?You did, you naughty child!?Well, what else?? ?I took Rosa?s yer-rings,?them red ones ?Go bring them to me this minute, both of ?em ?Laws, Missis! I can?t,?they ?s burnt up!? ?Burnt up!?what a story! Go get ?em, or I?ll whip you Topsy, with loud protestations, and tears, and groans, declared that she could not?They ?s burnt up,?they was ?What did you burn ?em for?? said Miss Ophelia ?Cause I ?s wicked,?I isI ?s mighty wicked, any how Just at this moment, Eva came innocently into the room, with the identical coral necklace on her neck ?Why, Eva, where did you get your necklace?? said Miss Ophelia ?Get it? Why, I?ve had it on all day,? said Eva ?Did you have it on yesterday?? ?Yes; and what is funny, Aunty, I had it on all nightI forgot to take it off when I went to bed Miss Ophelia looked perfectly bewildered; the more so, as Rosa, at that instant, came into the room, with a basket of newly-ironed linen poised on her head, and the coral ear-drops shaking in her ears! ?I?m sure I can?t tell anything what to do with such a child!? she said, in despair?What in the world did you tell me you took those things for, Topsy?? ?Why, Missis said I must ?fess; and I couldn?t think of nothin? else to ?fess,? said Topsy, rubbing her eyes ?But, of course, I didn?t want you to confess things you didn?t do,? said Miss Ophelia; ?that?s telling a lie, just as much as the other ?Laws, now, is it?? said Topsy, with an air of innocent wonder ?La, there an?t any such thing as truth in that limb,? said Rosa, looking indignantly at TopsyClare, I?d whip her till the blood runI would,?I?d let her catch it!? ?No, no Rosa,? said Eva, with an air of command, which the child could assume at times; ?you mustn?t talk so, RosaI can?t bear to hear it ?La sakes! Miss Eva, you ?s so good, you don?t know nothing how to get along with niggersThere?s no way but to cut ?em well up, I tell ye ?Rosa!? said Eva, ?hush! Don?t you say another word of that sort!? and the eye of the child flashed, and her cheek deepened its color Rosa was cowed in a moment ?Miss Eva has got the StClare blood in her, that?s plainShe can speak, for all the world, just like her papa,? she said, as she passed out of the room Eva stood looking at Topsy There stood the two children representatives of the two extremes of societyThe fair, high-bred child, with her golden head, her deep eyes, her spiritual, noble brow, and prince-like movements; and her black, keen, subtle, cringing, yet acute neighborThey stood the representatives of their racesThe Saxon, born of ages of cultivation, command, education, physical and moral eminence; the Afric, born of ages of oppression, submission, ignorance, toil and vice! Something, perhaps, of such thoughts struggled through Eva?s mindBut a child?s thoughts are rather dim, undefined instincts; and in Eva?s noble nature many such were yearning and working, for which she had no power of utteranceWhen Miss Ophelia expatiated on Topsy?s naughty, wicked conduct, the child looked perplexed and sorrowful, but said, sweetly ?Poor Topsy, why need you steal? You?re going to be taken good care of nowI?m sure I?d rather give you anything of mine, than have you steal it It was the first word of kindness the child had ever heard in her life; and the sweet tone and manner struck strangely on the wild, rude heart, and a sparkle of something like a tear shone in the keen, round, glittering eye; but it was followed by the short laugh and habitual grinNo! the ear that has never heard anything but abuse is strangely incredulous of anything so heavenly as kindness; and Topsy only thought Eva?s speech something funny and inexplicable,?she did not believe it But what was to be done with Topsy? Miss Ophelia found the case a puzzler; her rules for bringing up didn?t seem to shop apply

Poor, poor, dear Jonathan! How he must have sufferedPlease the good God, all this may not upset him againI shall try to save him from itBut it may be even a consolation and a help to him, terrible though it be and awful in its consequences, to know for certain that his eyes and ears and brain did not deceive him, and that it is all trueIt may be that it is the doubt which haunts him, that when the doubt is removed, no matter which, waking or dreaming, may prove the truth, he will be more satisfied and better able to bear the shockVan Helsing must be a good man as well as a clever one if he is Arthur's friend and DrSeward's, and if they brought him all the way from Holland to look after LucyI feel from having seen him that he is good and kind and of a noble natureWhen he comes tomorrow I shall ask him about JonathanAnd then, please God, all this sorrow and anxiety may lead to a good endI used to think I would like to practice interviewingJonathan's friend on "The Exeter News" told him that memory is everything in such work, that you must be able to put down exactly almost every word spoken, even if you had to refine some of it afterwardsHere was a rare interviewI shall try to record it verbatim It was half-past two o'clock when the knock cameI took my courage a deux mains and waitedIn a few minutes Mary opened the door, and announced "Dr I rose and bowed, and he came towards me, a man of medium weight, strongly built, with his shoulders set back over a broad, deep chest and a neck well balanced on the trunk as the head is on the neckThe poise of the head strikes me at once as indicative of thought and powerThe head is noble, well-sized, broad, and large behind the earsThe face, clean-shaven, shows a hard, square chin, a large resolute, mobile mouth, a good-sized nose, rather straight, but with quick, sensitive nostrils, that seem to broaden as the big bushy brows come down and the mouth tightensThe forehead is broad and fine, rising at first almost straight and then sloping back above two bumps or ridges wide apart, such a forehead that the reddish hair cannot possibly tumble over it, but falls naturally back and to the sidesBig, dark blue eyes are set widely apart, and are quick and tender or stern with the man's moodsHe said to me, "MrsHarker, is it not?" I bowed assent "That was Miss Mina Murray?" Again I assented "It is Mina Murray that I came to see that was friend of that poor dear child Lucy WestenraMadam Mina, it is on account of the dead that I come "Sir," I said, "you could have no better claim on me than that you were a friend and helper of Lucy Westenra And I held out my handHe took it and said tenderly, "Oh, Madam Mina, I know that the friend of that poor little girl must be good, but I had yet to learn?" He finished his speech with a courtly bowI asked him what it was that he wanted to see me about, so he at once began "I have read your letters to Miss LucyForgive me, but I had to begin to inquire somewhere, and there was none to askI know that you were with her at WhitbyShe sometimes kept a diary, you need not look surprised, Madam MinaIt was begun after you had left, and was an imitation of you, and in that diary she traces by inference certain things to a sleep-walking in which she puts down that you saved herIn great perplexity then I come to you, and ask you out of your so much kindness to tell me all of it that you can remember "I can tell you, I think, DrVan Helsing, all about shop it

Poor, poor, dear Jonathan! How he must have sufferedPlease the good God, all this may not upset him againI shall try to save him from itBut it may be even a consolation and a help to him, terrible though it be and awful in its consequences, to know for certain that his eyes and ears and brain did not deceive him, and that it is all trueIt may be that it is the doubt which haunts him, that when the doubt is removed, no matter which, waking or dreaming, may prove the truth, he will be more satisfied and better able to bear the shockVan Helsing must be a good man as well as a clever one if he is Arthur's friend and DrSeward's, and if they brought him all the way from Holland to look after LucyI feel from having seen him that he is good and kind and of a noble natureWhen he comes tomorrow I shall ask him about JonathanAnd then, please God, all this sorrow and anxiety may lead to a good endI used to think I would like to practice interviewingJonathan's friend on "The Exeter News" told him that memory is everything in such work, that you must be able to put down exactly almost every word spoken, even if you had to refine some of it afterwardsHere was a rare interviewI shall try to record it verbatim It was half-past two o'clock when the knock cameI took my courage a deux mains and waitedIn a few minutes Mary opened the door, and announced "Dr I rose and bowed, and he came towards me, a man of medium weight, strongly built, with his shoulders set back over a broad, deep chest and a neck well balanced on the trunk as the head is on the neckThe poise of the head strikes me at once as indicative of thought and powerThe head is noble, well-sized, broad, and large behind the earsThe face, clean-shaven, shows a hard, square chin, a large resolute, mobile mouth, a good-sized nose, rather straight, but with quick, sensitive nostrils, that seem to broaden as the big bushy brows come down and the mouth tightensThe forehead is broad and fine, rising at first almost straight and then sloping back above two bumps or ridges wide apart, such a forehead that the reddish hair cannot possibly tumble over it, but falls naturally back and to the sidesBig, dark blue eyes are set widely apart, and are quick and tender or stern with the man's moodsHe said to me, "MrsHarker, is it not?" I bowed assent "That was Miss Mina Murray?" Again I assented "It is Mina Murray that I came to see that was friend of that poor dear child Lucy WestenraMadam Mina, it is on account of the dead that I come "Sir," I said, "you could have no better claim on me than that you were a friend and helper of Lucy Westenra And I held out my handHe took it and said tenderly, "Oh, Madam Mina, I know that the friend of that poor little girl must be good, but I had yet to learn?" He finished his speech with a courtly bowI asked him what it was that he wanted to see me about, so he at once began "I have read your letters to Miss LucyForgive me, but I had to begin to inquire somewhere, and there was none to askI know that you were with her at WhitbyShe sometimes kept a diary, you need not look surprised, Madam MinaIt was begun after you had left, and was an imitation of you, and in that diary she traces by inference certain things to a sleep-walking in which she puts down that you saved herIn great perplexity then I come to you, and ask you out of your so much kindness to tell me all of it that you can remember "I can tell you, I think, DrVan Helsing, all about shop it

Go into the room, and lie on your sofa, and rest awhile, then have much breakfast and come here to me I followed out his orders, for I knew how right and wise they wereI had done my part, and now my next duty was to keep up my strengthI felt very weak, and in the weakness lost something of the amazement at what had occurredI fell asleep on the sofa, however, wondering over and over again how Lucy had made such a retrograde movement, and how she could have been drained of so much blood with no sign any where to show for itI think I must have continued my wonder in my dreams, for, sleeping and waking my thoughts always came back to the little punctures in her throat and the ragged, exhausted appearance of their edges, tiny though they were Lucy slept well into the day, and when she woke she was fairly well and strong, though not nearly so much so as the day beforeWhen Van Helsing had seen her, he went out for a walk, leaving me in charge, with strict injunctions that I was not to leave her for a momentI could hear his voice in the hall, asking the way to the nearest telegraph office Lucy chatted with me freely, and seemed quite unconscious that anything had happenedI tried to keep her amused and interestedWhen her mother came up to see her, she did not seem to notice any change whatever, but said to me gratefully, "We owe you so much, DrSeward, for all you have done, but you really must now take care not to overwork yourselfYou are looking pale yourselfYou want a wife to nurse and look after you a bit, that you do!" As she spoke, Lucy turned crimson, though it was only momentarily, for her poor wasted veins could not stand for long an unwonted drain to the headThe reaction came in excessive pallor as she turned imploring eyes on meI smiled and nodded, and laid my finger on my lipsWith a sigh, she sank back amid her pillows Van Helsing returned in a couple of hours, and presently said to me: "Now you go home, and eat much and drink enoughI stay here tonight, and I shall sit up with little miss myselfYou and I must watch the case, and we must have none other to knowDo not fear to think even the most not-improbable In the hall two of the maids came to me, and asked if they or either of them might not sit up with Miss LucyThey implored me to let them, and when I said it was DrVan Helsing's wish that either he or I should sit up, they asked me quite piteously to intercede with the 'foreign gentleman'I was much touched by their kindnessPerhaps it is because I am weak at present, and perhaps because it was on Lucy's account, that their devotion was manifestedFor over and over again have I seen similar instances of woman's kindnessI got back here in time for a late dinner, went my rounds, all well, and set this down whilst waiting for sleep-This afternoon I went over to HillinghamFound Van Helsing in excellent spirits, and Lucy much betterShortly after I had arrived, a big parcel from abroad came for the ProfessorHe opened it with much impressment, assumed, of course, and showed a great bundle of white flowers "These are for you, Miss Lucy," he saidVan Helsing!" "Yes, my dear, but not for you to play with Here Lucy made a wry face"Nay, but they are not to take in a decoction or in nauseous form, so you need not snub that so charming nose, or I shall point out to my friend Arthur what woes he may have to endure in seeing so much beauty that he so loves so much distortAha, my pretty miss, that bring the so nice nose all straight againThis is medicinal, but you do not know howI put him in your window, I make pretty wreath, and hang him round your neck, so you sleep shop well

"And why with Enoch?" "Because he walked with God I could not see the analogy, but did not like to admit it, so I harked back to what he had denied"So you don't care about life and you don't want soulsWhy not?" I put my question quickly and somewhat sternly, on purpose to disconcert him The effort succeeded, for an instant he unconsciously relapsed into his old servile manner, bent low before me, and actually fawned upon me as he replied"I don't want any souls, indeed, indeed! I don'tI couldn't use them if I had themThey would be no manner of use to meI couldn't eat them or?" He suddenly stopped and the old cunning look spread over his face, like a wind sweep on the surface of the water "And doctor, as to life, what is it after all? When you've got all you require, and you know that you will never want, that is allI have friends, good friends, like you, Dr This was said with a leer of inexpressible cunning"I know that I shall never lack the means of life!" I think that through the cloudiness of his insanity he saw some antagonism in me, for he at once fell back on the last refuge of such as he, a dogged silenceAfter a short time I saw that for the present it was useless to speak to himHe was sulky, and so I came away Later in the day he sent for meOrdinarily I would not have come without special reason, but just at present I am so interested in him that I would gladly make an effortBesides, I am glad to have anything to help pass the timeHarker is out, following up clues, and so are Lord Godalming and QuinceyVan Helsing sits in my study poring over the record prepared by the HarkersHe seems to think that by accurate knowledge of all details he will light up on some clueHe does not wish to be disturbed in the work, without causeI would have taken him with me to see the patient, only I thought that after his last repulse he might not care to go againThere was also another reasonRenfield might not speak so freely before a third person as when he and I were alone I found him sitting in the middle of the floor on his stool, a pose which is generally indicative of some mental energy on his partWhen I came in, he said at once, as though the question had been waiting on his lips"What about souls?" It was evident then that my surmise had been correctUnconscious cerebration was doing its work, even with the lunaticI determined to have the matter out "What about them yourself?" I asked He did not reply for a moment but looked all around him, and up and down, as though he expected to find some inspiration for an answer "I don't want any souls!" he said in a feeble, apologetic wayThe matter seemed preying on his mind, and so I determined to use it, to "be cruel only to be kind So I said, "You like life, and you want life?" "Oh yes! But that is all rightYou needn't worry about that!" "But," I asked, "how are we to get the life without getting the soul also?" This seemed to puzzle him, so I followed it up, "A nice time you'll have some time when you're flying out here, with the souls of thousands of flies and spiders and birds and cats buzzing and twittering and moaning all around youYou've got their lives, you know, and you must put up with their souls!" Something seemed to affect his imagination, for he put his fingers to his ears and shut his eyes, screwing them up tightly just as a small boy does when his face is being soapedThere was something pathetic in it that touched meIt also gave me a lesson, for it seemed that before me was a child, only a child, though the features were worn, and the stubble on the jaws was whiteIt was evident that he was undergoing some process of mental disturbance, and knowing how his past moods had interpreted things seemingly foreign to himself, I thought I would enter into his mind as well as I could and go with shop him