LUCY WESTENRA'S DIARY
Hillingham, 24 August.--I must imitate Mina, and keep writing things down. Then we can have long talks when we do meet. I wonder when it will be. I wish she were with me again, for I feel so unhappy. Last night I seemed to be dreaming again just as I was at Whitby. Perhaps it is the change of air, or getting home again. It is all dark and horrid to me, for I can remember nothing. But I am full of vague fear, and I feel so weak and worn out. When Arthur came to lunch he looked quite grieved when he saw me, and I hadn't the spirit to try to be cheerful. I wonder if I could sleep in mother's room tonight. I shall make an excuse to try.
Starting a journal of her own is an admirable coping strategy, since Lucy has nobody to confide in. Consider what she has been going through in the week since Mina’s departure: her mother’s evidently failing physical health (including the depression accompanying a terminal diagnosis — 7 Sept), her upcoming wedding to Holmwood, his own concerns with his father’s health, and Lucy herself is feeling quite unwell. She becomes so sick that Holmwood asks for Seward’s help just one week later (31 Aug).
Posted by: Most Significant | August 24, 2021 at 01:05 PM