s closely represents what she took."

"You mean three and one half grains?"

"She probably took between three, and three and a half grains, as some
was left in the syringe."

"Then that self-administered dose was sufficient to cause death?"

"Oh, no. I have known her to take twice that quantity." This statement
was also received with much surprise.

"The experts told us, Doctor," said Mr. Bliss, "that a sixth of a
grain has caused death."

"Has been known to cause death. Yes. But that does not prove that it
will always do so. The _habitue_ becomes wonderfully tolerant of it.
The records are replete with histories of from twenty, to even a
hundred grains of morphine without fatal result."

"Then you do not think that three, or three and a half grains of
morphia would have caused the death of your wife?"

"Not of itself. But if a quantity of the drug was in her system, this
added dose may have contributed to her death."

"In such a case where would the morphine be chiefly found after death,
by chemical analysis?"

"In the intestines mainly, because there the stored quantity would
have been. But also in the stomach, because of the recent
administration." This view was entirely agreeable with the expert
evidence.

"In your opinion then, your wife died from the accumulation of
morphine, all of which was self-administered?"

"Certainly all the morphine that she took was administered by
herself."

"But you are charged with having administered morphine, or other form
of opium, which caused death. What have you to say to that?"

"I deny that during this last illness, or at any time, any such drug
was administered to my wife, Mabel Medjora, by me, or at my order!"

The last speech was electric, partly from the manner of its utterance,
and especially because, for the first time during the trial, the
dead girl was called by the name of the prisoner. Mr. Bliss felt
assured that he had won his case, and yielded the witness for
cross-examination with a smile. Mr. Munson begged for an adjournment,
that the cross-examination might be continuous, and not interrupted as
it would necessarily be if begun late in the afternoon. This request
was granted, and the shrewd lawyer thus obtained time to read over the
Doctor's evidence, and be better able to attack him.

CHAPTER IX.

THE DEFENCE CLOSES.

The next day's proceedings began promptly, Dr. Medjora taking the
stand for cross-examination. His evidence in his