I could hear a lot of words often repeated, queer words, for there were many nationalities in the crowd, so I quietly got my polyglot dictionary from my bag and looked them up. I must say they were not cheering to me, for amongst them were "Ordog"- Satan, "Pokol"- hell, "stregoica"- witch, "vrolok" and "vlkoslak"- both mean the same thing, one being Slovak and the other Serbian for something that is either werewolf or vampire. (Mem., I must ask the Count about these superstitions.)

When we started, the crowd round the inn door, which had by this time swelled to a considerable size, all made the sign of the cross and pointed two fingers towards me. With some difficulty, I got a fellow passenger to tell me what they meant. He would not answer at first, but on learning that I was English, he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye.

This was not very pleasant for me, just starting for an unknown place to meet an unknown man. But everyone seemed so kind-hearted, and so sorrowful, and so sympathetic that I could not but be touched. I shall never forget the last glimpse which I had of the inn yard and its crowd of picturesque figures, all crossing themselves, as they stood round the wide archway, with its background of rich foliage of oleander and orange trees in green tubs clustered in the centre of the yard.

Vocabulary:

Polyglot:Speaking many languages
Werewolf: A man who becomes a wolf when the moon is full
Vampire: A once-human creature that drinks blood
Charm: Used here with the old meaning of something magical
Touched: Feeling rather emotional
Picturesque: Colourful, unusual and pleasing
Foliage: The leaves on a tree
Oleander: A kind of tree