4 The Ladies and the Lizard

CHAPTER 4 The Ladies and the Lizard At first Jonathan panicked, feeling like a rat in a trap. After a while, however, he forced himself to quiet his mind. He knew he needed to be calm to plan his escape. Most important, he thought, he must not let on that he knew. He was a prisoner who must pretend to be a guest, but all the while he would remain watchful, gather information, and try to formulate a plan.

Every night, while only he ate, he forced himself to calmly discuss business matters with the count. And during the day, while the count was away, he explored the depths of the castle further, trying to unlock its evil secrets. One day, as sunset was approaching, Jonathan came upon a door at the top of a stairway. It seemed locked, but gave under a little pressure. Once inside, Jonathan looked around, thinking that this was probably the part of the castle occupied by the ladies in the olden days, for the furniture was more feminine than in the other rooms he had seen. Sinking down onto some soft cushions, he could practically see the ladies who had once lived here, sitting on this very couch, writing love letters. As he let his mind wander, he began to grow very sleepy. Despite the count's warning, he decided that he would

sleep here. Just for one night, it would be a sweet escape from his prison cell. Was he still sleeping? He did not know. All he knew was that he was not alone. In the moonlight opposite him were three young women who appeared to be sisters. All very beautiful, they had ruby lips and white teeth, and they floated around him like mist. "You go first," one of them said, leaning over him lower and lower. She is going to bite my neck! Jonathan thought in alarm. Before he could react, the count appeared out of nowhere. Furious, his eyes positively blazing, he grabbed the woman kneeling over Jonathan by the neck and threw her to the side like a rag doll. "How dare you?" he hissed at the three

sisters. He spoke in a low voice, but Jonathan could hear him. "I told you, you may have him when I am done with him." Perhaps as a consolation prize, the count threw the women a big bag with something wiggling in it. They grabbed it up and, giggling, ran away. What was in that bag? Jonathan wondered, in horror. A cat or perhaps a dog? He shuddered to think. Returning to his room, Jonathan felt a brief sense of comfort, but upon opening the window to get some air he saw something that only made him feel more frightened. Jonathan saw the count emerge from his own bedroom window and climb headfirst, down the stone wall, with his fingers and toes gripping the stones like a lizard! Jonathan pulled back quickly before the count could see him. The next evening, however, he wondered if

the count had seen him after all, for that night he was given a strange new assignment. "You must write three letters," the count said. "I will mail them for you. The first will say that your work here is nearly done, and that you will start home in a few days. The second will say that you will be leaving the following morning. And the third will say that you have already left the castle and arrived at the town of Bistritz." The count nodded. "Yes, the mail is not picked up very often. Given how busy you are, it really will be the best and most convenient thing for you to take care of all your letter writing up front." Jonathan swallowed in fear. Why would the count be asking him to write these letters unless he was planning to kill him, and create a story to cover up his tracks? Of course, he could not show the count his fear. "What dates shall I put on the letters?" he asked

casually. "June twelfth, June nineteenth, and June twenty-ninth," the count said. It was now May 19, Jonathan thought. He now knew the span of his own life! God help him! Briefly he considered writing something else in the three letters and sealing them quickly, before the count could see, but he thought better of it. Thank God he had, for in addition to once again giving him thin envelopes, this time the count actually ripped open the seals to confirm the letters' contents. In the meantime, however, Jonathan took a terrible chance. Having noticed some Gypsies outside his window in search of work, Jonathan decided that he would write one additional letter, to Mina, in shorthand, and try to get it outside to the Gypsies to mail. He would throw it out the window with a gold coin. He would not tell Mina