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myself. Is not that gentleman Dr. Van Helsing? I am so thankful to you, |
sir, for coming." When first the Professor's eye had lit upon him he had |
been angry at his interruption at such a time; but now, as he took in |
his stalwart proportions and recognised the strong young manhood which |
seemed to emanate from him, his eyes gleamed. Without a pause he said to |
him gravely as he held out his hand:-- |
"Sir, you have come in time. You are the lover of our dear miss. She is |
bad, very, very bad. Nay, my child, do not go like that." For he |
suddenly grew pale and sat down in a chair almost fainting. "You are to |
help her. You can do more than any that live, and your courage is your |
best help." |
"What can I do?" asked Arthur hoarsely. "Tell me, and I shall do it. My |
life is hers, and I would give the last drop of blood in my body for |
her." The Professor has a strongly humorous side, and I could from old |
knowledge detect a trace of its origin in his answer:-- |
"My young sir, I do not ask so much as that--not the last!" |
"What shall I do?" There was fire in his eyes, and his open nostril |
quivered with intent. Van Helsing slapped him on the shoulder. "Come!" |
he said. "You are a man, and it is a man we want. You are better than |
me, better than my friend John." Arthur looked bewildered, and the |
Professor went on by explaining in a kindly way:-- |
"Young miss is bad, very bad. She wants blood, and blood she must have |
or die. My friend John and I have consulted; and we are about to perform |
what we call transfusion of blood--to transfer from full veins of one to |
the empty veins which pine for him. John was to give his blood, as he is |
the more young and strong than me"--here Arthur took my hand and wrung |
it hard in silence--"but, now you are here, you are more good than us, |
old or young, who toil much in the world of thought. Our nerves are not |
so calm and our blood not so bright than yours!" Arthur turned to him |
and said:-- |
"If you only knew how gladly I would die for her you would |
understand----" |
He stopped, with a sort of choke in his voice. |
"Good boy!" said Van Helsing. "In the not-so-far-off you will be happy |
that you have done all for her you love. Come now and be silent. You |
shall kiss her once before it is done, but then you must go; and you |
must leave at my sign. Say no word to Madame; you know how it is with |
her! There must be no shock; any knowledge of this would be one. Come!" |
We all went up to Lucy's room. Arthur by direction remained outside. |
Lucy turned her head and looked at us, but said nothing. She was not |
asleep, but she was simply too weak to make the effort. Her eyes spoke |
to us; that was all. Van Helsing took some things from his bag and laid |
them on a little table out of sight. Then he mixed a narcotic, and |
coming over to the bed, said cheerily:-- |
"Now, little miss, here is your medicine. Drink it off, like a good |
child. See, I lift you so that to swallow is easy. Yes." She had made |
the effort with success. |
It astonished me how long the drug took to act. This, in fact, marked |
the extent of her weakness. The time seemed endless until sleep began to |
flicker in her eyelids. At last, however, the narcotic began to manifest |
its potency; and she fell into a deep sleep. When the Professor was |
satisfied he called Arthur into the room, and bade him strip off his |
coat. Then he added: "You may take that one little kiss whiles I bring |
over the table. Friend John, help to me!" So neither of us looked whilst |
he bent over her. |
Van Helsing turning to me, said: |
"He is so young and strong and of blood so pure that we need not |
defibrinate it." |
Then with swiftness, but with absolute method, Van Helsing performed the |
operation. As the transfusion went on something like life seemed to come |
back to poor Lucy's cheeks, and through Arthur's growing pallor the joy |
of his face seemed absolutely to shine. After a bit I began to grow |
anxious, for the loss of blood was telling on Arthur, strong man as he |
was. It gave me an idea of what a terrible strain Lucy's system must |
have undergone that what weakened Arthur only partially restored her. |
But the Professor's face was set, and he stood watch in hand and with |
his eyes fixed now on the patient and now on Arthur. I could hear my own |
heart beat. Presently he said in a soft voice: "Do not stir an instant. |
It is enough. You attend him; I will look to her." When all was over I |
could see how much Arthur was weakened. I dressed the wound and took his |
arm to bring him away, when Van Helsing spoke without turning round--the |
man seems to have eyes in the back of his head:-- |
"The brave lover, I think, deserve another kiss, which he shall have |
presently." And as he had now finished his operation, he adjusted the |
pillow to the patient's head. As he did so the narrow black velvet band |
which she seems always to wear round her throat, buckled with an old |
diamond buckle which her lover had given her, was dragged a little up, |
and showed a red mark on her throat. Arthur did not notice it, but I |
could hear the deep hiss of indrawn breath which is one of Van Helsing's |
ways of betraying emotion. He said nothing at the moment, but turned to |
me, saying: "Now take down our brave young lover, give him of the port |
wine, and let him lie down a while. He must then go home and rest, sleep |
much and eat much, that he may be recruited of what he has so given to |
his love. He must not stay here. Hold! a moment. I may take it, sir, |
that you are anxious of result. Then bring it with you that in all ways |
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