But come, Eva,? he said; and taking the hand of his daughter, he stepped across the boat, and carelessly putting the tip of his finger under Tom?s chin, said, good-humoredly, ?Look-up, Tom, and see how you like your new masterIt was not in nature to look into that gay, young, handsome face, without a feeling of pleasure; and Tom felt the tears start in his eyes as he said, heartily, ?God bless you, Mas?r!? ?Well, I hope he willWhat?s your name? Tom? Quite as likely to do it for your asking as mine, from all accountsCan you drive horses, Tom?? ?I?ve been allays used to horses,? said Tom?Mas?r Shelby raised heaps of ?em ?Well, I think I shall put you in coachy, on condition that you won?t be drunk more than once a week, unless in cases of emergency, Tom Tom looked surprised, and rather hurt, and said, ?I never drink, Mas?r ?I?ve heard that story before, Tom; but then we?ll seeIt will be a special accommodation to all concerned, if you don?tNever mind, my boy,? he added, good-humoredly, seeing Tom still looked grave; ?I don?t doubt you mean to do well ?I sartin do, Mas?r,? said Tom ?And you shall have good times,? said Eva?Papa is very good to everybody, only he always will laugh at them ?Papa is much obliged to you for his recommendation,? said StClare, laughing, as he turned on his heel and walked away 1 In Atala; or the Love and Constantcy of Two Savages in the Desert (1801) by Francois Auguste Rene, Vicomte de Chateaubriand (1768-1848) Chapter 15 Of Tom?s New Master, and Various Other Matters Since the thread of our humble hero?s life has now become interwoven with that of higher ones, it is necessary to give some brief introduction to themClare was the son of a wealthy planter of LouisianaThe family had its origin in CanadaOf two brothers, very similar in temperament and character, one had settled on a flourishing farm in Vermont, and the other became an opulent planter in LouisianaThe mother of Augustine was a Huguenot French lady, whose family had emigrated to Louisiana during the days of its early settlementAugustine and another brother were the only children of their parentsHaving inherited from his mother an exceeding delicacy of constitution, he was, at the instance of physicians, during many years of his boyhood, sent to the care of his uncle in Vermont, in order that his constitution might, be strengthened by the cold of a more bracing climate In childhood, he was remarkable for an extreme and marked sensitiveness of character, more akin to the softness of woman than the ordinary hardness of his own sexTime, however, overgrew this softness with the rough bark of manhood, and but few knew how living and fresh it still lay at the coreHis talents were of the very first order, although his mind showed a preference always for the ideal and the aesthetic, and there was about him that repugnance to the actual business of life which is the common result of this balance of the facultiesSoon after the completion of his college course, his whole nature was kindled into one intense and passionate effervescence of romantic passionHis hour came,?the hour that comes only once; his star rose in the horizon,?that star that rises so often in vain, to be remembered only as a thing of dreams; and it rose for him in vainTo drop the figure,?he saw and won the love of a high-minded and beautiful woman, in one of the northern states, and they were affiancedHe returned south to make arrangements for their marriage, when, most unexpectedly, his letters were returned to him by mail, with a short note from her guardian, stating to him that ere this reached him the lady would be the wife of anotherStung to madness, he vainly hoped, as many another has done, to fling the whole thing from his heart by one desperate effortToo proud to supplicate or seek explanation, he threw himself at once into a whirl of fashionable society, and in a fortnight from the time of the fatal letter was the accepted lover of the reigning belle of the season; and as soon as arrangements could be made, he became the husband of a fine figure, a pair of bright dark eyes, and a hundred thousand dollars; and, of course, everybody thought him a happy fellow The married couple were enjoying their honeymoon, and entertaining a brilliant circle of friends in their splendid villa, near Lake Pontchartrain, when, one day, a letter was brought to him in that well-remembered writingIt was handed to him while he was in full tide of gay and successful conversation, in a whole room-full of companyHe turned deadly pale when he saw the writing, but still preserved his composure, and finished the playful warfare of badinage which he was at the moment carrying on with a lady opposite; and, a short time after, was missed from the circleIn his room, alone, he opened and read the letter, now worse than idle and useless to be readIt was from her, giving a long account of a persecution to which she had been exposed by her guardian?s family, to lead her to unite herself with their son: and she related how, for a long time, his letters had ceased to arrive; how she had written time and again, till she became weary and doubtful; how her health had failed under her anxieties, and how, at last, she had discovered the whole fraud which had been practised on them bothThe letter ended with expressions of hope and thankfulness, and professions of undying affection, which were more bitter than death to the unhappy young manHe wrote to her immediately: ?I have received yours,?but too lateI believed all I shop heard

I saw amongst them was his notebook, and was going to ask him to let me look at it, for I knew that I might find some clue to his trouble, but I suppose he must have seen my wish in my eyes, for he sent me over to the window, saying he wanted to be quite alone for a moment "Then he called me back, and he said to me very solemnly, 'Wilhelmina', I knew then that he was in deadly earnest, for he has never called me by that name since he asked me to marry him, 'You know, dear, my ideas of the trust between husband and wifeThere should be no secret, no concealmentI have had a great shock, and when I try to think of what it is I feel my head spin round, and I do not know if it was real of the dreaming of a madmanYou know I had brain fever, and that is to be madThe secret is here, and I do not want to know itI want to take up my life here, with our marriage' For, my dear, we had decided to be married as soon as the formalities are complete'Are you willing, Wilhelmina, to share my ignorance? Here is the bookTake it and keep it, read it if you will, but never let me know unless, indeed, some solemn duty should come upon me to go back to the bitter hours, asleep or awake, sane or mad, recorded here' He fell back exhausted, and I put the book under his pillow, and kissed himI have asked Sister Agatha to beg the Superior to let our wedding be this afternoon, and am waiting her reply?" "She has come and told me that the Chaplain of the English mission church has been sent forWe are to be married in an hour, or as soon after as Jonathan awakes "Lucy, the time has come and goneI feel very solemn, but very, very happyJonathan woke a little after the hour, and all was ready, and he sat up in bed, propped up with pillowsHe answered his 'I will' firmly and strongMy heart was so full that even those words seemed to choke me "The dear sisters were so kindPlease, God, I shall never, never forget them, nor the grave and sweet responsibilities I have taken upon meI must tell you of my wedding presentWhen the chaplain and the sisters had left me alone with my husband--oh, Lucy, it is the first time I have written the words 'my husband'--left me alone with my husband, I took the book from under his pillow, and wrapped it up in white paper, and tied it with a little bit of pale blue ribbon which was round my neck, and sealed it over the knot with sealing wax, and for my seal I used my wedding ringThen I kissed it and showed it to my husband, and told him that I would keep it so, and then it would be an outward and visible sign for us all our lives that we trusted each other, that I would never open it unless it were for his own dear sake or for the sake of some stern dutyThen he took my hand in his, and oh, Lucy, it was the first time he took his wife's hand, and said that it was the dearest thing in all the wide world, and that he would go through all the past again to win it, if need beThe poor dear meant to have said a part of the past, but he cannot think of time yet, and I shall not wonder if at first he mixes up not only the month, but the year "Well, my dear, what could I say? I could only tell him that I was the happiest woman in all the wide world, and that I had nothing to give him except myself, my life, and my trust, and that with these went my love and duty for all the days of my lifeAnd, my dear, when he kissed me, and drew me to him with his poor weak hands, it was like a solemn pledge between us "Lucy dear, do you know why I tell you all this? It is not only because it is all sweet to me, but because you have been, and are, very dear to meIt was my privilege to be your friend and guide when you came from the schoolroom to prepare for the world of lifeI want you to see now, and with the eyes of a very happy wife, whither duty has led me, so that in your own married life you too may be all happy, as I amMy dear, please Almighty God, your life may be all it promises, a long day of sunshine, with no harsh wind, no forgetting duty, no distrustI must not wish you no pain, for that can never be, but I do hope you will be always as happy as I am nowI shall post this at once, and perhaps, write you very soon againI must stop, for Jonathan is wakingI must attend my husband! "Your ever-loving Mina Harker LETTER, LUCY WESTENRA TO MINA HARKER Whitby, 30 August "My dearest Mina, "Oceans of love and millions of kisses, and may you soon be in your own home with your husbandI wish you were coming home soon enough to stay with us hereThe strong air would soon restore shop Jonathan

The Professor said, "I may, I suppose, take it that we are all acquainted with the facts that are in these papers We all expressed assent, and he went on, "Then it were, I think, good that I tell you something of the kind of enemy with which we have to dealI shall then make known to you something of the history of this man, which has been ascertained for meSo we then can discuss how we shall act, and can take our measure according "There are such beings as vampires, some of us have evidence that they existEven had we not the proof of our own unhappy experience, the teachings and the records of the past give proof enough for sane peoplesI admit that at the first I was scepticWere it not that through long years I have trained myself to keep an open mind, I could not have believed until such time as that fact thunder on my ear'See! See! I prove, I prove' Alas! Had I known at first what now I know, nay, had I even guess at him, one so precious life had been spared to many of us who did love herBut that is gone, and we must so work, that other poor souls perish not, whilst we can saveThe nosferatu do not die like the bee when he sting onceHe is only stronger, and being stronger, have yet more power to work evilThis vampire which is amongst us is of himself so strong in person as twenty men, he is of cunning more than mortal, for his cunning be the growth of ages, he have still the aids of necromancy, which is, as his etymology imply, the divination by the dead, and all the dead that he can come nigh to are for him at command; he is brute, and more than brute; he is devil in callous, and the heart of him is not; he can, within his range, direct the elements, the storm, the fog, the thunder; he can command all the meaner things, the rat, and the owl, and the bat, the moth, and the fox, and the wolf, he can grow and become small; and he can at times vanish and come unknownHow then are we to begin our strike to destroy him? How shall we find his where, and having found it, how can we destroy? My friends, this is much, it is a terrible task that we undertake, and there may be consequence to make the brave shudderFor if we fail in this our fight he must surely win, and then where end we? Life is nothings, I heed him notBut to fail here, is not mere life or deathIt is that we become as him, that we henceforward become foul things of the night like him, without heart or conscience, preying on the bodies and the souls of those we love bestTo us forever are the gates of heaven shut, for who shall open them to us again? We go on for all time abhorred by all, a blot on the face of God's sunshine, an arrow in the side of Him who died for manBut we are face to face with duty, and in such case must we shrink? For me, I say no, but then I am old, and life, with his sunshine, his fair places, his song of birds, his music and his love, lie far behindSome have seen sorrow, but there are fair days yet in storeWhat say you?" Whilst he was speaking, Jonathan had taken my handI feared, oh so much, that the appalling nature of our danger was overcoming him when I saw his hand stretch out, but it was life to me to feel its touch, so strong, so self reliant, so resoluteA brave man's hand can speak for itself, it does not even need a woman's love to hear its music When the Professor had done speaking my husband looked in my eyes, and I in his, there was no need for speaking between us "I answer for Mina and myself," he said "Count me in, Professor," said MrQuincey Morris, laconically as usual "I am with you," said Lord Godalming, "for Lucy's sake, if for no other reason The Professor stood up and, after laying his golden crucifix on the table, held out his hand on either sideI took his right hand, and Lord Godalming his left, Jonathan held my right with his left and stretched across to MrSo as we all took hands our solemn compact was madeI felt my heart icy cold, but it did not even occur to me to draw backWe resumed our places, and DrVan Helsing went on with a sort of cheerfulness which showed that the serious work had begunIt was to be taken as gravely, and in as businesslike a way, as any other transaction of life "Well, you know what we have to contend against, but we too, are not without strengthWe have on our side power of combination, a power denied to the vampire kind, we have sources of science, we are free to act and think, and the hours of the day and the night are ours equallyIn fact, so far as our powers extend, they are unfettered, and we are free to use themWe have self devotion in a cause and an end to achieve which is not a selfish shop one

Wollaston and some others thought the limitation of the numbers of the Society to be the most essential point, and 400 was suggested as a proper number to be recommended, in case a limitation should be ultimately resolved upon I confess, such a limit did not appear to me to bring great advantages, especially when I reflected how long a time must have elapsed before the 714 members of the Society could be reduced by death to that number And I also thought that as long as those who alone sustained the reputation of the Society by their writings and discoveries should be admitted into it on precisely the same terms, and on the payment of the same sum of money as other gentlemen who contributed only with their purse, it could never be an object of ambition to any man of science to be enrolled on its list With this view, and also to assist those who wished for a limitation, I suggested a plan extremely simple in its nature, and which would become effective immediately I proposed that, in the printed list of the Royal Society, a star should be placed against the name of each Fellow who had contributed two or more papers which had been printed in the Transactions, or that such a list should be printed separately at the end At that period there were 109 living members who had contributed papers to the Transactions, and they were thus arranged: 37 Contributors of from 7 to 12 ditto 14 of more than 12 papers 100 Contributing Fellows of the Royal Society589 Papers contributed by them Now the immediate effect of printing such a list would be the division of the Society into two classes Supposing two or more papers necessary for placing a Fellow in the first class, that class would only consist of seventy-two members, which is nearly the same as the number of those of the Institute of France If only those who had contributed three or more were admitted, then this class would be reduced to fifty-oneIn either of these cases it would obviously become a matter of ambition to belong to the first class; and a more minute investigation into the value of each paper would naturally take place before it was admitted into the Transactions Or it might be established that such papers only should be allowed to count, as the Committee, who reported them as fit to be printed, should also certify The great objection made to such an arrangement was, that it would be displeasing to the rest of the Society, and that they had a vested right (having entered the Society when no distinction was made in the lists) to have them always continued without one Without replying to this shadow of an argument of vested rights, I will only remark that he who maintains this view pays a very ill compliment to the remaining 600 members of the Royal Society; since he does, in truth, maintain that those gentlemen who, from their position, accidentally derive reputation which does not belong to them, are unwilling, when the circumstance is pointed out, to allow the world to assign it to those who have fairly won it; or else that they are incapable of producing any thing worthy of being printed in the Transactions of the Royal Society Lightly as the conduct of the Society, as a body, has compelled me to think of it, I do not think so ill of the personal character of its members as to believe that if the question were fairly stated to them, many would object to it Amongst the alterations which I considered most necessary to the renovation of the Society, was the recommendation, by the expiring Council, of those whom they thought most eligible for that of the ensuing year The system which had got into practice was radically bad: it is impossible to have an INDEPENDENT Council if it is named by ONE PERSONOur statutes were framed with especial regard to securing the fitness of the members elected to serve in the Council; and the President is directed, by those statutes, at the two ordinary meetings previous to the anniversary, to give notice of the elections, and "to declare how much it importeth the good of the Society that such persons may be chosen into the Council as are most likely to attend the meetings and business of the Council, and out of whom may be made the best choice of a President and other officers This is regularly done; and, in mockery of the wisdom of our ancestors, the President has perhaps in his pocket the list of the future Council he has already fixed upon In some other Societies, great advantage is found to arise from the discussion of the proper persons to be recommended to the Society for the Council of the next year A list is prepared, by the Secretary, of the old Council, and against each name is placed the number of times he has attended the meetings of the Council Those whose attendance has been least frequent are presumed to be otherwise engaged, unless absence from London, or engagement in some pursuit connected with the Society, are known to have interfered Those members who have been on the Council the number of years which is usually allowed, added to those who go out by their own wish, and by non-attendance, are, generally, more in number than can be spared; and the question is never, who shall retire?--but, who, out of the rest of the Society, is most likely to work, if placed on the Council? If any difference of opinion should exist in a society, it is always of great importance to its prosperity to have both opinions represented in the Council In this age of discussion it is impossible to stifle opinions; and if they are not represented in the Council, there is some chance of their being brought before the general body, or, at last, even before the public It is certainly an advantage that questions should be put, and even that debates should take place on the days appropriated to the anniversaries of societies This is the best check to the commencement of irregularities; and a suspicion may reasonably be entertained of those who endeavour to suppress inquiry 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 shop admit

Phineas was tall and lathy, red-haired, with an expression of great acuteness and shrewdness in his faceHe had not the placid, quiet, unworldly air of Simeon Halliday; on the contrary, a particularly wide-awake and au fait appearance, like a man who rather prides himself on knowing what he is about, and keeping a bright lookout ahead; peculiarities which sorted rather oddly with his broad brim and formal phraseology ?Our friend Phineas hath discovered something of importance to the interests of thee and thy party, George,? said Simeon; ?it were well for thee to hear it ?That I have,? said Phineas, ?and it shows the use of a man?s always sleeping with one ear open, in certain places, as I?ve always said night I stopped at a little lone tavern, back on the roadThee remembers the place, Simeon, where we sold some apples, last year, to that fat woman, with the great ear-ringsWell, I was tired with hard driving; and, after my supper I stretched myself down on a pile of bags in the corner, and pulled a buffalo over me, to wait till my bed was ready; and what does I do, but get fast asleep ?With one ear open, Phineas?? said Simeon, quietly ?No; I slept, ears and all, for an hour or two, for I was pretty well tired; but when I came to myself a little, I found that there were some men in the room, sitting round a table, drinking and talking; and I thought, before I made much muster, I?d just see what they were up to, especially as I heard them say something about the Quakers?So,? says one, ?they are up in the Quaker settlement, no doubt,? says heThen I listened with both ears, and I found that they were talking about this very partySo I lay and heard them lay off all their plansThis young man, they said, was to be sent back to Kentucky, to his master, who was going to make an example of him, to keep all niggers from running away; and his wife two of them were going to run down to New Orleans to sell, on their own account, and they calculated to get sixteen or eighteen hundred dollars for her; and the child, they said, was going to a trader, who had bought him; and then there was the boy, Jim, and his mother, they were to go back to their masters in KentuckyThey said that there were two constables, in a town a little piece ahead, who would go in with ?em to get ?em taken up, and the young woman was to be taken before a judge; and one of the fellows, who is small and smooth-spoken, was to swear to her for his property, and get her delivered over to him to take southThey?ve got a right notion of the track we are going tonight; and they?ll be down after us, six or eight strongSo now, what?s to be done?? The group that stood in various attitudes, after this communication, were worthy of a painterRachel Halliday, who had taken her hands out of a batch of biscuit, to hear the news, stood with them upraised and floury, and with a face of the deepest concernSimeon looked profoundly thoughtful; Eliza had thrown her arms around her husband, and was looking up to himGeorge stood with clenched hands and glowing eyes, and looking as any other man might look, whose wife was to be sold at auction, and son sent to a trader, all under the shelter of a Christian nation?s laws ?What shall we do, George?? said Eliza faintly ?I know what I shall do,? said George, as he stepped into the little room, and began examining pistols ?Ay, ay,? said Phineas, nodding his head to Simeon; thou seest, Simeon, how it will work ?I see,? said Simeon, sighing; ?I pray it come not to that ?I don?t want to involve any one with or for me,? said George?If you will lend me your vehicle and direct me, I will drive alone to the next standJim is a giant in strength, and brave as death and despair, and so am I ?Ah, well, friend,? said Phineas, ?but thee?ll need a driver, for all thatThee?s quite welcome to do all the fighting, thee knows; but I know a thing or two about the road, that thee doesn?t ?But I don?t want to involve you,? said George ?Involve,? said Phineas, with a curious and keen expression of face, ?When thee does involve me, please to let me know ?Phineas is a wise and skilful man,? said Simeon?Thee does well, George, to abide by his judgment; and,? he added, laying his hand kindly on George?s shoulder, and pointing to the pistols, ?be not over hasty with these,?young blood is hot ?I will attack no man,? said George?All I ask of this country is to be let alone, and I will go out peaceably; but,??he paused, and his brow darkened and his face worked,??I?ve had a sister sold in that New Orleans marketI know what they are sold for; and am I going to stand by and see them take my wife and sell her, when God has given me a pair of strong arms to defend her? No; God help me! I?ll fight to the last breath, before they shall take my wife and sonCan you blame me?? ?Mortal man cannot blame thee, GeorgeFlesh and blood could not do otherwise,? said Simeon?Woe unto the world because of offences, but woe unto them through whom the offence cometh ?Would not even you, sir, do the same, in my place?? ?I pray that I be not tried,? said Simeon; ?the flesh is weak ?I think my flesh would be pretty tolerable strong, in such a case,? said Phineas, stretching out a pair of arms like the sails of a shop windmill