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and terrible purpose in which we were involved gave us a strength which rose above merely physical considerations. After the
involuntary shrinking consequent on the first nauseous whiff, we one and all set about our work as though that loathsome place were a
garden of roses.
We made an accurate examination of the place, the Professor saying as we began, "The first thing is to see how many of the boxes are
left, we must then examine every hole and corner and cranny and see if we cannot get some clue as to what has become of the rest."
A glance was sufficient to show how many remained, for the great earth chests were bulky, and there was no mistaking them.
There were only twenty-nine left out of the fifty! Once I got a fright, for, seeing Lord Godalming suddenly turn and look out of the
vaulted door into the dark passage beyond, I looked too, and for an instant my heart stood still. Somewhere, looking out from the
shadow, I seemed to see the high lights of the Count's evil face, the ridge of the nose, the red eyes, the red lips, the awful pallor. It was
only for a moment, for, as Lord Godalming said, "I thought I saw a face, but it was only the shadows," and resumed his inquiry, I
turned my lamp in the direction, and stepped into the passage. There was no sign of anyone, and as there were no corners, no doors, no
aperture of any kind, but only the solid walls of the passage, there could be no hiding place even for him. I took it that fear had helped
imagination, and said nothing.
A few minutes later I saw Morris step suddenly back from a corner, which he was examining. We all followed his movements with our
eyes, for undoubtedly some nervousness was growing on us, and we saw a whole mass of phosphorescence, which twinkled like stars.
We all instinctively drew back. The whole place was becoming alive with rats.
For a moment or two we stood appalled, all save Lord Godalming, who was seemingly prepared for such an emergency. Rushing over
to the great iron-bound oaken door, which Dr. Seward had described from the outside, and which I had seen myself, he turned the key
in the lock, drew the huge bolts, and swung the door open. Then, taking his little silver whistle from his pocket, he blew a low, shrill
call. It was answered from behind Dr. Seward's house by the yelping of dogs, and after about a minute three terriers came dashing
round the corner of the house. Unconsciously we had all moved towards the door, and as we moved I noticed that the dust had been
much disturbed. The boxes which had been taken out had been brought this way. But even in the minute that had elapsed the number
of the rats had vastly increased. They seemed to swarm over the place all at once, till the lamplight, shining on their moving dark
bodies and glittering, baleful eyes, made the place look like a bank of earth set with fireflies. The dogs dashed on, but at the threshold
suddenly stopped and snarled, and then, simultaneously lifting their noses, began to howl in most lugubrious fashion. The rats were
multiplying in thousands, and we moved out.
Lord Godalming lifted one of the dogs, and carrying him in, placed him on the floor. The instant his feet touched the ground he
seemed to recover his courage, and rushed at his natural enemies. They fled before him so fast that before he had shaken the life out of
a score, the other dogs, who had by now been lifted in the same manner, had but small prey ere the whole mass had vanished.
With their going it seemed as if some evil presence had departed, for the dogs frisked about and barked merrily as they made sudden
darts at their prostrate foes, and turned them over and over and tossed them in the air with vicious shakes. We all seemed to find our
spirits rise. Whether it was the purifying of the deadly atmosphere by the opening of the chapel door, or the relief which we
experienced by finding ourselves in the open I know not, but most certainly the shadow of dread seemed to slip from us like a robe,
and the occasion of our coming lost something of its grim significance, though we did not slacken a whit in our resolution. We closed
the outer door and barred and locked it, and bringing the dogs with us, began our search of the house. We found nothing throughout
except dust in extraordinary proportions, and all untouched save for my own footsteps when I had made my first visit. Never once did
the dogs exhibit any symptom of uneasiness, and even when we returned to the chapel they frisked about as though they had been
rabbit hunting in a summer wood.
The morning was quickening in the east when we emerged from the front. Dr. Van Helsing had taken the key of the hall door from the
bunch, and locked the door in orthodox fashion, putting the key into his pocket when he had done.
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"So far," he said, "our night has been eminently successful. No harm has come to us such as I feared might be and yet we have
ascertained how many boxes are missing. More than all do I rejoice that this, our first, and perhaps our most difficult and dangerous,
step has been accomplished without the bringing thereinto our most sweet Madam Mina or troubling her waking or sleeping thoughts
with sights and sounds and smells of horror which she might never forget. One lesson, too, we have learned, if it be allowable to argue
a particulari, that the brute beasts which are to the Count's command are yet themselves not amenable to his spiritual power, for look,
these rats that would come to his call, just as from his castle top he summon the wolves to your going and to that poor mother's cry,
though they come to him, they run pell-mell from the so little dogs of my friend Arthur. We have other matters before us, other
dangers, other fears, and that monster . . . He has not used his power over the brute world for the only or the last time tonight. So be it
that he has gone elsewhere. Good! It has given us opportunity to cry 'check' in some ways in this chess game, which we play for the
stake of human souls. And now let us go home. The dawn is close at hand, and we have reason to be content with our first night's
work. It may be ordained that we have many nights and days to follow, if full of peril, but we must go on, and from no danger shall we
shrink."
The house was silent when we got back, save for some poor creature who was screaming away in one of the distant wards, and a low,
moaning sound from Renfield's room. The poor wretch was doubtless torturing himself, after the manner of the insane, with needless
thoughts of pain.
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.
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