I came tiptoe into our own room, and found Mina asleep,
breathing so softly that I had to put my ear down
to hear it. She looks paler than usual.
I hope the meeting tonight has not upset her.
I am truly thankful that she is to be left out of
our future work, and even of our deliberations.
It is too great a strain for a woman to bear.
I did not think so at first, but I know better now.
Therefore I am glad that it is settled. There
may be things which would frighten her to hear, and
yet to conceal them from her might be worse than to
tell her if once she suspected that there was any
concealment. Henceforth our work is to be a
sealed book to her, till at least such time as we can
tell her that all is finished, and the earth free from
a monster of the nether world. I daresay it
will be difficult to begin to keep silence after such
confidence as ours, but I must be resolute, and tomorrow
I shall keep dark over tonight’s doings, and
shall refuse to speak of anything that has happened.
I rest on the sofa, so as not to disturb her.
1 October, later.—I suppose it was natural
that we should have all overslept ourselves, for the
day was a busy one, and the night had no rest at all.
Even Mina must have felt its exhaustion, for though
I slept till the sun was high, I was awake before
her, and had to call two or three times before she
awoke. Indeed, she was so sound asleep that
for a few seconds she did not recognize me, but looked
at me with a sort of blank terror, as one looks who
has been waked out of a bad dream. She complained
a little of being tired, and I let her rest till later
in the day. We now know of twenty-one boxes having
been removed, and if it be that several were taken
in any of these removals we may be able to trace them
all. Such will, of course, immensely simplify
our labor, and the sooner the matter is attended to
the better. I shall look up Thomas Snelling
today.
DR. SEWARD’S DIARY
1 October.—It was towards noon when I was
awakened by the Professor walking into my room.
He was more jolly and cheerful than usual, and it
is quite evident that last night’s work has helped
to take some of the brooding weight off his mind.
After going over the adventure of the night he suddenly
said, “Your patient interests me much.
May it be that with you I visit him this morning?
Or if that you are too occupy, I can go alone if it
may be. It is a new experience to me to find
a lunatic who talk philosophy, and reason so sound.”
I had some work to do which pressed, so I told him
that if he would go alone I would be glad, as then
I should not have to keep him waiting, so I called
an attendant and gave him the necessary instructions.
Before the Professor left the room I cautioned him
against getting any false impression from my patient.
“But,” he answered, “I want him
to talk of himself and of his delusion as to consuming
live things. He said to Madam Mina, as I see
in your diary of yesterday, that he had once had such
a belief. Why do you smile, friend John?”
