took the glass into which he had previously poured the
brandy, and poured in a little more, to which he added sugar, and
half-filled the glass with hot water from the kettle.

"He will be sure to drink that," he said, as he replaced the glass
within easy reach of the sofa; and then removing the stopper from the
blue bottle he held, replaced it partly in the neck, rested it upon the
edge of the steaming glass, and began to count the drops which fell.

One--two--three.

Each drop at an interval after the one which had preceded it, while with
his left hand he steadied the tumbler.

As the third drop fell into the glass there was a strange noise
outside--a dull scuffling of feet, mutterings of voices, and then a low
imperious tapping on the panel of the door.

At the first sound the doctor turned his head sharply and gazed in the
direction of the door, while the rest of his body seemed to have become
fixed in a cataleptic state, save that his eyes dilated and his jaw
dropped.

And meanwhile, slowly and steadily, drip--drip--drip--drip, the globules
of fluid fell from the tip of the blue bottle into the steaming glass at
last in quite a stream.

A strange dread had overcome the doctor. His patient's words about his
diamonds had proved to be true; were the rest, then, true--that he had
been pursued by men whose aim it was to plunder, perhaps murder him, and
they had really traced him down here?

"Bah! am I turning childish?" said the doctor, starting up, and letting
the stopper fall back into its place in the bottle, just as his patient
moaned slightly, turned impatiently in his sleep, and the ulster glided
to the floor.

The doctor stooped quickly, raised it, and threw it over his patient,
and, as he bent over him, listened intently to the repetition of the
tapping.

"It might be," he said softly. "Pish! absurd! The wanderings of a
diseased mind."

Catching up the bottle from where he had placed it on the table, he
walked quickly towards the door, paused, returned, and stooped as if to
pick up the poker. Then smiled at his folly.

He passed softly out of the door, and closed it after him, to go to the
shelves in the dark, where he made a clicking noise among the bottles,
as he reached up; for there in the darkness the feeling once more
assailed him that his patient might be right, while for the third time,
more plainly heard now, there came a sharp tapping.

The doctor crossed to the gas bracket, turned