Ten minutes since, I caught Betteredge at an unoccupied moment, and told
him what I wanted. Without a word of objection, without so much as an
attempt to produce his pocket-book, he led the way (making allowances
for me at every step) to the store-room in which the medicine chest is
kept.
I discovered the bottle, carefully guarded by a glass stopper tied
over with leather. The preparation which it contained was, as I had
anticipated, the common Tincture of Opium. Finding the bottle still well
filled, I have resolved to use it, in preference to employing either of
the two preparations with which I had taken care to provide myself, in
case of emergency.
The question of the quantity which I am to administer presents certain
difficulties. I have thought it over, and have decided on increasing the
dose.
My notes inform me that Mr. Candy only administered twenty-five minims.
This is a small dose to have produced the results which followed--even
in the case of a person so sensitive as Mr. Blake. I think it highly
probable that Mr. Candy gave more than he supposed himself to have
given--knowing, as I do, that he has a keen relish of the pleasures of
the table, and that he measured out the laudanum on the birthday, after
dinner. In any case, I shall run the risk of enlarging the dose to forty
minims. On this occasion, Mr. Blake knows beforehand that he is going to
take the laudanum--which is equivalent, physiologically speaking, to his
having (unconsciously to himself) a certain capacity in him to resist
the effects. If my view is right, a larger quantity is therefore
imperatively required, this time, to repeat the results which the
smaller quantity produced, last year.
* * * * * Ten o'clock.--The witnesses, or the company (which shall I call them?)
reached the house an hour since.
A little before nine o'clock, I prevailed on Mr. Blake to accompany me
to his bedroom; stating, as a reason, that I wished him to look round
it, for the last time, in order to make quite sure that nothing had been
forgotten in the refurnishing of the room. I had previously arranged
with Betteredge, that the bedchamber prepared for Mr. Bruff should
be the next room to Mr. Blake's, and that I should be informed of the
lawyer's arrival by a knock at the door. Five minutes after the clock in
the hall had struck nine, I heard the knock; and, going out immediately,
met Mr. Bruff in the corridor.
My personal appearance (as usual) told against me. Mr. Bruff's distrust
looked at me plainly enough out of Mr. Bruff's eyes. Being well used
to producing this effect on strangers, I did not hesitate a moment in
saying what I wanted to say, before the lawyer found his way into Mr.
Blake's room.