"I'll try," said Growling; "hand me that tumbler." Murphy handed him a tumbler full of water, and the doctor gave it to M'Garry, and desired him to try and drink it; he put it to his lips and swallowed a little drop. "Can you taste it?" asked the doctor. "Isn't it water?" said M'Garry. "You see how dull the nerves are yet," said Growling to Murphy; "that's aquafortis and assafoetida, and he can't taste it; we must give him another touch of the battery. Hold him up, while I go into the next room, and immerse the plates." The doctor left the bed-room, and came back with a hot poker and some lemon-juice and water. "Turn him gently round," said he to Murphy, "while I conduct the wires." His order was obeyed; and giving M'Garry a touch of the hot poker, the apothecary roared like a bull. "That did him good!" said Growling. "Now try, can you taste anything?" and he gave him the lemon-juice and water. "I taste a slight acid, doctor dear," said M'Garry, hopefully. "You see what that last touch did," said Growling gravely; "but the palate is still feeble; that's nearly pure nitric." "Oh, dear!" said M'Garry, "is it nitric?" "You see his hearing is coming back too," said the doctor to Murphy. "Try, can he put his legs under him?" They raised the apothecary from the bed; and when he staggered and fell forward, he looked horrified. "Oh, dear! I can't walk. I'm afraid I am--I am no more!" "Don't despair," said the doctor; "I pledge my professional reputation to save you now, since you can stand at all, and your senses are partly restored. Let him lie down again; try, could he sleep----" "Sleep!" said M'Garry, with horror; "perhaps never to awaken!" "I'll keep up the galvanic influence--don't be afraid; depend upon me--there, lie down. Can you shut your eyes? Yes, I see you can: don't open them so fast. Try, can you keep them shut? Don't open them till I tell you--wait till I count two hundred and fifty. That's right--turn a little more round--keep your eyes fast; that's it. One--two--three--four--five--six--seven;" and so he went on, making a longer interval between every number, till the monotonous sound, and the closed eye of the helplessly drunken man, produced the effect desired by the doctor; and the heavy snoring of the apothecary soon bore witness that he slept.