In one glance the girl saw that he was wholly unsuspecting.  He trusted her; in their weeks together he had lost all fear of treachery from her.  There he was, exulting over the frugal lunch she had prepared, with no inkling of the deadly peril that even now was upon him.  She wished he did not trust her so completely; it would be easier for her if he was just a little wary, a little more on guard.

She felt cold all over.  She could hardly keep from shivering.  But this was the moment of trial; the thing would be done in a moment more.  She mustn’t give way yet to the growing weakness in her muscles.  She walked to the vine where she had left the potion.

How much of it there was—­it seemed to have doubled in quantity since she had left it.  A handful of the black berries meant death—­certain as the sunrise—­but what did half a handful mean?  The question came to her again.  How did she know that half a handful did not mean death too,—­not just hours of slumber, but relentless and irremediable death!  Would that be the end of her day’s work—­to see this tall, friendly warden of hers lying dead before her gaze, the laughter gone from his lips and the light faded from his eyes?  She would be free then to strip the shell belt from his waist.  He would never waken to prevent her.  She could escape too—­back to her father’s home—­and leave him in the cave.

All that he had told her concerning his war with her father recurred to her in one vivid flash.  Could it have been that he had told the truth—­that her father and his followers had been the attackers in the beginning?  She had never believed him fully; but could it be that he was in the right?  His claim had been invaded, he said, and his one friend murdered in cold blood.  Was this not cause enough, by the code of the North, for a war of reprisal?

But even as these thoughts came to her, she had walked boldly to the fire and emptied the contents of the cup into the boiling water in the teapot.  Ben would have only had to look up to see her do it.  Yet still he did not suspect.

She waited an instant, steadying herself for the ordeal to come.  Then she took the pot off the fire and poured the hot contents into the cup that had just held the potion.  She had been careful not to put enough water into the pot to weaken the drink.  The cup brimmed; but none was left.  She brought it steaming to Ben’s side.

No kindly root tripped her feet as she entered, no merciful unsteadiness caused her to drop this cup of death and spill its contents.

“Thanks, Beatrice.”  Ben looked up, smiling.  “I’m a brute to let you fix my tea when you are feeling so bad.  But I sure am grateful, if that helps any—­”

His voice sounded far away, like a voice in a nightmare.  “It’s pretty strong, I’m afraid,” she told him.  “The leaves weren’t very good, and I boiled them too long.  I’m afraid you’ll find it bitter.”

“I’ll drink it, if it’s bitter as gall,” he assured her, “after your kindness to fix it.”