Preserve us!" cried the bewildered apothecary. "How could I know you
if I was dead, doctor? Oh, doctor dear, sure I'm not dead?"

"As a herring," said the doctor.

"Lord have mercy on me! Oh, Mr. Murphy, sure I'm not dead?"

"You're dead, sir," said Murphy; "the doctor has only galvanised you
for a few moments."

"O Lord!" groaned M'Garry. "Doctor--indeed, doctor?"

"You are in a state of temporary animation," said the doctor.

"I do feel very odd, indeed," said the terrified man, putting his hands
to his throbbing temples. "How long am I dead?"

"A week next Tuesday," said the doctor. "Galvanism has preserved you
from decomposition."

M'Garry uttered a heavy groan, and looked up piteously at his two
tormentors. Murphy, fearful the shock might drive him out of his mind,
said, "Perhaps, doctor, you can preserve his life altogether: you have
kept him alive so long?"

"I'll try," said Growling; "hand me that tumbler."

Murphy handed him a tumbler full of water, and the doctor gave it to
M'Garry, and desired him to try and drink it; he put it to his lips and
swallowed a little drop.

"Can you taste it?" asked the doctor.

"Isn't it water?" said M'Garry.

"You see how dull the nerves are yet," said Growling to Murphy; "that's
aquafortis and assafoetida, and he can't taste it; we must give him
another touch of the battery. Hold him up, while I go into the next
room, and immerse the plates."

The doctor left the bed-room, and came back with a hot poker and some
lemon-juice and water.

"Turn him gently round," said he to Murphy, "while I conduct the
wires."

His order was obeyed; and giving M'Garry a touch of the hot poker, the
apothecary roared like a bull.

"That did him good!" said Growling. "Now try, can you taste anything?"
and he gave him the lemon-juice and water.

"I taste a slight acid, doctor dear," said M'Garry, hopefully.

"You see what that last touch did," said Growling gravely; "but the
palate is still feeble; that's nearly pure nitric."

"Oh, dear!" said M'Garry, "is it nitric?"

"You see his hearing is coming back too," said the doctor to Murphy.
"Try, can he put his legs under him?"

They raised the apothecary from the bed; and when he staggered and
fell forward, he looked horrified. "Oh, dear! I can't walk. I'm afraid
I am--I am no more!"

"Don't despair," said the doctor; "I pledge my professional reputation
to save you now, since you can stand at all, and your senses are partly