"Make atonement while you can," said Miss Berengaria, taking swift advantage of the opportunity. "Listen. We have known for some time that you are not Bernard Gore, and----" Michael paid no attention, but kept on rocking in an agony of pain. "Help me--save me!" he moaned. "Oh, great heavens!" "Payne will be here directly," said the old lady. "Maria"--the maid was in the room by this time--"go down and bring up some boiling water. We will apply hot flannels to his stomach." "Meanwhile," said Alice, when the maid ran out, "tell us about yourself, Michael." "Michael--Michael," he muttered, with the perspiration beading his brow. "You know my name. I thought you took me for Gore." "Never. Bernard Gore is alive. We pretended to believe you, so that in the end you might be induced to confess." "And now you have poisoned me." "Certainly not," cried Miss Plantagenet, quickly. "Jerry gave you the cup of tea." "He said you told him to bring it up." "I did not. He brought it up himself, and has now left the house. As soon as he knew you had drunk it, he left the house. And now that I remember," added Miss Berengaria, sharply, "Beryl was talking privately to the boy before he went away." "Yes! Yes! It is Beryl who has done this. Oh, I will confess all. It was Beryl who killed Sir Simon." "We know that, and--ah, here is Payne. Doctor, I am glad you have come. Do you know----" "I know a great deal," said Payne. "Mr. Durham talked to me while we drove along. He met me half-way to Hurseton. Come, we must get to work." He asked Alice and Durham, who had entered, to leave the room, and began to attend to the wretched man. Maria came up with hot water and then hurried down for oil and mustard. Payne took up the cup which Miss Berengaria pointed out and examined it. He touched the sediment with the tip of his finger and tasted it. "Arsenic," said he. "Good Lord!" cried the old lady, sitting down heavily, "and in my own house. Doctor, that boy must be arrested. Are you sure?" "Certain. Arsenic has been administered. That is why he feels these burning pains. Give me the oil and mustard. We must give him an emetic, so that he may get rid of the poison. We may save him yet." "You must save him!" cried Miss Berengaria, lending a hand readily, "for his evidence is needed to convict Beryl of murder." "Mr. Durham told me something of this, but not all," said Payne, going on with the business. "Go down and leave the man to me for a time, Miss Berengaria. I will call you when he is better." By this time Michael was almost insensible with pain, but Miss Plantagenet left the room at once. Hurrying down to the drawing-room, she found the four young people waiting there with scared faces. Even Durham was startled by the expedition with which Julius had carried out his plan of ridding himself of an undesirable witness. "Though he's a fool," said the lawyer, emphatically. "He should have made Jerry wait for a few days."