"We--we thought it was 'Aunt Jane's Jalap,' and we drank to its success." "Are they dead?" "Dead! Hughes!" "How long ago is it since they took it?" "Not long. After dinner." "But--a wineglassful! Are they conscious?" "They were when I just now left them. But they weren't feeling well. I--I'm not either. We couldn't understand it. This--this explains it. Hughes, you--you've murdered us!" "Never mind, old man. Keep your head; I'll pull you through. Trust all to me. The great thing in a case like this is to keep your head. Don't sit down; keep yourself in constant circulation! Just one second! Brooks! Brooks! Run, Brooks, to the nearest doctor, and then to half-a-dozen others, and tell them there's a case of laudanum poisoning, and they're to come at once." "Laudanum poisoning, sir! What, in the house?" "Yes, in the house. Don't stand there like a pig in a fit. It's a question of life or death!" "One moment, sir, while I get my hat." "Go without your hat. Here; take mine. Now, run for your life. Remember, if anything happens through you, you will be held responsible in the eyes of the law. Come along, Lucas, let's go in to them. Keep yourself awake, old man; jump about. Don't say a word to them about what has happened. Don't let them even suspect from your manner that anything is wrong. The great thing is to keep them in entire ignorance. And keep cool--keep cool." He gave a jerk at my arm which almost pulled me forward on my face. "I say, Hughes, don't!" "But I must, old man, I must. I must keep you alive, at any cost. Oh, Lucas, old man, if anything should happen---- But I won't talk like that, or I shall make a fool of myself. Come along, old man, and mind what I say. Keep cool." We went along--that is to say, he took me by the arm and dragged me towards the drawing-room. My emotions I am unable to describe. I always think that when a man is able to describe his emotions he hasn't had any worth describing. But through it all I had a dim perception that, in spite of his repeated adjurations, Hughes himself kept anything but cool. Outside the drawing-room door I brought the procession to a standstill. I gripped his arm. "Hughes, do you think that she will die?" "Who?" "Margaret." "Nonsense! Don't I tell you no one's going to die? For goodness' sake don't talk like that. Don't I keep telling you to keep cool?"