Page 281 - DRACULA

Dracula

outbreak, which might have had a dreadful ending, but
which, as it fortunately happened, was unattended with
any unhappy results. This afternoon a carrier’s cart with
two men made a call at the empty house whose grounds

abut on ours, the house to which, you will remember, the
patient twice ran away. The men stopped at our gate to
ask the porter their way, as they were strangers.
‘I was myself looking out of the study window, having
a smoke after dinner, and saw one of them come up to the
house. As he passed the window of Renfield’s room, the
patient began to rate him from within, and called him all
the foul names he could lay his tongue to. The man, who
seemed a decent fellow enough, contented himself by
telling him to ‘shut up for a foul-mouthed beggar’,
whereon our man accused him of robbing him and
wanting to murder him and said that he would hinder him
if he were to swing for it. I opened the window and
signed to the man not to notice, so he contented himself
after looking the place over and making up his mind as to
what kind of place he had got to by saying, ‘Lor’ bless yer,
sir, I wouldn’t mind what was said to me in a bloomin’
madhouse. I pity ye and the guv’nor for havin’ to live in
the house with a wild beast like that.’

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