I kept away from my friend for a few days, so that I might notice if there
were any change. Things remain as they were except that he has parted with some
of his pets and got a new one.
He has managed to get a sparrow, and has already partially tamed it. His
means of taming is simple, for already the spiders have diminshed. Those that
do remain, however, are well fed, for he still brings in the flies by tempting
them with his food.
19 July--We are progressing. My friend has now a whole colony of sparrows,
and his flies and spiders are almost obliterated. When I came in he ran to me
and said he wanted to ask me a great favour, a very, very great favour. And as
he spoke, he fawned on me like a dog.
I asked him what it was, and he said, with a sort of rapture in his voice
and bearing, "A kitten, a nice, little, sleek playful kitten, that I can
play with, and teach, and feed, and feed, and feed!"
I was not unprepared for this request, for I had noticed how his pets went
on increasing in size and vivacity, but I did not care that his pretty family
of tame sparrows should be wiped out in the same manner as the flies and
spiders. So I said I would see about it, and asked him if he would not rather
have a cat than a kitten.
His eagerness betrayed him as he answered, "Oh, yes, I would like a
cat! I only asked for a kitten lest you should refuse me a cat. No one would
refuse me a kitten, would they?"
I shook my head, and said that at present I feared it would not be possible,
but that I would see about it. His face fell, and I could see a warning of
danger in it, for there was a sudden fierce, sidelong look which meant killing.
The man is an undeveloped homicidal maniac. I shall test him with his present
craving and see how it will work out, then I shall know more.
10 pm.--I have visited him again and found him sitting in a corner brooding.
When I came in he threw himself on his knees before me and implored me to let
him have a cat, that his salvation depended upon it.
I was firm, however, and told him that he could not have it, whereupon he
went without a word, and sat down, gnawing his fingers, in the corner where I
had found him. I shall see him in the morning early.
20 July.--Visited Renfield very early, before attendant went his rounds.
Found him up and humming a tune. He was spreading out his sugar, which he had
saved, in the window, and was manifestly beginning his fly catching again, and
beginning it cheerfully and with a good grace.
I looked around for his birds, and not seeing them,asked him where they
were. He replied, without turning round, that they had all flown away. There
were a few feathers about the room and on his pillow a drop of blood. I said
nothing, but went and told the keeper to report to me if there were anything
odd about him during the day.
11 am.--The attendant has just been to see me to say that Renfield has been
very sick and has disgorged a whole lot of feathers. "My belief is,
doctor," he said, "that he has eaten his birds, and that he just took
and ate them raw!"
11 pm.--I gave Renfield a strong opiate tonight, enough to make even him
sleep, and took away his pocketbook to look at it. The thought that has been
buzzing about my brain lately is complete, and the theory proved.
My homicidal maniac is of a peculiar kind. I shall have to invent a new
classification for him, and call him a zoophagous (life-eating) maniac. What he
desires is to absorb as many lives as he can, and he has laid himself out to
achieve it in a cumulative way. He gave many flies to one spider and many
spiders to one bird, and then wanted a cat to eat the many birds. What would
have been his later steps?