It is your respectability and humanity that licenses and protects his brutality ?You certainly have a high opinion of my good nature,? said the planter, smiling, ?but I advise you not to talk quite so loud, as there are people on board the boat who might not be quite so tolerant to opinion as I amYou had better wait till I get up to my plantation, and there you may abuse us all, quite at your leisure The young gentleman colored and smiled, and the two were soon busy in a game of backgammonMeanwhile, another conversation was going on in the lower part of the boat, between Emmeline and the mulatto woman with whom she was confinedAs was natural, they were exchanging with each other some particulars of their history ?Who did you belong to?? said Emmeline ?Well, my Mas?r was MrEllis,?lived on Levee-streetP?raps you?ve seen the house ?Was he good to you?? said Emmeline ?Mostly, till he tuk sickHe?s lain sick, off and on, more than six months, and been orful oneasy?Pears like he warnt willin? to have nobody rest, day or night; and got so curous, there couldn?t nobody suit him?Pears like he just grew crosser, every day; kep me up nights till I got farly beat out, and couldn?t keep awake no longer; and cause I got to sleep, one night, Lors, he talk so orful to me, and he tell me he?d sell me to just the hardest master he could find; and he?d promised me my freedom, too, when he died ?Had you any friends?? said Emmeline ?Yes, my husband,?he?s a blacksmithMas?r gen?ly hired him outThey took me off so quick, I didn?t even have time to see him; and I?s got four childrenO, dear me!? said the woman, covering her face with her hands It is a natural impulse, in every one, when they hear a tale of distress, to think of something to say by way of consolationEmmeline wanted to say something, but she could not think of anything to sayWhat was there to be said? As by a common consent, they both avoided, with fear and dread, all mention of the horrible man who was now their master True, there is religious trust for even the darkest hourThe mulatto woman was a member of the Methodist church, and had an unenlightened but very sincere spirit of pietyEmmeline had been educated much more intelligently,?taught to read and write, and diligently instructed in the Bible, by the care of a faithful and pious mistress; yet, would it not try the faith of the firmest Christian, to find themselves abandoned, apparently, of God, in the grasp of ruthless violence? How much more must it shake the faith of Christ?s poor little ones, weak in knowledge and tender in years! The boat moved on,?freighted with its weight of sorrow,?up the red, muddy, turbid current, through the abrupt tortuous windings of the Red river; and sad eyes gazed wearily on the steep red-clay banks, as they glided by in dreary samenessAt last the boat stopped at a small town, and Legree, with his party, disembarked Chapter 32 Dark Places ?The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations Of cruelty1 Trailing wearily behind a rude wagon, and over a ruder road, Tom and his associates faced onward In the wagon was seated Simon Legree and the two women, still fettered together, were stowed away with some baggage in the back part of it, and the whole company were seeking Legree?s plantation, which lay a good distance off It was a wild, forsaken road, now winding through dreary pine barrens, where the wind whispered mournfully, and now over log causeways, through long cypress swamps, the doleful trees rising out of the slimy, spongy ground, hung with long wreaths of funeral black moss, while ever and anon the loathsome form of the mocassin snake might be seen sliding among broken stumps and shattered branches that lay here and there, rotting in the water It is disconsolate enough, this riding, to the stranger, who, with well-filled pocket and well-appointed horse, threads the lonely way on some errand of business; but wilder, drearier, to the man enthralled, whom every weary step bears further from all that man loves and prays for So one should have thought, that witnessed the sunken and dejected expression on those dark faces; the wistful, patient weariness with which those sad eyes rested on object after object that passed them in their sad journey Simon rode on, however, apparently well pleased, occasionally pulling away at a flask of spirit, which he kept in his pocket ?I say, you!? he said, as he turned back and caught a glance at the dispirited faces behind him?Strike up a song, boys,?come!? The men looked at each other, and the ?come? was repeated, with a smart crack of the whip which the driver carried in his handsTom began a Methodist hymn ?Jerusalem, my happy home, Name ever dear to me! When shall my sorrows have an end, Thy joys when shall??2 ?Shut up, you black cuss!? roared Legree; ?did ye think I wanted any o? yer infernal old Methodism? I say, tune up, now, something real rowdy,?quick!? One of the other men struck up one of those unmeaning songs, common among the slaves ?Mas?r see?d me cotch a coon, High boys, high! He laughed to split,?d?ye see the moon, Ho! ho! ho! boys, ho! Ho! yo! hi?e! oh!? The singer appeared to make up the song to his own pleasure, generally hitting on rhyme, without much attempt at reason; and the party took up the chorus, at intervals, ?Ho! ho! ho! boys, ho! High?e?oh! high?e?oh!? It was sung very boisterouly, and with a forced attempt at merriment; but no wail of despair, no words of impassioned prayer, could have had such a depth of woe in them as the wild notes of the chorusAs if the poor, dumb heart, threatened,?prisoned,?took refuge in that inarticulate sanctuary of music, and found there a language in which to breathe its prayer to God! There was a prayer in it, which Simon could not shop hear

Believe me that if the time comes for you to change your mind towards me, one look from you will wipe away all this so sad hour, for I would do what a man can to save you from sorrowFor why should I give myself so much labor and so much of sorrow? I have come here from my own land to do what I can of good, at the first to please my friend John, and then to help a sweet young lady, whom too, I come to loveFor her, I am ashamed to say so much, but I say it in kindness, I gave what you gave, the blood of my veinsI gave it, I who was not, like you, her lover, but only her physician and her friendI gave her my nights and days, before death, after death, and if my death can do her good even now, when she is the dead UnDead, she shall have it freely He said this with a very grave, sweet pride, and Arthur was much affected by it He took the old man's hand and said in a broken voice, "Oh, it is hard to think of it, and I cannot understand, but at least I shall go with you and wait CHAPTER 16 DRSEWARD'S DIARY--cont It was just a quarter before twelve o'clock when we got into the churchyard over the low wallThe night was dark with occasional gleams of moonlight between the dents of the heavy clouds that scudded across the skyWe all kept somehow close together, with Van Helsing slightly in front as he led the wayWhen we had come close to the tomb I looked well at Arthur, for I feared the proximity to a place laden with so sorrowful a memory would upset him, but he bore himself wellI took it that the very mystery of the proceeding was in some way a counteractant to his griefThe Professor unlocked the door, and seeing a natural hesitation amongst us for various reasons, solved the difficulty by entering first himselfThe rest of us followed, and he closed the doorHe then lit a dark lantern and pointed to a coffinArthur stepped forward hesitatinglyVan Helsing said to me, "You were with me here yesterdayWas the body of Miss Lucy in that coffin?" "It was The Professor turned to the rest saying, "You hear, and yet there is no one who does not believe with me He took his screwdriver and again took off the lid of the coffinArthur looked on, very pale but silentWhen the lid was removed he stepped forwardHe evidently did not know that there was a leaden coffin, or at any rate, had not thought of itWhen he saw the rent in the lead, the blood rushed to his face for an instant, but as quickly fell away again, so that he remained of a ghastly whitenessVan Helsing forced back the leaden flange, and we all looked in and recoiled The coffin was empty! For several minutes no one spoke a wordThe silence was broken by Quincey Morris, "Professor, I answered for youYour word is all I wantI wouldn't ask such a thing ordinarily, I wouldn't so dishonour you as to imply a doubt, but this is a mystery that goes beyond any honour or dishonourIs this your doing?" "I swear to you by all that I hold sacred that I have not removed or touched herWhat happened was thisTwo nights ago my friend Seward and I came here, with good purpose, believe meI opened that coffin, which was then sealed up, and we found it as now, emptyWe then waited, and saw something white come through the treesThe next day we came here in daytime and she lay thereDid she not, friend John? "Yes "That night we were just in timeOne more so small child was missing, and we find it, thank God, unharmed amongst the shop graves

I seized the opportunity, and said, "I promise that if I see any evidence of bad dreams I will wake you at once "You will? Oh, will you really? How good you are to meThen I will sleep!" And almost at the word she gave a deep sigh of relief, and sank back, asleep All night long I watched by herShe never stirred, but slept on and on in a deep, tranquil, life-giving, health-giving sleepHer lips were slightly parted, and her breast rose and fell with the regularity of a pendulumThere was a smile on her face, and it was evident that no bad dreams had come to disturb her peace of mind In the early morning her maid came, and I left her in her care and took myself back home, for I was anxious about many thingsI sent a short wire to Van Helsing and to Arthur, telling them of the excellent result of the operationMy own work, with its manifold arrears, took me all day to clear offIt was dark when I was able to inquire about my zoophagous patientHe had been quite quiet for the past day and nightA telegram came from Van Helsing at Amsterdam whilst I was at dinner, suggesting that I should be at Hillingham tonight, as it might be well to be at hand, and stating that he was leaving by the night mail and would join me early in the morning-I was pretty tired and worn out when I got to HillinghamFor two nights I had hardly had a wink of sleep, and my brain was beginning to feel that numbness which marks cerebral exhaustionLucy was up and in cheerful spiritsWhen she shook hands with me she looked sharply in my face and said, "No sitting up tonight for youI am quite well againIndeed, I am, and if there is to be any sitting up, it is I who will sit up with you I would not argue the point, but went and had my supperLucy came with me, and, enlivened by her charming presence, I made an excellent meal, and had a couple of glasses of the more than excellent portThen Lucy took me upstairs, and showed me a room next her own, where a cozy fire was burningI shall leave this door open and my door tooYou can lie on the sofa for I know that nothing would induce any of you doctors to go to bed whilst there is a patient above the horizonIf I want anything I shall call out, and you can come to me at once I could not but acquiesce, for I was dog tired, and could not have sat up had I triedSo, on her renewing her promise to call me if she should want anything, I lay on the sofa, and forgot all about everything LUCY WESTENRA'S DIARY 9 September-I feel so happy tonightI have been so miserably weak, that to be able to think and move about is like feeling sunshine after a long spell of east wind out of a steel skySomehow Arthur feels very, very close to meI seem to feel his presence warm about meI suppose it is that sickness and weakness are selfish things and turn our inner eyes and sympathy on ourselves, whilst health and strength give love rein, and in thought and feeling he can wander where he willsI know where my thoughts areIf only Arthur knew! My dear, my dear, your ears must tingle as you sleep, as mine do wakingOh, the blissful rest of last night! How I slept, with that dear, good DrAnd tonight I shall not fear to sleep, since he is close at hand and within callThank everybody for being so good to meThank God! Goodnight ArthurSEWARD'S DIARY 10 shop September

On the other hand, debates respecting the affairs of the Society should never be entered on at the ordinary meetings, as they interrupt its business, and only a partial attendance can be expected That the conduct of those who have latterly managed the Royal Society has not led to such discussions, is to be attributed more to the forbearance of those who disapprove of the line of conduct they have pursued, than to the discretion of the party in not giving them cause The public is the last tribunal; one to which nothing but strong necessity should induce an appeal There are, however, advantages in it which may, in some cases, render it better than a public discussion at the anniversary When the cause of complaint is a system rather than any one great grievance, it may be necessary to enter more into detail than a speech will permit; also the printed statement and arguments will probably come under the consideration of a larger number of the members Another and a considerable benefit is, that there is much less danger of any expression of temper interrupting or injuring the arguments employed There were other points suggested, but I shall subjoin the Report of the Committee:-- REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO CONSIDER THE BEST MEANS OF LIMITING THE MEMBERS ADMITTED INTO THE ROYAL SOCIETY, AS WELL AS TO MAKE SUCH SUGGESTIONS ON THAT SUBJECT AS MAY SEEM TO THEM CONDUCIVE TO THE WELFARE OF THE SOCIETY Your Committee having maturely considered the resolution of the Council under which they have been appointed; and having satisfied themselves that the progressive increase of the Society has been in a much higher ratio than the progressive increase of population, or the general growth of knowledge, or the extension of those sciences which it has been the great object of the Society to promote, they have agreed to the following Report:-- Your Committee assume as indisputable propositions, that the utility of the Society is in direct proportion to its respectability That its respectability can only be secured by its comprising men of high philosophical eminence; and that the obvious means of associating persons of this eminence will be the public conviction, that to belong to the Society is an honour Your Committee, therefore, think themselves fully borne out in the conclusion, that it would be expedient to limit the Society to such a number as should be a fair representation of the talent of the country; the consequence of which will be, that every vacancy would become an object of competition among persons of acknowledged merit From the returns which have been laid on your table, of the Fellows who have contributed papers, and from the best estimate they can make of the persons without doors who are engaged in the active pursuit of science, your Committee feel justified in recommending that those limits should be fixed at four hundred, exclusive of foreign members, and of such royal personages as it may be thought proper to admit As many years must elapse before the present number of seven hundred and fourteen can be reduced to those limits by the course of nature, and as it would be prejudicial to the interests of the Society and of science, that no fresh accessions should take place during that long period, your Committee would further recommend, that till that event takes place, four new members should be annually admitted With respect to the manner of admission, your Committee are of opinion, that there are several inconveniences in the present mode of proceeding to a single ballot upon each certificate, according to its seniorityIf the above limitation should be adopted, it may be presumed, that for every vacancy there will be many candidates; from amongst them, it must be the general wish to select the most distinguished individuals; but to accomplish this, if the present system were to be continued, it would be necessary to reject all those candidates whose certificates were of earlier date than theirs; a process not only extremely irritating, but probably ineffectual from the want of unanimity Your Committee, therefore, most earnestly recommend, that one general election should take place every year towards the end of the session, and that this should be conducted on the same principles as the present annual election of the Council and officers; VIZby having lists printed of all the candidates (whose certificates had been suspended for the usual time,) in which lists each Fellow would mark the requisite number of persons As the charter, however, requires the concurrence of two-thirds of the Fellows present, your Committee suggest, that after the choice has been determined by the plurality of votes by ballot in the above manner, the successful candidates should be again submitted to a general vote, in accordance with the enactments of the said charter In concluding this part of the subject, your Committee beg leave to remark, that by the method now proposed, the invidious act of blackballing would cease, and with it all feelings of resentment and mortification; as the result of such an open competition could only be construed by the public into a fair preference of the superior claims of the successful few, and not into a direct and disgraceful rejection of the others Your Committee are fully aware, that such a reduction in the usual admissions would materially affect the pecuniary resources of the Society; but they are at the same time convinced, that by a vigorous economy its present income might be rendered adequate to all its real wants, and the aggregate expenditure might be considerably diminished by many small but wholesome retrenchments It appears, from the accounts of last year, that although 1200L was received for compositions, in addition to the standing income, and usual contributions,

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