(no subject)
I am feeling much, much better now than I was when I last wrote. This is mainly due to the fact that Mina is in higher spirits, and I cannot say it doesn't affect me when she is upset. She is too dear to me, I cannot help feeling her distress as my own.
I am sure that part of the reason she is feeling better - and admittely, part of the reason I am feeling better - is the discovery we made last night. Oooh! My excitement spills over onto the paper - I cannot help when I think of it! It's admittedly a silly thing to get so excited over, but...
Well. Last night, Mina and I took tea with some of the other guests. Neither of us were much in the way of conversation, and we sat and quietly observed as Mr. Holmes and another man - I may have overheard his name, Mr. Gray? I do not remember, we were never introduced - traded underhanded compliments at each other. I could not make out why the two of them didn't like each other, but it may have been that I was too preoccupied with Mina's low spirits.
In any case, eventually, Mina and I ventured up to the attic, all the while reminiscing about the adventures that those "horrid novels" (as my mother calls them, and Mina laughingly refers to them as such sometimes) inspired in our youthful brains. That escapade with the hidden, locked drawer! There were score marks in the wood of the poor thing after we were done, and Mama was none too happy to see that we'd used one of her good knives to do the job.
Sadly, we've discovered that we haven't the constitution to be proper heroines of gothic novels. This is very sad, as we've both often imagined ourselves as such - but a proper heroine, when in distress (by rats or otherwise!) always stands still and screams. Mina and I tried, when we were in distress from the venomous rats, to stand still and scream, but we only succeeded in falling all about ourselves with laughter. We probably woke the poor sleeping rats (which I don't believe are venomous anymore, of course).
It was not at all a loss, though, for we found a remarkable trunk, which we brought down to our room. It looks like a pirate's treasure-chest! And - oh! - what treasure inside, indeed! It is filled to overflowing with what seem to be fancy-dress clothes, some look like children's playthings (I do believe I saw an outfit fit for a pirate, eyepatch and all!) and others are simply too lovely to describe. I pulled out two of the loveliest - a large, ornate red silk ball gown and a soft blue gown that looks and feels as though it's made of seafoam. I pushed the red one to Mina - I am far too fair to pull off such a daring colour, but it would look lovely with Mina's dark hair - but she protested, since she would never wear such a thing in public.
After much cajoling and pouting (which I am very good at, I might add!), she tried it on, and she looked absolutely beautiful, of course. The look in her eyes when she saw herself in the looking-glass! I tried the blue dress on, and we practiced dancing with one another, as if we were at a fancy ball of our own. Mina led, of course, because every time I try to lead, I always end up tripping over myself. We collapsed in fits of giggles.
As we continued to look through the trunk, we found some beautiful pieces of jewlery - rings, mostly, with little compartments in them...Mina says that during the Renaissance, women would hide poison in these to use on their enemies. But they are all quite empty, of course, and a good thing too, as Mina and I are each wearing one at the moment.
But most curiously, we found what appears to be a proprietor's ring of keys. Yes, keys! It's most intriguing. They were hidden amongst the folds of a particularly green dress. There are keys of all sorts on the ring - perhaps a hundred of them, yes, easily that many - there are small ones and large skeleton keys and just about anything you can think of! Some of them look a bit like diary keys...and we set to wondering what the keys go to. I'm sure we made quite a picture, sitting among strewn-about fancy dress clothes and in our ballgowns, flicking through the keys. We've decided to try to keep them secret, like good, proper heroines!, and see if we can make out what they are for.
If I think of Arthur or Mama now, I may lose my good mood, and I don't wish to. Even Dr. Seward - dear Jack - who I saw briefly, what seems so long ago. Or Quincey. So I am going to puzzle over the keys a bit longer and hope that this curious loneliness subsides. I have my Mina, and therefore I am happy.
I am sure that part of the reason she is feeling better - and admittely, part of the reason I am feeling better - is the discovery we made last night. Oooh! My excitement spills over onto the paper - I cannot help when I think of it! It's admittedly a silly thing to get so excited over, but...
Well. Last night, Mina and I took tea with some of the other guests. Neither of us were much in the way of conversation, and we sat and quietly observed as Mr. Holmes and another man - I may have overheard his name, Mr. Gray? I do not remember, we were never introduced - traded underhanded compliments at each other. I could not make out why the two of them didn't like each other, but it may have been that I was too preoccupied with Mina's low spirits.
In any case, eventually, Mina and I ventured up to the attic, all the while reminiscing about the adventures that those "horrid novels" (as my mother calls them, and Mina laughingly refers to them as such sometimes) inspired in our youthful brains. That escapade with the hidden, locked drawer! There were score marks in the wood of the poor thing after we were done, and Mama was none too happy to see that we'd used one of her good knives to do the job.
Sadly, we've discovered that we haven't the constitution to be proper heroines of gothic novels. This is very sad, as we've both often imagined ourselves as such - but a proper heroine, when in distress (by rats or otherwise!) always stands still and screams. Mina and I tried, when we were in distress from the venomous rats, to stand still and scream, but we only succeeded in falling all about ourselves with laughter. We probably woke the poor sleeping rats (which I don't believe are venomous anymore, of course).
It was not at all a loss, though, for we found a remarkable trunk, which we brought down to our room. It looks like a pirate's treasure-chest! And - oh! - what treasure inside, indeed! It is filled to overflowing with what seem to be fancy-dress clothes, some look like children's playthings (I do believe I saw an outfit fit for a pirate, eyepatch and all!) and others are simply too lovely to describe. I pulled out two of the loveliest - a large, ornate red silk ball gown and a soft blue gown that looks and feels as though it's made of seafoam. I pushed the red one to Mina - I am far too fair to pull off such a daring colour, but it would look lovely with Mina's dark hair - but she protested, since she would never wear such a thing in public.
After much cajoling and pouting (which I am very good at, I might add!), she tried it on, and she looked absolutely beautiful, of course. The look in her eyes when she saw herself in the looking-glass! I tried the blue dress on, and we practiced dancing with one another, as if we were at a fancy ball of our own. Mina led, of course, because every time I try to lead, I always end up tripping over myself. We collapsed in fits of giggles.
As we continued to look through the trunk, we found some beautiful pieces of jewlery - rings, mostly, with little compartments in them...Mina says that during the Renaissance, women would hide poison in these to use on their enemies. But they are all quite empty, of course, and a good thing too, as Mina and I are each wearing one at the moment.
But most curiously, we found what appears to be a proprietor's ring of keys. Yes, keys! It's most intriguing. They were hidden amongst the folds of a particularly green dress. There are keys of all sorts on the ring - perhaps a hundred of them, yes, easily that many - there are small ones and large skeleton keys and just about anything you can think of! Some of them look a bit like diary keys...and we set to wondering what the keys go to. I'm sure we made quite a picture, sitting among strewn-about fancy dress clothes and in our ballgowns, flicking through the keys. We've decided to try to keep them secret, like good, proper heroines!, and see if we can make out what they are for.
If I think of Arthur or Mama now, I may lose my good mood, and I don't wish to. Even Dr. Seward - dear Jack - who I saw briefly, what seems so long ago. Or Quincey. So I am going to puzzle over the keys a bit longer and hope that this curious loneliness subsides. I have my Mina, and therefore I am happy.