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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 30m

“Forgive me, Doctor; I forgot myself. You do not need any help. I am so worried in my mind that I am apt to be irritable. If you only knew the problem I have to face, and that I am working out, you would pity, and tolerate, and pardon me. Pray do not put me in a strait-waistcoat. I want to think

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 1h

“I don’t want an elephant’s soul, or any soul at all!” he said. For a few moments he sat despondently. Suddenly he jumped to his feet, with his eyes blazing and all the signs of intense cerebral excitement. “To hell with you and your souls!” he shouted. “Why do you plague me about

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 2h

The effect I desired was obtained, for he at once fell from his high-horse and became a child again.

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 3h

“What ridiculous nonsense you are talking!” He was getting too wide awake, so I thought I would press him hard. “I wonder,” I said reflectively, “what an elephant’s soul is like!”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 4h

“I see,” I said. “You want big things that you can make your teeth meet in? How would you like to breakfast on elephant?”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 5h

“I don’t take any stock at all in such matters. ‘Rats and mice and such small deer,’ as Shakespeare has it, ‘chicken-feed of the larder’ they might be called. I’m past all that sort of nonsense. You might as well ask a man to eat molecules with a pair of chop-sticks, as to try to

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 6h

“So, so!” I thought to myself, “this is the second time he has suddenly stopped at the word ‘drink’; what does it mean?” Renfield seemed himself aware of having made a lapse, for he hurried on, as though to distract my attention from it:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 7h

“Blow spiders! What’s the use of spiders? There isn’t anything in them to eat or”--he stopped suddenly, as though reminded of a forbidden topic.

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 9h

“Not much! flies are poor things, after all!” After a pause he added, “But I don’t want their souls buzzing round me, all the same.”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 10h

“Would you like some sugar to get your flies round again?” He seemed to wake up all at once, and shook his head. With a laugh he replied:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 11h

“A nice time you’ll have some time when you’re flying out there, with the souls of thousands of flies and spiders and birds and cats buzzing and twittering and miauing all round you. You’ve got their lives, you know, and you must put up with their souls!” Something seemed to affect his

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 12h

“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:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 13h

“Oh yes! but that is all right; you needn’t worry about that!”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 14h

“You like life, and you want life?”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 15h

“I don’t want any souls!” he said in a feeble, apologetic way. The matter seemed preying on his mind, and so I determined to use it--to “be cruel only to be kind.” So I said:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 16h

“What about souls?” It was evident then that my surmise had been correct. Unconscious cerebration was doing its work, even with the lunatic. I determined to have the matter out. “What about them yourself?” I asked. He did not reply for a moment but looked all round him, and up and down, as

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 17h

I found him sitting out in the middle of the floor on his stool, a pose which is generally indicative of some mental energy on his part. When I came in, he said at once, as though the question had been waiting on his lips:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 18h

Later in the day he sent for me. Ordinarily I would not have come without special reason, but just at present I am so interested in him that I would gladly make an effort. Besides, I am glad to have anything to help to pass the time. Harker is out, following up clues; and so are Lord Godalming and

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 19h

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 silence. After a short time I saw that for the present it was useless to speak to him. He was sulky, and so I came away.

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 20h

“I don’t want any souls, indeed, indeed! I don’t. I couldn’t use them if I had them; they would be no manner of use to me. I 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

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 21h

“So you don’t care about life and you don’t want souls. Why 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

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 22h

“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:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

“Oh no! Far be it from me to arrogate to myself the attributes of the Deity. I am not even concerned in His especially spiritual doings. If I may state my intellectual position I am, so far as concerns things purely terrestrial, somewhat in the position which Enoch occupied spiritually!” This

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

“Then you command life; you are a god, I suppose?” He smiled with an ineffably benign superiority.

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

This puzzled me a little, so I drew him on:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

“Oh, no, oh no! I want no souls. Life is all I want.” Here he brightened up; “I am pretty indifferent about it at present. Life is all right; I have all I want. You must get a new patient, doctor, if you wish to study zoöphagy!”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

“Oh, it is a soul you are after now, is it?” His madness foiled his reason, and a puzzled look spread over his face as, shaking his head with a decision which I had but seldom seen in him, he said:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I thought I would push his analogy to its utmost logically, so I said quickly:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

“The fly, my dear sir, has one striking feature; its wings are typical of the aërial powers of the psychic faculties. The ancients did well when they typified the soul as a butterfly!”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

“What about the flies these times?” He smiled on me in quite a superior sort of way--such a smile as would have become the face of Malvolio--as he answered me:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

_1 October._--I am puzzled afresh about Renfield. His moods change so rapidly that I find it difficult to keep touch of them, and as they always mean something more than his own well-being, they form a more than interesting study. This morning, when I went to see him after his repulse of Van

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Just a line. Mina sleeps soundly and her breathing is regular. Her forehead is puckered up into little wrinkles, as though she thinks even in her sleep. She is still too pale, but does not look so haggard as she did this morning. To-morrow will, I hope, mend all this; she will be herself at home in

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

As nothing could well be done before morning, and as it would be at least advisable to wait till Lord Godalming should hear from Mitchell’s, we decided not to take any active step before breakfast time. For a good while we sat and smoked, discussing the matter in its various lights and bearings;

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“Quincey’s head is level. This burglary business is getting serious; we got off once all right; but we have now a rare job on hand--unless we can find the Count’s key basket.”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“But, Art, this is different. We broke house at Carfax, but we had night and a walled park to protect us. It will be a mighty different thing to commit burglary in Piccadilly, either by day or night. I confess I don’t see how we are going to get in unless that agency duck can find us a key of

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“We got into the other,” answered Lord Godalming quickly.

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“Say! how are we going to get into that house?”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“This has been a great day’s work, friend Jonathan. Doubtless we are on the track of the missing boxes. If we find them all in that house, then our work is near the end. But if there be some missing, we must search until we find them. Then shall we make our final _coup_, and hunt the wretch to

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

When I came down again I found the others all gathered round the fire in the study. In the train I had written my diary so far, and simply read it off to them as the best means of letting them get abreast of my own information; when I had finished Van Helsing said:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I could not tell the others of the day’s discovery till we were alone; so after dinner--followed by a little music to save appearances even amongst ourselves--I took Mina to her room and left her to go to bed. The dear girl was more affectionate with me than ever, and clung to me as though she

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I found all the others at home. Mina was looking tired and pale, but she made a gallant effort to be bright and cheerful, it wrung my heart to think that I had had to keep anything from her and so caused her inquietude. Thank God, this will be the last night of her looking on at our conferences,

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I wanted to secure a friend, and not to make an enemy, so I thanked him, gave the address at Dr. Seward’s and came away. It was now dark, and I was tired and hungry. I got a cup of tea at the Aërated Bread Company and came down to Purfleet by the next train.

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“I would like to oblige you if I could, Mr. Harker, and especially would I like to oblige his lordship. We once carried out a small matter of renting some chambers for him when he was the Honourable Arthur Holmwood. If you will let me have his lordship’s address I will consult the House on the

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“Your clients, sir, are happy in having so resolute a guardian of their confidence. I am myself a professional man.” Here I handed him my card. “In this instance I am not prompted by curiosity; I act on the part of Lord Godalming, who wishes to know something of the property which was, he

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“But I do mind,” he answered. “The affairs of their clients are absolutely safe in the hands of Mitchell, Sons, & Candy.” This was manifestly a prig of the first water, and there was no use arguing with him. I thought I had best meet him on his own ground, so I said:--

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“Surely,” I said, “you do not mind letting me know so much.”

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Dracula Hourly @dracula-hourly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Again he paused longer, and raised his eyebrows still more. “It is sold, sir,” was again his laconic reply.

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