Margaret's voice, sounding as sweet and clear
as a bell:

"Yes, Malcolm!" I turned the tap and the lamps flashed out. But they
were only dim points of light in the midst of that murky ball of smoke.
In that thick atmosphere there was little possibility of illumination.
I ran across to Margaret, guided by her white dress, and caught hold of
her and held her hand. She recognised my anxiety and said at once:

"I am all right."

"Thank God!" I said. "How are the others? Quick, let us open all the
windows and get rid of this smoke!" To my surprise, she answered in a
sleepy way:

"They will be all right. They won't get any harm." I did not stop to
inquire how or on what ground she formed such an opinion, but threw up
the lower sashes of all the windows, and pulled down the upper. Then I
threw open the door.

A few seconds made a perceptible change as the thick, black smoke began
to roll out of the windows. Then the lights began to grow into
strength and I could see the room. All the men were overcome. Beside
the couch Doctor Winchester lay on his back as though he had sunk down
and rolled over; and on the farther side of the sarcophagus, where they
had stood, lay Mr. Trelawny and Mr. Corbeck. It was a relief to me to
see that, though they were unconscious, all three were breathing
heavily as though in a stupor. Margaret still stood behind the couch.
She seemed at first to be in a partially dazed condition; but every
instant appeared to get more command of herself. She stepped forward
and helped me to raise her father and drag him close to a window.
Together we placed the others similarly, and she flew down to the
dining-room and returned with a decanter of brandy. This we proceeded
to administer to them all in turn. It was not many minutes after we
had opened the windows when all three were struggling back to
consciousness. During this time my entire thoughts and efforts had
been concentrated on their restoration; but now that this strain was
off, I looked round the room to see what had been the effect of the
experiment. The thick smoke had nearly cleared away; but the room was
still misty and was full of a strange pungent acrid odour.

The great sarcophagus was just as it had been. The coffer was open,
and in it, scattered through certain divisions or partitions wrought in
its own substance, was a scattering of black ashes. Over all,
sarcophagus, coffer and, indeed, all in the room, was a sort of