I answered that I had not, and he could see that I felt some pain and anger in my heart about that. Until now I had not been given the chance to send letters to anybody.

"Then write now, my young friend," he said, putting a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Write to our friend Mr. Hawkins and to someone else. Please say that you will stay with me for another month."

"You want me to stay for so long?" I asked, and my heart grew cold at the thought.

"I want it very much - in fact I will not allow you to say no. Your master, employer, whatever you want to call him, agreed that someone should come to do this work for him. We agreed that the only important thing is what I want. I have made it clear what I want. Is it not so?"

What could I do but bow and accept this? I had to do what was good for Mr. Hawkins, not what I wanted to do. Besides, while Count Dracula was speaking, there was something in the way that he looked and stood which made me remember that I was a prisoner. No matter what I wanted, I could not choose. The Count saw that he had won from the way I bowed, and from my troubled face. In his smooth, unstoppable way he immediately started to make use of his victory.