I am anxious,and it soothes me to express myself here.

MINA MURRAY'S JOURNAL

26 July.--I am anxious,and it soothes me to express myself here. It is like whispering to one's self and listening at the same time. And there is also something about the shorthand symbols that makes it different from writing. I am unhappy about Lucy and about Jonathan. I had not heard from Jonathan for some time, and was very concerned, but yesterday dear Mr. Hawkins, who is always so kind, sent me a letter from him. I had written asking him if he had heard, and he said the enclosed had just been received. It is only a line dated from Castle Dracula, and says that he is just starting for home. That is not like Jonathan. I do not understand it, and it makes me uneasy.

Then, too, Lucy , although she is so well, has lately taken to her old habit of walking in her sleep. Her mother has spoken to me about it, and we have decided that I am to lock the door of our room every night.

Mrs. Westenra has got an idea that sleep-walkers always go out on roofs of houses and along the edges of cliffs and then get suddenly wakened and fall over with a despairing cry that echoes all over the place.

Poor dear, she is naturally anxious about Lucy, and she tells me that her husband, Lucy's father, had the same habit, that he would get up in the night and dress himself and go out, if he were not stopped.

Lucy is to be married in the autumn, and she is already planning out her dresses and how her house is to be arranged. I sympathise with her, for I do the same, only Jonathan and I will start in life in a very simple way, and shall have to try to make both ends meet.

Mr. Holmwood, he is the Hon. Arthur Holmwood, only son of Lord Godalming, is coming up here very shortly, as soon as he can leave town, for his father is not very well, and I think dear Lucy is counting the moments till he comes.

She wants to take him up in the seat on the churchyard cliff and show him the beauty of Whitby. I daresay it is the waiting which disturbs her. She will be all right when he arrives.

Comments

[Most Significant]

“Mr. Holmwood has been suddenly called to Ring to see his father, who has been taken seriously ill. Lucy frets at the postponement of seeing him... “

Recovering Lucy’s health through fresh air and exercise may have been part of the reason behind the stay in Whitby. When Mrs. Westenra arranged this holiday in Whitby, it was also her intention that she, her daughter, her daughter’s confidant Mina, and her daughter’s fiancé would spend this time together. She may have seen Mina serving as chaperone for the affectionate and impulsive Lucy. Mina would be able to accompany the young couple to places that Lucy’s aging mother could not. Level-headed, reliable Mina would do her utmost to prevent any premarital excesses. If Mina’s own fiancé, Jonathan, also was invited, he would be an additional steadying influence.

This plan is already getting off to a rocky start, however: Holmwood’s arrival is delayed, Lucy starts sleepwalking again, and Mina is distracted by Jonathan’s unexpected absence.

[Most Significant]

“I pray [Lucy’s signs of better health] will all last.”

Is this an actual prayer, or simply a pious wish? Probably both. This is the first time Mina mentions praying in her shorthand journal.

[Most Significant]

Argh! Sorry, that should be posted under 27 July! I'm currently camping in Banff, andnot only have I lost track of what day it is, but I was a little too hasty when trying to save on the expensive cellular data I have to use here. I'll try to put things where they ought to go...

[Most Significant]

26 July - “Mrs. Westenra has got an idea that sleep–walkers always go out on roofs of houses and along the edges of cliffs and then get suddenly wakened and fall over with a despairing cry that echoes all over the place.”

Aside from this, Lucy’s mother is very practical and level-headed, but this very vivid image suggests that her worries about Lucy are getting the better of her. Maybe her husband had some narrow escapes when sleepwalking which have made her particularly concerned for Lucy.

[Most Significant]

Mina's comment about soothing herself by "whispering" to her shorthand journal is one of my personal favourites.

[Bryan Alexander]

Sounds like a lovely time, M.S.

[Most Significant]

All too short, sadly, but the weather was nice and no forest fires or smoke— knock on wood!