Dracula Chapter 8 Summary

After watching the funeral procession, Mina and Lucy go for a long walk.
They're tired when they get back, and Mina writes briefly in her journal about their walk while Lucy falls right to sleep.
Mina remarks how pretty Lucy looks when she sleeps, and then goes to bed herself.

Mina's Journal, August 11

Mina wakes up to realize that Lucy's not in the room.
She searches the house and can't find her.
She pulls on some clothes and runs outside.
She wonders whether Lucy might have gone up to their favorite seat on the hill above town.
She looks up toward the cliff as she walks in search of her friend, and in the moonlight can just make out Lucy's figure in her white nightgown on the bench, with a tall, dark figure bent over her.
Mina can just make out the man's white face and red eyes.
As she hurries up the hill, she loses sight of Lucy and the man for a moment, and when she gets close again, the dark figure is gone.
Mina gently pulls Lucy to her feet and puts her own shawl around her (Lucy's just out there in a skimpy nightgown).
Mina uses a big safety pin to fasten the shawl around Lucy's neck and realizes that she must have pricked Lucy's skin because Lucy puts her hand to her neck as though it hurt her.
They sneak back to the house, trying to avoid being seen.
Lucy begs Mina not to tell anyone about the sleepwalking adventure, and Mina agrees. Lucy's mother is sick, and it would be bad to shock or alarm her about Lucy.
The next morning, Mina sees two little pin pricks on Lucy's neck, and apologizes for pricking her with the safety pin the night before.
That night, Mina locks the bedroom door and ties the key to her own wrist.
Lucy sleepwalks again and tries to leave the room, but goes back to her bed when she finds the door locked.

Mina goes to bed with the key on her wrist again.
That night, she wakes up and finds Lucy pointing at the window (still asleep, though).
Mina looks out and sees a giant bat flitting around.

The two young women are sitting at their usual bench around sunset and everything is glowing red.
Lucy mutters something about "red eyes," and Mina realizes she must be thinking about the sleepwalking adventure.
They don't discuss it, though.
That night, Lucy goes to bed early while Mina goes for a short walk.
As she gets back to the house, she sees Lucy at the window of their bedroom, leaning out.
She waves and hurries up to the house.
When she gets to the bedroom, she finds Lucy snoozing on the windowsill with her hand on her throat.
There is what looks like a big bird sitting next to her, but it flies off.

Mina hasn't written for two days because she's depressed: She still hasn't heard from Jonathan, and Lucy's getting weaker.
The pin pricks in Lucy's throat haven't healed, but are looking inflamed and nasty.

The letter asks the London lawyer to arrange for some boxes that have recently been shipped to Whitby to be delivered to a house called Carfax outside of London.
The next letter in the chapter is the response, which says that everything's been taken care of.

Mina says that she's happier than she's been in a while because Lucy seems to be in better spirits.
Lucy's still weak, though.
They're sitting together on their favorite seat above the town, and Lucy finally brings up the sleepwalking adventure and describes it from her point of view.
She has a vague memory of something long and dark, with red eyes.

Mina has finally heard from Harker!
The reason she hasn't heard from him in so long is because he's been incredibly sick.
He was at a convent in Budapest, Hungary, and once he was well enough to dictate a letter to Mina, one of the nuns wrote it for him.
Mina pastes the letter into her journal.
The nun says that he's had a terrible brain fever, but that he's now on the mend.
She asks Mina to come and help nurse him back to health, and says that Mina and Jonathan can be married in Budapest if they like.
Mina wants nothing more, and packs up and leaves immediately.

The chapter continues with Dr. Seward's diary, dated August 19.
The night before, Renfield started behaving strangely—more strangely than usual, that is.
When asked about it, he said "the Master is at hand!" and wouldn't explain any further.
Seward is glad to have Renfield to take his mind off of Lucy—he's still in love with her, and although he can't be angry that she accepted Arthur Holmwood, since he's a dear friend, he's still really disappointed.
That night, Renfield makes a break for it.
The asylum house where Renfield and the other patients live (and where Seward lives and keeps his office) is right next door to the house called Carfax.
Seward and the attendants catch up to Renfield right outside the old chapel of Carfax, apparently mumbling through the door to someone.
They put him in a straitjacket and take him back to the asylum.
Renfield calls out, "I shall be patient, Master!" (8.42).

READ THE BOOK: Chapter 8