These pushed out over his lips. His lips were very red, something which showed astonishing vitality in a man who was so old. To finish this description, his ears were pale, and the tops of his ears were extremely pointed. His chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks were firm but thin. Generally he seemed to be extremely pale.

Until now I had noticed the backs of the Count's hands as they lay on his knees. In the firelight they had seemed rather white and delicate. But seeing them now close to me, I could not help noticing that they were not delicate at all. They were broad, with short, strong fingers. And, very strangely, there were hairs in the middle of the front of his hands.

His fingernails were long and the ends were cut into sharp points. As the Count leaned over me his hands touched me. I could not stop myself from moving quickly away. It may have been that his breath was very bad, but I suddenly felt horribly sick. I tried hard to not to show that I felt this way, but I did not succeed.

The Count noticed it, and stepped back. He smiled a very hard sort of smile. This showed his teeth again, sticking down further than ever. He sat down again on his own side of the fireplace. We were both silent for a while. I looked towards the window and saw the first soft light of the coming dawn. Everything seemed strangely still. But as I listened, I heard many wolves howling down below in the valley.