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Now I know well that you medical men speak in camera, and that a man must not expect to know what they consult about in privateBut this is no common matter, and whatever it is, I have done my partIs not that so?"
"That's so," I said, and he went on
"I take it that both you and Van Helsing had done already what I did todayIs not that so?"
"That's so
"And I guess Art was in it tooWhen I saw him four days ago down at his own place he looked queerI have not seen anything pulled down so quick since I was on the Pampas and had a mare that I was fond of go to grass all in a nightOne of those big bats that they call vampires had got at her in the night, and what with his gorge and the vein left open, there wasn't enough blood in her to let her stand up, and I had to put a bullet through her as she layJack, if you may tell me without betraying confidence, Arthur was the first, is not that so?"
As he spoke the poor fellow looked terribly anxiousHe was in a torture of suspense regarding the woman he loved, and his utter ignorance of the terrible mystery which seemed to surround her intensified his painHis very heart was bleeding, and it took all the manhood of him, and there was a royal lot of it, too, to keep him from breaking downI paused before answering, for I felt that I must not betray anything which the Professor wished kept secret, but already he knew so much, and guessed so much, that there could be no reason for not answering, so I answered in the same phrase
"And how long has this been going on?"
"About ten days
"Ten days! Then I guess, Jack Seward, that that poor pretty creature that we all love has had put into her veins within that time the blood of four strong menMan alive, her whole body wouldn't hold it Then coming close to me, he spoke in a fierce half-whisper"What took it out?"
I shook my head"That," I said, "is the cruxVan Helsing is simply frantic about it, and I am at my wits' endI can't even hazard a guessThere has been a series of little circumstances which have thrown out all our calculations as to Lucy being properly watchedBut these shall not occur againHere we stay until all be well, or ill
Quincey held out his hand"Count me in," he said"You and the Dutchman will tell me what to do, and I'll do it
When she woke late in the afternoon, Lucy's first movement was to feel in her breast, and to my surprise, produced the paper which Van Helsing had given me to readThe careful Professor had replaced it where it had come from, lest on waking she should be alarmedHer eyes then lit on Van Helsing and on me too, and gladdenedThen she looked round the room, and seeing where she was, shudderedShe gave a loud cry, and put her poor thin hands before her pale face
We both understood what was meant, that she had realized to the full her mother's deathSo we tried what we could to comfort herDoubtless sympathy eased her somewhat, but she was very low in thought and spirit, and wept silently and weakly for a long timeWe told her that either or both of us would now remain with her all the time, and that seemed to comfort herTowards dusk she fell into a dozeHere a very odd thing occurredWhilst still asleep she took the paper from her breast and tore it in twoVan Helsing stepped over and took the pieces from shop her
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