"stoker-dracula-168" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stoker Bram)

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