"Bram Stoker - Dracula" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stoker Bram)

When, an hour or two after, the Count came quietly into the room,
his coming awakened me, for I had gone to sleep on the sofa.
He was very courteous and very cheery in his manner,
and seeing that I had been sleeping, he said, "So, my friend,
you are tired? Get to bed. There is the surest rest.
I may not have the pleasure of talk tonight, since there are
many labours to me, but you will sleep, I pray."

I passed to my room and went to bed, and, strange to say,
slept without dreaming. Despair has its own calms.

31 May.--This morning when I woke I thought I would provide myself
with some papers and envelopes from my bag and keep them in my pocket,
so that I might write in case I should get an opportunity, but again
a surprise, again a shock!

Every scrap of paper was gone, and with it all my notes, my memoranda,
relating to railways and travel, my letter of credit, in fact
all that might be useful to me were I once outside the castle.
I sat and pondered awhile, and then some thought occurred to me,
and I made search of my portmanteau and in the wardrobe where I
had placed my clothes.

The suit in which I had travelled was gone, and also my overcoat and rug.
I could find no trace of them anywhere. This looked like some new scheme
of villainy. . .


17 June.--This morning, as I was sitting on the edge of my bed
cudgelling my brains, I heard without a crackling of whips
and pounding and scraping of horses' feet up the rocky path
beyond the courtyard. With joy I hurried to the window,
and saw drive into the yard two great leiter-wagons, each drawn
by eight sturdy horses, and at the head of each pair a Slovak,
with his wide hat, great nail-studded belt, dirty sheepskin,
and high boots. They had also their long staves in hand.
I ran to the door, intending to descend and try and join them through
the main hall, as I thought that way might be opened for them.
Again a shock, my door was fastened on the outside.

Then I ran to the window and cried to them. They looked up at me
stupidly and pointed, but just then the "hetman" of the Szgany
came out, and seeing them pointing to my window, said something,
at which they laughed.

Henceforth no effort of mine, no piteous cry or agonized entreaty,
would make them even look at me. They resolutely turned away.
The leiter-wagons contained great, square boxes, with handles of thick rope.
These were evidently empty by the ease with which the Slovaks handled them,