in any place where he is not. I have placed the crucifix over the head of my bed--I imagine that my rest
66is thus freer from dreams; and there it shall remain.
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