nd found the
children already speechless, in a state of fearful congestion. It
appeared they had fallen into this state when first attacked, and had
become delirious.

Camors conceived an idea. He asked to see the clothes the children had
worn during the day. The mother gave them to him. He examined them with
care, and pointed out to the doctor several red stains on the poor rags.
The doctor touched his forehead, and turned over with a feverish hand
the small linen--the rough waistcoat--searched the pockets, and found
dozens of a small fruit-like cherries, half crushed. "Belladonna!" he
exclaimed. "That idea struck me several times, but how could I be sure?
You can not find it within twenty miles of this place, except in this
cursed wood--of that I am sure."

"Do you think there is yet time?" asked the young Count, in a low voice.
"The children seem to me to be very ill."

"Lost, I fear; but everything depends on the time that has passed, the
quantity they have taken, and the remedies I can procure."

The old man consulted quickly with Madame de Tecle, who found she
had not in her country pharmacy the necessary remedies, or
counter-irritants, which the urgency of the case demanded. The doctor
was obliged to content himself with the essence of coffee, which the
servant was ordered to prepare in haste, and to send to the village for
the other things needed.

"To the village!" cried Madame de Tecle. "Good heavens! it is four
leagues--it is night, and we shall have to wait probably three or four
hours!"

Camors heard this: "Doctor, write your prescription," he said: "Trilby
is at the door, and with him I can do the four leagues in an hour--in
one hour I promise to return here."

"Oh! thank you, Monsieur!" said Madame de Tecle.

He took the prescription which Dr. Durocher had rapidly traced on a leaf
of his pocketbook, mounted his horse, and departed.

The highroad was fortunately not far distant. When he reached it he rode
like the phantom horseman.

It was nine o'clock when Madame de Tecle witnessed his departure--it
was a few moments after ten when she heard the tramp of his horse at the
foot of the hill and ran to the door of the hut. The condition of the
two children seemed to have grown worse in the interval, but the old
doctor had great hopes in the remedies which Camors was to bring. She
waited with impatience, and received him like the dawn of the last
hope. She contented herself with pressing his hand,