d in obedience to His Will. It may be that we are
chosen instruments of His good pleasure, and that we ascend to His
bidding as that other through stripes and shame. Through tears and
blood. Through doubts and fear, and all that makes the difference
between God and man."

There was hope in his words, and comfort. And they made for
resignation. Mina and I both felt so, and simultaneously we each took
one of the old man's hands and bent over and kissed it. Then without
a word we all knelt down together, and all holding hands, swore to be
true to each other. We men pledged ourselves to raise the veil of
sorrow from the head of her whom, each in his own way, we loved. And
we prayed for help and guidance in the terrible task which lay before
us. It was then time to start. So I said farewell to Mina, a parting
which neither of us shall forget to our dying day, and we set out.

To one thing I have made up my mind. If we find out that Mina must be
a vampire in the end, then she shall not go into that unknown and
terrible land alone. I suppose it is thus that in old times one
vampire meant many. Just as their hideous bodies could only rest in
sacred earth, so the holiest love was the recruiting sergeant for
their ghastly ranks.

We entered Carfax without trouble and found all things the same as on
the first occasion. It was hard to believe that amongst so prosaic
surroundings of neglect and dust and decay there was any ground for
such fear as already we knew. Had not our minds been made up, and had
there not been terrible memories to spur us on, we could hardly have
proceeded with our task. We found no papers, or any sign of use in
the house. And in the old chapel the great boxes looked just as we
had seen them last.

Dr. Van Helsing said to us solemnly as we stood before him, "And now,
my friends, we have a duty here to do. We must sterilize this earth,
so sacred of holy memories, that he has brought from a far distant
land for such fell use. He has chosen this earth because it has been
holy. Thus we defeat him with his own weapon, for we make it more
holy still. It was sanctified to such use of man, now we sanctify it
to God."

As he spoke he took from his bag a screwdriver and a wrench, and very
soon the top of one of the cases was thrown open. The earth smelled
musty and close, but we did not somehow seem to mind, for our
attention was concentrated on the Professor. Taking from his box a
piece o