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“Signed,

“Dracula”

Upon reading this letter, written in beautiful French, I felt some relief from my sense of alienation

4 May—I understood that the landlord had received a letter fro him to reserve a seat for me on the ely pretended not to understand enuine Up to then he had understood my German perfectly When I tried to ask more questions about the Count, the old h they were afraid of so about the letter being sent to hi else It is very strange Who would have thought that I would travel to such places and live as though I were in a novel?

And there is more When I asked the landlord if he personally knew Count Dracula and Castle Dracula, they both crossed theet ” Since the coach aiting outside the hotel, I could not find the chance to ask anything further But the landlord and his ere acting very er andto someone more neurotic than , beautiful Güzin! If you were here now, and saw that this large woman and her husband cross themselves in fear, you would immediately think of the terrible Voivode Dracula from history That unmatched barbarian, famed as the Impaler Voivode, who i Danube River! That ugly and vile historical face! Do this man and his wife cross themselves when they hear the name of our client, Count Dracula, because they unconsciously recall that horrible being from the past?

There is more:

Just as I was about to leave, the landlord’s old wife came into my room Her lovely face had an anxious, hysterical look unusual for those so rotund She came to my side and said, mysteriously:

“Will you certainly go? Oh, Turk Effendi, o?”

She was so anxious and worried, her broken Ger in words froe that I did not understand I told her that I would have to go immediately, that it was my duty

“Do you knohat day this is?”

“It is the fourth of May, madam…”

“I know, I know that… I a do you knohat day it is?”

When I told her I did not understand what she meant, she continued:

“Today is the eve of Hagia Yorgi (Saint George) Do you not know that when the clock strikes ht, all the dark creatures and evil spirits of the world will be set free? They will have full sway And do you not knohere you are going?”

I felt an urge to laugh at this unexpected behavior and these strange words But the poor woe faded instantly The heartfelt attention shown by this wo Turkish