Meanwhile Garstang was talking to him in a hurried excited tone, uttering words that hardly reached his companion's understanding; but he caught fragments about "unhappy temper--insomnia--indulgence in the potent drug--his agony and despair"--and then he cried wildly, as he paused at the door of the familiar house with its overhanging eaves, and inserted the latch-key: "Doctor--any fee you like to demand, but you must save my wife's life." "Must save his wife's life!" groaned Leigh, mentally, as his heart gave what seemed to be one heavy throb. Then he stepped into the great gloomy hall. CHAPTER FORTY SIX. "His wife!" The words kept repeating themselves in Pierce Leigh's brain like the beating of some artery charged to bursting, and the agony seemed greater than he could bear; while the revelation which had been so briefly made told of misery and a terrible despair which had driven the woman he loved to this desperate act. But for one thought he would have rushed madly away to try and forget everything by a similar act, for the means were at home, ready to his hand, his suffering being more than he could bear. But there was that thought; she was in peril of her life, and the husband had flown unconsciously to him for help. He might be able to save her--make her owe that life to him--and this thought fought against his weakness, and for the time being made him strong enough to follow Garstang to the library door, just as poor Becky darted away and disappeared through the doorway leading to the basement. As Leigh entered and saw Kate lying motionless upon the sofa, with the housekeeper kneeling by her side, a pang shot through him which seemed to cleave his heart; then as it passed away he was the calm stern physician once more. "You had better go, sir," he said sharply, "and leave me with the nurse." "No: do your work," said Garstang harshly; "I stay here." Leigh made no answer, but took the housekeeper's place, to examine the sufferer's dilated pupils and test the pulsation, and then he turned quickly to Garstang. "Where are the bottle and glass?" he said sharply. "What bottle--what glass?" replied Garstang, taken by surprise. "The symptoms seem to accord with what you say, but I want to make perfectly sure. Where is the drug she took?" "Oh, it was in the tea, sir, there," cried the housekeeper. Garstang turned upon her with a savage gesture, and Leigh saw it. His suspicions were raised. "Here, sir," said the woman, pointing to the pot. "Oh yes," said Garstang hurriedly: "she took it in her tea." "She did not, sir!" cried the woman desperately. "Hold your tongue!" roared Garstang. "I won't, doctor, if I die for it," cried the woman. "He drugged her, poor dear. I was obliged to do as he said." "The woman's mad," cried Garstang. "Go on with your work."