12 August,
"Dear Madam.
"I write by desire of Mr. Jonathan Harker, who is himself not
strong enough to write, though progressing well, thanks to God
and St. Joseph and Ste. Mary. He has been under our care
for nearly six weeks, suffering from a violent brain fever.
He wishes me to convey his love, and to say that by this post
I write for him to Mr. Peter Hawkins, Exeter, to say, with his
dutiful respects, that he is sorry for his delay, and that all
of his work is completed. He will require some few weeks'
rest in our sanatorium in the hills, but will then return.
He wishes me to say that he has not sufficient money with him,
and that he would like to pay for his staying here, so that
others who need shall not be wanting for belp.
Believe me,
Yours, with sympathy
and all blessings. Sister Agatha"
"P.S.--My patient being asleep, I open this to let you know something more.
He has told me all about you, and that you are shortly to be his wife.
All blessings to you both! He has had some fearful shock, so says our doctor,
and in his delirium his ravings have been dreadful, of wolves and poison
and blood, of ghosts and demons, and I fear to say of what. Be careful of him
always that there may be nothing to excite him of this kind for a long time
to come. The traces of such an illness as his do not lightly die away.
We should have written long ago, but we knew nothing of his friends,
and there was nothing on him, nothing that anyone could understand.
He came in the train from Klausenburg, and the guard was told by the station
master there that he rushed into the station shouting for a ticket for home.
Seeing from his violent demeanor that he was English, they gave him a ticket
for the furthest station on the way thither that the train reached.
"Be assured that he is well cared for. He has won all hearts
by his sweetness and gentleness. He is truly getting on well,
and I have no doubt will in a few weeks be all himself.
But be careful of him for safety's sake. There are, I pray
God and St. Joseph and Ste. Mary, many, many, happy years
for you both."
DR. SEWARD'S DIARY
19 Agust.--Strange and sudden change in Renfield last night.
About eight o'clock he began to get excited and sniff about as a
dog does when setting. The attendant was struck by his manner,
and knowing my interest in him, encouraged him to talk.
He is usually respectful to the attendant and at times servile,
but tonight, the man tells me, he was quite haughty.
Would not condescend to talk with him at all.
All he would say was, "I don't want to talk to you. You don't count now.
The master is at hand."
The attendant thinks it is some sudden form of religious mania which
has seized him. If so, we must look out for squalls, for a strong
man with homicidal and religious mania at once might be dangerous.
The combination is a dreadful one.
At Nine o'clock I visited him myself. His attitude to me was the same as that
to the attendant. In his sublime self-feeling the difference between myself
and the attendant seemed to him as nothing. It looks like religious mania,
and he will soon think that he himself is God.
These infinitesimal distinctions between man and man are too paltry
for an Omnipotent Being. How these madmen give themselves away!
The real God taketh heed lest a sparrow fall. But the God created
from human vanity sees no difference between an eagle and a sparrow.
Oh, if men only knew!
For half an hour or more Renfield kept getting excited in greater and
greater degree. I did not pretend to be watching him, but I kept strict
observation all the same. All at once that shifty look came into his eyes
which we always see when a madman has seized an idea, and with it the shifty
movement of the head and back which asylum attendants come to know so well.
He became quite quiet, and went and sat on the edge of his bed resignedly,
and looked into space with lack-luster eyes.
I thought I would find out if his apathy were real or only assumed,
and tried to lead him to talk of his pets, a theme which had never failed
to excite his attention.
At first he made no reply, but at length said testily, "Bother them all!
I don't care a pin about them."
"What" I said. "You don't mean to tell me you don't care about spiders?"
(Spiders at present are his hobby and the notebook is filling up with columns
of small figures.)
To this he answered enigmatically, "The Bride maidens rejoice the eyes
that wait the coming of the bride. But when the bride draweth nigh,
then the maidens shine not to the eyes that are filled."
He would not explain himself, but remained obstinately seated
on his bed all the time I remained with him.
I am weary tonight and low in spirits. I cannot but think
of Lucy, and how different things might have been.
If I don't sleep at once, chloral, the modern Morpheus!
I must be careful not to let it grow into a habit.
No, I shall take none tonight! I have thought of Lucy,
and I shall not dishonour her by mixing the two. If need by,
tonight shall be sleepless.
Later.--Glad I made the resolution, gladder that I kept to it.
I had lain tossing about, and had heard the clock strike only twice,
when the night watchman came to me, sent up from the ward, to say
that Renfield had escaped. I threw on my clothes and ran down at once.
My patient is too dangerous a person to be roaming about.
Those ideas of his might work out dangerously with strangers.
The attendant was waiting for me. He said he had seen him not
ten minutes before, seemingly asleep in his bed, when he had
looked through the observation trap in the door. His attention
was called by the sound of the window being wrenched out.
He ran back and saw his feet disappear through the window,
and had at once sent up for me. He was only in his night gear,
and cannot be far off.
The attendant thought it would be more useful to watch
where he should go than to follow him, as he might lose sight
of him whilst getting out of the building by the door.
He is a bulky man, and couldn't get through the window.
I am thin, so, with his aid, I got out, but feet foremost,
and as we were only a few feet above ground landed unhurt.
The attendant told me the patient had gone to the left,
and had taken a straight line, so I ran as quickly as I could.
As I got through the belt of trees I saw a white figure scale
the high wall which separates our grounds from those of
the deserted house.
I ran back at once, told the watchman to get three or four men immediately and
follow me into the grounds of Carfax, in case our friend might be dangerous.
I got a ladder myself, and crossing the wall, dropped down on the other side.
I could see Renfield's figure just disappearing behind the angle of the house,
so I ran after him. On the far side of the house I found him pressed close
against the old iron-bound oak door of the chapel.
He was talking, apparently to some one, but I was afraid to go near
enough to hear what he was saying, les t I might frighten him,
and he should run off.
Chasing an errant swarm of bees is nothing to following
a naked lunatic, when the fit of escaping is upon him!
After a few minutes, however, I could see that he did not take note
of anything around him, and so ventured to draw nearer to him,
the more so as my men had now crossed the wall and were closing him in.
I heard him say...
"I am here to do your bidding, Master. I am your slave, and you will
reward me, for I shall be faithful. I have worshipped you long and afar off.
Now that you are near, I await your commands, and you will not pass me by,
will you, dear Master, in your distribution of good things?"
He is a selfish old beggar anyhow. He thinks of the loaves
and fishes even when he believes his is in a real Presence.
His manias make a startling combination. When we closed
in on him he fought like a tiger. He is immensely strong,
for he was more like a wild beast than a man.
I never saw a lunatic in such a paroxysm of rage before,
and I hope I shall not again. It is a mercy that we
have found out his strength and his danger in good time.
With strength and determination like his, he might have done
wild work before he was caged.
He is safe now, at any rate. Jack Sheppard himself couldn't
get free from the strait waistcoat that keeps him restrained,
and he's chained to the wall in the padded room.
His cries are at times awful, but the silences that follow are more
deadly still, for he means murder in every turn and movement.
Just now he spoke coherent words for the first time.
"I shall be patient, Master. It is coming, coming, coming!"
So I took the hint, and came too. I was too excited to sleep, but this
diary has quieted me, and I feel I shall get some sleep tonight.