English for Everybody - Advanced reading comprehension

Dracula

Page 62

His Red Eyes

 

13 August. Another quiet day, and to bed with the key on my wrist as before. Again I awoke in the night, and found Lucy sitting up in bed, still asleep, pointing to the window. I got up quietly, and pulling aside the blind, looked out. It was brilliant moonlight, and the soft effect of the light over the sea and sky, merged together in one great silent mystery, was beautiful beyond words. Between me and the moonlight flitted a great bat, coming and going in great whirling circles. Once or twice it came quite close, but was, I suppose, frightened at seeing me, and flitted away across the harbour towards the abbey. When I came back from the window Lucy was lying down again and was sleeping peacefully. She did not stir again all night.

14 August. On the East Cliff, reading and writing all day. Lucy seems to have become as much in love with the spot as I am, and it is hard to get her away from it when it is time to come home for a meal. This afternoon she made a funny remark. We were coming home for dinner, and had come to the top of the steps up from the West Pier and stopped to look at the view, as we generally do. The setting sun, low down in the sky, was just dropping behind Kettleness. The red light was thrown over on the East Cliff and the old abbey, and seemed to bathe everything in a beautiful rosy glow. We were silent for a while, and suddenly Lucy murmured as if to herself . . . 'His red eyes again! They are just the same.'

Vocabulary:

Blind: Screen for a window
Merged: Things coming together into one
Flit: Fly like a butterfly
Whirl: Going around and around very fast
Stir: Move restlessly
Rosy: The colour of a red rose
Glow: A soft light
Murmur: To say softly

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