Kitobni o'qish: «Dracula. A1 / Дракула»

© Темурян К. Т., адаптация текста, словарь, упражнения, 2024

© ООО «Издательство АСТ», 2024

Chapter I

Jonathan Harker's diary

I left Munich on the 1st of May and got to Vienna early next morning, but the train was an hour late. I saw Budapest briefly from the train, and it looked wonderful, but I didn't walk around, because it was late and I needed to leave soon.

That night, I stayed in Klausenburgh at Hotel Royale. I had chicken with red pepper for dinner. It was very good, so I used my basic German to ask the waiter for the recipe for Mina.

In London, when I had some free time, I went to the British Museum to learn about Transylvania. I read about its people and its location. I didn't find Dracula's Castle on a map, but Bistritz, the town he wrote about, is very famous. I learnt that people in Transylvania believe in different superstitions. I want to ask Count Dracula about them.

I didn't sleep well, because I had strange dreams and a dog howled all night. I needed to get on a train to Bistritz, so I ate my breakfast quickly.

In Bistritz, I stayed at the Golden Krone Hotel, as Count Dracula suggested. It was old-fashioned but nice. Count Dracula sent me a letter. His carriage will take me to his castle the next day. I asked the landlord and his wife about Count Dracula, but they became nervous and didn't want to speak about it. After that, the landlord's wife spoke about some superstition and gave me her cross.

The next day, it was cold. I waited for the carriage, and it finally came. I did not feel frightened, but our journey was strange. It was around midnight. Somewhere, dogs started to howl, and the horses felt afraid. It was getting colder, and the wind started howling, too. Suddenly, I saw a blue flame. I thought I was sleeping and this was all a dream.