?I don?t want to make my fortune on her,? said MrShelby, dryly; and, seeking to turn the conversation, he uncorked a bottle of fresh wine, and asked his companion?s opinion of it ?Capital, sir,?first chop!? said the trader; then turning, and slapping his hand familiarly on Shelby?s shoulder, he added? ?Come, how will you trade about the gal??what shall I say for her?what?ll you take?? ?MrHaley, she is not to be sold,? said Shelby?My wife would not part with her for her weight in gold ?Ay, ay! women always say such things, cause they ha?nt no sort of calculationJust show ?em how many watches, feathers, and trinkets, one?s weight in gold would buy, and that alters the case, I reckon ?I tell you, Haley, this must not be spoken of; I say no, and I mean no,? said Shelby, decidedly ?Well, you?ll let me have the boy, though,? said the trader; ?you must own I?ve come down pretty handsomely for him ?What on earth can you want with the child?? said Shelby ?Why, I?ve got a friend that?s going into this yer branch of the business?wants to buy up handsome boys to raise for the marketFancy articles entirely?sell for waiters, and so on, to rich ?uns, that can pay for handsome ?unsIt sets off one of yer great places?a real handsome boy to open door, wait, and tendThey fetch a good sum; and this little devil is such a comical, musical concern, he?s just the article!? ?I would rather not sell him,? said MrShelby, thoughtfully; ?the fact is, sir, I?m a humane man, and I hate to take the boy from his mother, sir ?O, you do??La! yes?something of that ar naturI understand, perfectlyIt is mighty onpleasant getting on with women, sometimes, I al?ays hates these yer screechin,? screamin? timesThey are mighty onpleasant; but, as I manages business, I generally avoids ?em, sirNow, what if you get the girl off for a day, or a week, or so; then the thing?s done quietly,?all over before she comes homeYour wife might get her some ear-rings, or a new gown, or some such truck, to make up with her ?Lor bless ye, yes! These critters ain?t like white folks, you know; they gets over things, only manage rightNow, they say,? said Haley, assuming a candid and confidential air, ?that this kind o? trade is hardening to the feelings; but I never found it soFact is, I never could do things up the way some fellers manage the businessI?ve seen ?em as would pull a woman?s child out of her arms, and set him up to sell, and she screechin? like mad all the time;?very bad policy?damages the article?makes ?em quite unfit for service sometimesI knew a real handsome gal once, in Orleans, as was entirely ruined by this sort o? handlingThe fellow that was trading for her didn?t want her baby; and she was one of your real high sort, when her blood was upI tell you, she squeezed up her child in her arms, and talked, and went on real awfulIt kinder makes my blood run cold to think of ?t; and when they carried off the child, and locked her up, she jest went ravin? mad, and died in a weekClear waste, sir, of a thousand dollars, just for want of management,?there?s where ?t isIt?s always best to do the humane thing, sir; that?s been my experience And the trader leaned back in his chair, and folded his arm, with an air of virtuous decision, apparently considering himself a second Wilberforce The subject appeared to interest the gentleman deeply; for while MrShelby was thoughtfully peeling an orange, Haley broke out afresh, with becoming diffidence, but as if actually driven by the force of truth to say a few words more ?It don?t look well, now, for a feller to be praisin? himself; but I say it jest because it?s the truthI believe I?m reckoned to bring in about the finest droves of niggers that is brought in,?at least, I?ve been told so; if I have once, I reckon I have a hundred times,?all in good case,?fat and likely, and I lose as few as any man in the businessAnd I lays it all to my management, sir; and humanity, sir, I may say, is the great pillar of my managementShelby did not know what to say, and so he said, ?Indeed!? ?Now, I?ve been laughed at for my notions, sir, and I?ve been talked toThey an?t pop?lar, and they an?t common; but I stuck to ?em, sir; I?ve stuck to ?em, and realized well on ?em; yes, sir, they have paid their passage, I may say,? and the trader laughed at his joke There was something so piquant and original in these elucidations of humanity, that shop Mr

Just then a heavy cloud passed across the face of the moon, so that we were again in darkness When I could see again the driver was climbing into the caleche, and the wolves disappearedThis was all so strange and uncanny that a dreadful fear came upon me, and I was afraid to speak or moveThe time seemed interminable as we swept on our way, now in almost complete darkness, for the rolling clouds obscured the moon We kept on ascending, with occasional periods of quick descent, but in the main always ascendingSuddenly, I became conscious of the fact that the driver was in the act of pulling up the horses in the courtyard of a vast ruined castle, from whose tall black windows came no ray of light, and whose broken battlements showed a jagged line against the sky CHAPTER 2 Jonathan Harker's Journal Continued 5 May-I must have been asleep, for certainly if I had been fully awake I must have noticed the approach of such a remarkable placeIn the gloom the courtyard looked of considerable size, and as several dark ways led from it under great round arches, it perhaps seemed bigger than it really isI have not yet been able to see it by daylight When the caleche stopped, the driver jumped down and held out his hand to assist me to alightAgain I could not but notice his prodigious strengthHis hand actually seemed like a steel vice that could have crushed mine if he had chosenThen he took my traps, and placed them on the ground beside me as I stood close to a great door, old and studded with large iron nails, and set in a projecting doorway of massive stoneI could see even in the dim light that the stone was massively carved, but that the carving had been much worn by time and weatherAs I stood, the driver jumped again into his seat and shook the reinsThe horses started forward, and trap and all disappeared down one of the dark openings I stood in silence where I was, for I did not know what to doOf bell or knocker there was no signThrough these frowning walls and dark window openings it was not likely that my voice could penetrateThe time I waited seemed endless, and I felt doubts and fears crowding upon meWhat sort of place had I come to, and among what kind of people? What sort of grim adventure was it on which I had embarked? Was this a customary incident in the life of a solicitor's clerk sent out to explain the purchase of a London estate to a foreigner? Solicitor's clerk! Mina would not like thatSolicitor, for just before leaving London I got word that my examination was successful, and I am now a full-blown solicitor! I began to rub my eyes and pinch myself to see if I were awakeIt all seemed like a horrible nightmare to me, and I expected that I should suddenly awake, and find myself at home, with the dawn struggling in through the windows, as I had now and again felt in the morning after a day of overworkBut my flesh answered the pinching test, and my eyes were not to be deceivedI was indeed awake and among the CarpathiansAll I could do now was to be patient, and to wait the coming of morning Just as I had come to this conclusion I heard a heavy step approaching behind the great door, and saw through the chinks the gleam of a coming lightThen there was the sound of rattling chains and the clanking of massive bolts drawn backA key was turned with the loud grating noise of long disuse, and the great door swung back Within, stood a tall old man, clean shaven save for a long white moustache, and clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhereHe held in his hand an antique silver lamp, in which the flame burned without a chimney or globe of any kind, throwing long quivering shadows as it flickered in the draught of the open doorThe old man motioned me in with his right hand with a courtly gesture, saying in excellent English, but with a strange intonation "Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own free will!" He made no motion of stepping to meet me, but stood like a statue, as though his gesture of welcome had fixed him into stoneThe instant, however, that I had stepped over the threshold, he moved impulsively forward, and holding out his hand grasped mine with a strength which made me wince, an effect which was not lessened by the fact that it seemed cold as ice, more like the hand of a dead than a living manAgain he said, "Welcome to my house! Enter freelyGo safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!" The strength of the handshake was so much akin to that which I had noticed in the driver, whose face I had not seen, that for a moment I doubted if it were not the same person to whom I was speakingSo to make sure, I said interrogatively, "Count Dracula?" He bowed in a courtly way as he replied, "I am Dracula, and I bid you welcome, MrCome in, the night air is chill, and you must need to eat and rest As he was speaking, he put the lamp on a bracket on the wall, and stepping out, took my shop luggage

He covered his face with his hands, and slid down on his knees by the sofa, where he remained, perhaps a minute, with his head buried, praying, whilst his shoulders shook with griefI took him by the hand and raised him up"Come," I said, "my dear old fellow, summon all your fortitudeIt will be best and easiest for her When we came into Lucy's room I could see that Van Helsing had, with his usual forethought, been putting matters straight and making everything look as pleasing as possibleHe had even brushed Lucy's hair, so that it lay on the pillow in its usual sunny ripplesWhen we came into the room she opened her eyes, and seeing him, whispered softly, "Arthur! Oh, my love, I am so glad you have come!" He was stooping to kiss her, when Van Helsing motioned him back"No," he whispered, "not yet! Hold her hand, it will comfort her more So Arthur took her hand and knelt beside her, and she looked her best, with all the soft lines matching the angelic beauty of her eyesThen gradually her eyes closed, and she sank to sleepFor a little bit her breast heaved softly, and her breath came and went like a tired child's And then insensibly there came the strange change which I had noticed in the nightHer breathing grew stertorous, the mouth opened, and the pale gums, drawn back, made the teeth look longer and sharper than everIn a sort of sleep-waking, vague, unconscious way she opened her eyes, which were now dull and hard at once, and said in a soft, voluptuous voice, such as I had never heard from her lips, "Arthur! Oh, my love, I am so glad you have come! Kiss me!" Arthur bent eagerly over to kiss her, but at that instant Van Helsing, who, like me, had been startled by her voice, swooped upon him, and catching him by the neck with both hands, dragged him back with a fury of strength which I never thought he could have possessed, and actually hurled him almost across the room "Not on your life!" he said, "not for your living soul and hers!" And he stood between them like a lion at bay Arthur was so taken aback that he did not for a moment know what to do or say, and before any impulse of violence could seize him he realized the place and the occasion, and stood silent, waiting I kept my eyes fixed on Lucy, as did Van Helsing, and we saw a spasm as of rage flit like a shadow over her faceThe sharp teeth clamped togetherThen her eyes closed, and she breathed heavily Very shortly after she opened her eyes in all their softness, and putting out her poor, pale, thin hand, took Van Helsing's great brown one, drawing it close to her, she kissed it"My true friend," she said, in a faint voice, but with untellable pathos, "My true friend, and his! Oh, guard him, and give me peace!" "I swear it!" he said solemnly, kneeling beside her and holding up his hand, as one who registers an oathThen he turned to Arthur, and said to him, "Come, my child, take her hand in yours, and kiss her on the forehead, and only once Their eyes met instead of their lips, and so they partedLucy's eyes closed, and Van Helsing, who had been watching closely, took Arthur's arm, and drew him away And then Lucy's breathing became stertorous again, and all at once it ceased "It is all over," said Van Helsing"She is dead!" I took Arthur by the arm, and led him away to the drawing room, where he sat down, and covered his face with his hands, sobbing in a way that nearly broke me down to see I went back to the room, and found Van Helsing looking at poor Lucy, and his face was sterner than everSome change had come over her bodyDeath had given back part of her beauty, for her brow and cheeks had recovered some of their flowing linesEven the lips had lost their deadly pallorIt was as if the blood, no longer needed for the working of the heart, had gone to make the harshness of death as little rude as might be "We thought her dying whilst she slept, and sleeping when she died I stood beside Van Helsing, and said, "Ah well, poor girl, there is peace for her at lastIt is the end!" He turned to me, and said with grave solemnity, "Not so, alas! Not soIt is only the beginning!" When I asked him what he meant, he only shook his head and answered, "We can do nothing as yet CHAPTER 13 DRSEWARD'S DIARY--cont The funeral was arranged for the next succeeding day, so that Lucy and her mother might be buried togetherI attended to all the ghastly formalities, and the urbane undertaker proved that his staff was afflicted, or blessed, with something of his own obsequious shop suavity

The question is, who gets the bag of money, you or your competitor? Who has earned the confidence and trust of the customer? You and your competitor are vying for a piece of their budget?the best solution winsKnow this: Customers vote with their money and complain with their feetThese are the users of your product or service, not the ultimate decision maker These customers usually don't have a bag of money but they play a vital role in your successThey do not make the final decision but they may have tremendous impact on the outcomeThey are often closely connected to the bag of money and positioning them as an ally to your cause is critical for your successYou must earn their trust and confidence if you expect them to support you at the bag of money levelA caution about allies: They have veto power, the authority to say noThey can give you a hundred no's but can't give you the one yes needed to close the dealI have seen countless selling hours wasted on allies with the hope of closing the dealHowever, allies can be a tremendous wealth of informationPick their brains and learn how you can differentiate yourself from the competitionCustomers buy differences, not similaritiesIt can sometimes be difficult to ascertain who the bag of money is and who the allies areAsk questions early in the call to determine who's who in the zooShrink your sales cycle by understanding the players within your accountsSimply ask them who else may be involved with decisionsThese are fellow employees and managers within your place of businessThey support you and make you look good to your external customers Appreciate them and treat them with respectUnfortunately, they are often the victims of your blamefest: "The jerks in production screwed up again or "The idiots in shipping messed up or "Management gave me a lousy price Poor internal relationships can have fatal consequences for your external customersI recently saw an anonymous quote that supports my point"We have less to fear from outside competition than from inside conflict, inefficiencies, discourtesy, and bad serviceTake ownership for customer concernsAfter all, you are an ambassador for your company, so don't abdicate responsibility for late deliveries, poor service, and inadequate supportCustomers really don't care whose fault a problem is or how it happenedCustomers aren't interested in fixing the blame They want to fix the problemIt's up to you to quarterback all of the company's resources to resolve their problem When you work in harmony with your internal customers, external customers become the beneficiary of your internal relationshipsIn company after company, I see sales working in isolation from other departmentsSales cannot fly solo and expect to service the expectations of external customersLong-term success means having your entire company and all its resources focus on its customers Be aware too of your own personal internal customers, such as family, spouse, and parents View your kids, spouse, or significant other as your personal internal customersThey also deserve respectful treatmentThey are the jewels of your shop business

?The devil!? was the civil reply?What brought you here, Haley?? The mousing man, who bore the name of Marks, instantly stopped his sipping, and, poking his head forward, looked shrewdly on the new acquaintance, as a cat sometimes looks at a moving dry leaf, or some other possible object of pursuit ?I say, Tom, this yer?s the luckiest thing in the worldI?m in a devil of a hobble, and you must help me out ?Ugh? aw! like enough!? grunted his complacent acquaintance?A body may be pretty sure of that, when you?re glad to see ?em; something to be made off of ?emWhat?s the blow now?? ?You?ve got a friend here?? said Haley, looking doubtfully at Marks; ?partner, perhaps?? ?Yes, I haveHere, Marks! here?s that ar feller that I was in with in Natchez ?Shall be pleased with his acquaintance,? said Marks, thrusting out a long, thin hand, like a raven?s clawHaley, I believe?? ?The same, sir,? said Haley?And now, gentlemen, seein? as we?ve met so happily, I think I?ll stand up to a small matter of a treat in this here parlorSo, now, old coon,? said he to the man at the bar, ?get us hot water, and sugar, and cigars, and plenty of the real stuff and we?ll have a blow-out Behold, then, the candles lighted, the fire stimulated to the burning point in the grate, and our three worthies seated round a table, well spread with all the accessories to good fellowship enumerated before Haley began a pathetic recital of his peculiar troublesLoker shut up his mouth, and listened to him with gruff and surly attentionMarks, who was anxiously and with much fidgeting compounding a tumbler of punch to his own peculiar taste, occasionally looked up from his employment, and, poking his sharp nose and chin almost into Haley?s face, gave the most earnest heed to the whole narrativeThe conclusion of it appeared to amuse him extremely, for he shook his shoulders and sides in silence, and perked up his thin lips with an air of great internal enjoyment ?So, then, ye?r fairly sewed up, an?t ye?? he said; ?he! he! he! It?s neatly done, too ?This yer young-un business makes lots of trouble in the trade,? said Haley, dolefully ?If we could get a breed of gals that didn?t care, now, for their young uns,? said Marks; ?tell ye, I think ?t would be ?bout the greatest mod?rn improvement I knows on,??and Marks patronized his joke by a quiet introductory sniggle ?Jes so,? said Haley; ?I never couldn?t see into it; young uns is heaps of trouble to ?em; one would think, now, they?d be glad to get clar on ?em; but they arn?tAnd the more trouble a young un is, and the more good for nothing, as a gen?l thing, the tighter they sticks to ?emHaley,? said Marks, ??est pass the hot waterYes, sir, you say ?est what I feel and all?us haveNow, I bought a gal once, when I was in the trade,?a tight, likely wench she was, too, and quite considerable smart,?and she had a young un that was mis?able sickly; it had a crooked back, or something or other; and I jest gin ?t away to a man that thought he?d take his chance raising on ?t, being it didn?t cost nothin?;?never thought, yer know, of the gal?s taking? on about it,?but, Lord, yer oughter seen how she went onWhy, re?lly, she did seem to me to valley the child more ?cause ?t was sickly and cross, and plagued her; and she warn?t making b?lieve, neither,?cried about it, she did, and lopped round, as if she?d lost every friend she hadIt re?lly was droll to think on ?tLord, there ain?t no end to women?s notions ?Wal, jest so with me,? said Haley? summer, down on Red river, I got a gal traded off on me, with a likely lookin? child enough, and his eyes looked as bright as yourn; but, come to look, I found him stone blindFact?he was stone blindWal, ye see, I thought there warn?t no harm in my jest passing him along, and not sayin? nothin?; and I?d got him nicely swapped off for a keg o? whiskey; but come to get him away from the gal, she was jest like a tigerSo ?t was before we started, and I hadn?t got my gang chained up; so what should she do but ups on a cotton-bale, like a cat, ketches a knife from one of the deck hands, and, I tell ye, she made all fly for a minit, till she saw ?t wan?t no use; and she jest turns round, and pitches head first, young un and all, into the river,?went down plump, and never ris ?Bah!? said Tom Loker, who had listened to these stories with ill-repressed disgust,??shif?less, both on ye! my gals don?t cut up no such shines, I tell ye!? ?Indeed! how do you help it?? said Marks, briskly ?Help it? why, I buys a gal, and if she?s got a young un to be sold, I jest walks up and puts my fist to her face, and says, ?Look here, now, if you give me one word out of your head, I?ll smash yer face inI won?t hear one word?not the beginning of a word I says to ?em, ?This yer young un?s mine, and not yourn, and you?ve no kind o? business with itI?m going to sell it, first chance; mind, you don?t cut up none o? yer shines about it, or I?ll make ye wish ye?d never been born I tell ye, they sees it an?t no play, when I gets holdI makes ?em as whist as fishes; and if one on ?em begins and gives a yelp, why,?? and shop Mr