Mrs Milt had to almost insist upon his taking his meals, for on two occasions his dinner had gone out untasted, and she had found him sitting, with his head resting upon his hands, deep in thought. He started upon being spoken to, and seemed once more himself; but as soon as he was alone again, he relapsed into another fit of abstraction. A few more days passed, and his task was telling upon him terribly; but he persevered, for each night he felt that he was getting nearer to success. "I shall succeed," he said to himself, with a wild excitability of manner that was startling; but he was alone when he said these words, and no one heard them. "Arn't it a very long experiment, doctor?" said Moredock, one night, looking at the doctor seriously, and rubbing his cheek slowly. "Yes. It is taking me longer than I thought, but I shall soon finish now." "Glad o' that," said the old man drily; "because a pitcher as goes too often to the well, doctor, gets broke at last." "What do you mean?" "Naught, only we might be found out." "Nonsense!" said the doctor uneasily. "Nobody is likely to be about except any person should be ill, and I know exactly who is likely to want the doctor by night." "Ah, well, let's be careful, doctor, for it would be awkward for both if we was to be found out." "Pish! Who would find us out, man?" "Well, say parson." "Absurd! He is in bed, and sound asleep. There, take your glass; I want to begin." "Nay," said the old man, looking at the rich liqueur North poured out for him, "I don't think I'll have no drop to-night." "Nonsense, man!" said North, holding out the glass, at which the old man gazed longingly. But he shook his head and thrust it away. "Nay, doctor; I'm going to keep watch to-night." "Keep watch, man?" said North, who seemed staggered at this determination. "Yes, doctor, I'm going to keep watch. I can't afford to have aught go wrong, if you can. You get on with your work, and I'll be on the look-out." "Here?" "Nay, nay. I'll hang about outside." "Yes, do," said North, who seemed relieved; and he turned down the lamp to let Moredock out. "I shall give three taps on the door, doctor, when I come back," whispered the old man. "You go on just as if I was here; but when I tap, you turn down the light again, and let me in. Don't s'pose I shall see anybody, but I must take care." "Yes, do," said North hurriedly; and, as the old man passed out, he closed the door after him and made it fast. "It would have been like checking my experiment now I am so near success," he said to himself, as, now quite alone, he once more turned up the shaded lamp, when the warm yellow glow shone out full upon the recumbent figure, carefully draped with the great white sheet. Horace North stood bending over the subject of his ghastly experiment, the remains of Luke Candlish lying apparently unchanged, and as if decay had been completely arrested.