ions for her father, Rich took down the
chloral hydrate, and a graduated glass, pouring out a goodly quantity
ready to transfer to the bottle the boy handed her, while he still
retained the cork.

This done, Rich returned the chloral hydrate to the shelf, and took down
another bottle labelled _quin. sulph. sol_. From this she poured out a
certain quantity, and by the time the glass had shed its last drop, Bob
was ready to hand another and larger bottle, which he had taken down
with eager haste, as if fearing she would be first.

Rich glanced at it, saw that it was labelled _aq. dest._, and filled up
the medicine-bottle, the boy handing the cork, and then gazing
sympathetically in the pain-drawn face before him.

"Hadn't you better let me take it out, Miss?" he said, but there was no
smile in answer--no reply, Rich hurrying away, while the boy listened to
her footsteps.

"Ain't she got it!" he muttered, and he stood listening still, for he
heard voices at the end of the passage.

"'Lisbeth," he said, and there was a knock.

The boy opened the passage door softly, and a voice said.

"I've cut you some bread and cheese; it's on the kitchen table."

"Goin' to bed, 'Lisbeth?"

There was a grunt, and the sound of departing steps, while the boy stood
gazing along the passage.

"So are you?" he exclaimed, closing the door, "Ain't she got a temper!
I can't help my old woman coming. 'Tain't my fault. I shouldn't turn
sulky if it was hern."

Bob did not go down for a moment, but stood thinking. Then he ran out
softly, and down-stairs into the dark kitchen to fetch his supper, which
he preferred to eat with the fragrant odours of drugs about him, and
seated upon the chest which contained the grisly relics of mortality,
and against whose receptacle the boy's heels softly drummed.

The stale bread and hard Dutch cheese rapidly disappeared, the boy
looking very stolid during the process of deglutition. Then his face
lit up, and for a space he went through his pantomime again, seeing
patients, pocketing their fees, dressing wounds, setting limbs, and,
above all, prescribing a medicine which he compounded carefully, and, to
give realism to the proceedings, himself took.

It was not an objectionable medicine, being composed of small portions
of tartaric acid and soda, dropped into a wineglass which contained so
much water, into which had been dropped a little syrup of ginger,
afterwards flavoured with orange or lemon