"Well, battle and murder and sudden death!" said the medical Laurence Boythorn, when he had forced the young girl down into a seat. "What is it you want? Who is married or dead, or whom do you intend to kill, or what is it?" "Are you sober?" asked the young girl, looking into his eyes very gravely. "Why, you impudent demon in petticoats!" said the Doctor, with a great appearance of indignation. "What do you mean? You know that I am never otherwise than sober." "From the effects of liquor, of course not," was the reply. "But your hot head, like mine, has the capacity of becoming intoxicated sometimes without any thanks to liquor; and I want to know whether you are cool and clear, or whether you have been puzzling over some bad case, or talking with some man with a stupid skull, until your head is all muddled?" "Clear as one of the mountain springs that you are some day going with me to see," said the Doctor. "Now out with it." "Well," said Joe, "I know that you hate chemistry, but in spite of that you _must_ give me a little chemical judgment. I want you to tell me," and she took out the surreptitiously-obtained roll of linen, unrolled it and laid it upon the table, under the full light of the burner--"I want you to tell me what is that dark substance which looks like black paste, whether it is animal, vegetable, or mineral, and what you think its properties." "And after I _do_ tell you, if I can," said the Doctor, eyeing the suspicious-looking mass, "I suppose that I am to be told why you wish to know?" "Not one word," said Joe. "At least, not at present. All your reward is to be the honor of conversing with _me_ on the subject." "Bravo, Empress; I rather like _that_!" said the Doctor, who _did_ like it, nevertheless, to judge by the jolly expression of his face. "You are a refreshing young woman, and some day I expect to see you stretch out your arm with imperial dignity and clear off all the pigmies from the face of the earth with a 'Go away, small people! I have had enough of you! You may leave!'" "Very likely," said Joe. "But meanwhile I have not quite done with _you_. Please examine that stuff, for I am in a hurry." "As usual!" commented the Doctor, going on to smell, inspect, and even taste the dark compound on the cloth. "Take care!" cried the young girl, in alarm, when she saw him apply his tongue to the substance. "Pshaw!" said the Doctor. "Don't be alarmed. I am so full of dangerous ingredients myself, that the most virulent of poisons could not produce any effect on me." "I should not like to see you trust it too far--that is, not if I cared for you!" said the lady, as if _she_ had been the chemist and he the neophyte.