nd Mr. Blake, had led me to the conclusion that
the dose of laudanum given by Mr. Candy could not possibly have been
administered before eleven. I had accordingly determined not to try the
second dose until that time.

We talked a little; but both our minds were preoccupied by the coming
ordeal. The conversation soon flagged--then dropped altogether. Mr.
Blake idly turned over the books on his bedroom table. I had taken
the precaution of looking at them, when we first entered the room. THE
GUARDIAN; THE TATLER; Richardson's PAMELA; Mackenzie's MAN OF FEELING;
Roscoe's LORENZO DE MEDICI; and Robertson's CHARLES THE FIFTH--all
classical works; all (of course) immeasurably superior to anything
produced in later times; and all (from my present point of view)
possessing the one great merit of enchaining nobody's interest, and
exciting nobody's brain. I left Mr. Blake to the composing influence
of Standard Literature, and occupied myself in making this entry in my
journal.

My watch informs me that it is close on eleven o'clock. I must shut up
these leaves once more.

* * * * *

Two o'clock A.M.--The experiment has been tried. With what result, I am
now to describe.

At eleven o'clock, I rang the bell for Betteredge, and told Mr. Blake
that he might at last prepare himself for bed.

I looked out of the window at the night. It was mild and rainy,
resembling, in this respect, the night of the birthday--the twenty-first
of June, last year. Without professing to believe in omens, it was at
least encouraging to find no direct nervous influences--no stormy or
electric perturbations--in the atmosphere. Betteredge joined me at the
window, and mysteriously put a little slip of paper into my hand. It
contained these lines:

"Mrs. Merridew has gone to bed, on the distinct understanding that the
explosion is to take place at nine to-morrow morning, and that I am not
to stir out of this part of the house until she comes and sets me
free. She has no idea that the chief scene of the experiment is my
sitting-room--or she would have remained in it for the whole night! I am
alone, and very anxious. Pray let me see you measure out the laudanum; I
want to have something to do with it, even in the unimportant character
of a mere looker-on.--R.V."

I followed Betteredge out of the room, and told him to remove the
medicine-chest into Miss Verinder's sitting-room.

The order appeared to take him completely by surprise. He looked as if
h