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.When he saw me, he came over and apologized for his bad conduct, andasked me in a very humble, cringing way to be led back to his own room,and to have his notebook again.I thought it well to humour him, so he isback in his room with the window open.He has the sugar of his teaspread out on the window sill, and is reaping quite a harvest of flies.He isnot now eating them, but putting them into a box, as of old, and is alreadyexamining the corners of his room to find a spider.I tried to get him totalk about the past few days, for any clue to his thoughts would be ofimmense help to me, but he would not rise.For a moment or two helooked very sad, and said in a sort of far away voice, as though saying itrather to himself than to me."All over! All over! He has deserted me.No hope for me now unless Ido it myself!" Then suddenly turning to me in a resolute way, he said,"Doctor, won't you be very good to me and let me have a little moresugar? I think it would be very good for me.""And the flies?" I said.Page 97 CHAPTER 9"Yes! The flies like it, too, and I like the flies, therefore I like it."Andthere are people who know so little as to think that madmen do not argue.I procured him a double supply, and left him as happy a man as, I suppose,any in the world.I wish I could fathom his mind.Midnight.--Another change in him.I had been to see Miss Westenra,whom I found much better, and had just returned, and was standing at ourown gate looking at the sunset, when once more I heard him yelling.Ashis room is on this side of the house, I could hear it better than in themorning.It was a shock to me to turn from the wonderful smoky beautyof a sunset over London, with its lurid lights and inky shadows and all themarvellous tints that come on foul clouds even as on foul water, and torealize all the grim sternness of my own cold stone building, with itswealth of breathing misery, and my own desolate heart to endure it all.Ireached him just as the sun was going down, and from his window sawthe red disc sink.As it sank he became less and less frenzied, and just as itdipped he slid from the hands that held him, an inert mass, on the floor.Itis wonderful, however, what intellectual recuperative power lunaticshave, for within a few minutes he stood up quite calmly and lookedaround him.I signalled to the attendants not to hold him, for I wasanxious to see what he would do.He went straight over to the window andbrushed out the crumbs of sugar.Then he took his fly box, and emptied itoutside, and threw away the box.Then he shut the window, and crossingover, sat down on his bed.All this surprised me, so I asked him, "Are yougoing to keep flies any more?""No," said he."I am sick of all that rubbish!" He certainly is awonderfully interesting study.I wish I could get some glimpse of his mindor of the cause of his sudden passion.Stop.There may be a clue after all,if we can find why today his paroxysms came on at high noon and atsunset.Can it be that there is a malign influence of the sun at periodswhich affects certain natures, as at times the moon does others? We shallsee.TELEGRAM.SEWARD, LONDON, TO VAN HELSING, AMSTERDAM"4 September.--Patient still better today."TELEGRAM, SEWARD, LONDON, TO VAN HELSING, AMSTERDAM"5 September.--Patient greatly improved.Good appetite, sleeps naturally,good spirits, color coming back."Page 98 CHAPTER 9TELEGRAM, SEWARD, LONDON, TO VAN HELSING, AMSTERDAM"6 September.--Terrible change for the worse.Come at once.Do not losean hour.I hold over telegram to Holmwood till have seen you."Page 99 CHAPTER 10CHAPTER 10CHAPTER 10CHAPTER 10CHAPTER 10LETTER, DR.SEWARD TO HON.ARTHUR HOLMWOOD6 September"My dear Art,"My news today is not so good.Lucy this morning had gone back a bit.There is, however, one good thing which has arisen from it.Mrs.Westenra was naturally anxious concerning Lucy, and has consulted meprofessionally about her.I took advantage of the opportunity, and told herthat my old master, Van Helsing, the great specialist, was coming to staywith me, and that I would put her in his charge conjointly with myself.Sonow we can come and go without alarming her unduly, for a shock to herwould mean sudden death, and this, in Lucy's weak condition, might bedisastrous to her.We are hedged in with difficulties, all of us, my poorfellow, but, please God, we shall come through them all right.If any needI shall write, so that, if you do not hear from me, take it for granted that Iam simply waiting for news, In haste,"Yours ever,"John SewardDR.SEWARD'S DIARY7 September.--The first thing Van Helsing said to me when we met atLiverpool Street was, "Have you said anything to our young friend, tolover of her?""No," I said."I waited till I had seen you, as I said in my telegram.Iwrote him a letter simply telling him that you were coming, as MissWestenra was not so well, and that I should let him know if need be.""Right, my friend," he said."Quite right! Better he not know as yet.Perhaps he will never know.I pray so, but if it be needed, then he shallknow all.And, my good friend John, let me caution you.You deal withthe madmen.All men are mad in some way or the other, and inasmuch asyou deal discreetly with your madmen, so deal with God's madmen too,the rest of the world.Page 100 CHAPTER 10You tell not your madmen what you do nor why you do it.You tell themnot what you think.So you shall keep knowledge in its place, where itmay rest, where it may gather its kind around it and breed.You and I shallkeep as yet what we know here, and here." He touched me on the heartand on the forehead, and then touched himself the same way."I have formyself thoughts at the present.Later I shall unfold to you.""Why not now?" I asked."It may do some good.We may arrive at somedecision."He looked at me and said, "My friend John, when the corn isgrown, even before it has ripened, while the milk of its mother earth is inhim, and the sunshine has not yet begun to paint him with his gold, thehusbandman he pull the ear and rub him between his rough hands, andblow away the green chaff, and say to you, 'Look! He's good corn, he willmake a good crop when the time comes.'"I did not see the application and told him so.For reply he reached overand took my ear in his hand and pulled it playfully, as he used long ago todo at lectures, and said, "The good husbandman tell you so then becausehe knows, but not till then.But you do not find the good husbandman digup his planted corn to see if he grow.That is for the children who play athusbandry, and not for those who take it as of the work of their life.Seeyou now, friend John? I have sown my corn, and Nature has her work todo in making it sprout, if he sprout at all, there's some promise, and I waittill the ear begins to swell." He broke off, for he evidently saw that Iunderstood.Then he went on gravely, "You were always a careful student,and your case book was ever more full than the rest.And I trust that goodhabit have not fail
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