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.The wounds on the throat had absolutelydisappeared.For fully five minutes Van Helsing stood looking at her, with his face at itssternest.Then he turned to me and said calmly, "She is dying.It will notbe long now.It will be much difference, mark me, whether she diesconscious or in her sleep.Wake that poor boy, and let him come and seethe last.He trusts us, and we have promised him."I went to the dining room and waked him.He was dazed for a moment,but when he saw the sunlight streaming in through the edges of theshutters he thought he was late, and expressed his fear.I assured him thatLucy was still asleep, but told him as gently as i could that both VanHelsing and I feared that the end was near.He covered his face with hishands, and slid down on his knees by the sofa, where he remained,perhaps a minute, with his head buried, praying, whilst his shouldersshook with grief.I took him by the hand and raised him up."Come," Isaid, "my dear old fellow, summon all your fortitude.It will be best andeasiest for her."When we came into Lucy's room I could see that Van Helsing had, withhis usual forethought, been putting matters straight and makingeverything look as pleasing as possible.He had even brushed Lucy's hair,so that it lay on the pillow in its usual sunny ripples.When we came intothe room she opened her eyes, and seeing him, whispered softly, "Arthur!Oh, my love, I am so glad you have come!"He was stooping to kiss her, when Van Helsing motioned him back."No,"he whispered, "not yet! Hold her hand, it will comfort her more."So Arthur took her hand and knelt beside her, and she looked her best,with all the soft lines matching the angelic beauty of her eyes.Thengradually her eyes closed, and she sank to sleep.For a little bit her breastheaved softly, and her breath came and went like a tired child's.And then insensibly there came the strange change which I had noticed inthe night.Her breathing grew stertorous, the mouth opened, and the palegums, drawn back, made the teeth look longer and sharper than ever.In asort of sleep-waking, vague, unconscious way she opened her eyes, whichwere now dull and hard at once, and said in a soft, voluptuous voice, suchas I had never heard from her lips, "Arthur! Oh, my love, I am so gladyou have come! Kiss me!"Page 136 CHAPTER 12Arthur bent eagerly over to kiss her, but at that instant Van Helsing, who,like me, had been startled by her voice, swooped upon him, and catchinghim by the neck with both hands, dragged him back with a fury ofstrength which I never thought he could have possessed, and actuallyhurled him almost across the room."Not on your life!" he said, "not for your living soul and hers!" And hestood between them like a lion at bay.Arthur was so taken aback that he did not for a moment know what to door say, and before any impulse of violence could seize him he realized theplace and the occasion, and stood silent, waiting.I kept my eyes fixed on Lucy, as did Van Helsing, and we saw a spasm asof rage flit like a shadow over her face.The sharp teeth clamped together.Then her eyes closed, and she breathed heavily.Very shortly after she opened her eyes in all their softness, and putting outher poor, pale, thin hand, took Van Helsing's great brown one, drawing itclose to her, she kissed it."My true friend," she said, in a faint voice, butwith untellable pathos, "My true friend, and his! Oh, guard him, and giveme peace!""I swear it!" he said solemnly, kneeling beside her and holding up hishand, as one who registers an oath.Then he turned to Arthur, and said tohim, "Come, my child, take her hand in yours, and kiss her on theforehead, and only once."Their eyes met instead of their lips, and so they parted.Lucy's eyesclosed, and Van Helsing, who had been watching closely, took Arthur'sarm, and drew him away.And then Lucy's breathing became stertorous again, and all at once itceased."It is all over," said Van Helsing."She is dead!"I took Arthur by the arm, and led him away to the drawing room, where hesat down, and covered his face with his hands, sobbing in a way thatnearly broke me down to see.I went back to the room, and found Van Helsing looking at poor Lucy, andhis face was sterner than eve.Some change had come over her body.Death had given back part of her beauty, for her brow and cheeks hadrecovered some of their flowing lines.Even the lips had lost their deadlypallor.It was as if the blood, no longer needed for the working of theheart, had gone to make the harshness of death as little rude as might be."We thought her dying whilst she slept, And sleeping when she died."Page 137 CHAPTER 12I stood beside Van Helsing, and said, "Ah well, poor girl, there is peacefor her at last.It is the end!"He turned to me, and said with grave solemnity, "Not so, alas! Not so.Itis only the beginning!"When I asked him what he meant, he only shook his head and answered,"We can do nothing as yet.Wait and see."Page 138 CHAPTER 13CHAPTER 13CHAPTER 13CHAPTER 13CHAPTER 13DR.SEWARD'S DIARY--cont.The funeral was arranged for the next succeeding day, so that Lucy andher mother might be buried together.I attended to all the ghastlyformalities, and the urbane undertaker proved that his staff was afflicted,or blessed, with something of his own obsequious suavity.Even thewoman who performed the last offices for the dead remarked to me, in aconfidential, brother-professional way, when she had come out from thedeath chamber,"She makes a very beautiful corpse, sir.It's quite a privilege to attend onher.It's not too much to say that she will do credit to our establishment!"I noticed that Van Helsing never kept far away.This was possible fromthe disordered state of things in the household.There were no relatives athand, and as Arthur had to be back the next day to attend at his father'sfuneral, we were unable to notify any one who should have been bidden.Under the circumstances, Van Helsing and I took it upon ourselves toexamine papers, etc.He insisted upon looking over Lucy's papers himself.I asked him why, for I feared that he, being a foreigner, might not be quiteaware of English legal requirements, and so might in ignorance makesome unnecessary trouble.He answered me, "I know, I know.You forget that I am a lawyer as wellas a doctor.But this is not altogether for the law.You knew that, whenyou avoided the coroner.I have more than him to avoid.There may bepapers more, such as this."As he spoke he took from his pocket book the memorandum which hadbeen in Lucy's breast, and which she had torn in her sleep."When you find anything of the solicitor who is for the late Mrs.Westenra, seal all her papers, and write him tonight.For me, I watch herein the room and in Miss Lucy's old room all night, and I myself search forwhat may be.It is not well that her very thoughts go into the hands ofstrangers."I went on with my part of the work, and in another half hour had found thename and address of Mrs.Westenra's solicitor and had written to him.Allthe poor lady's papers were in order
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