My notes inform me that Mr. Candy only administered twenty-five minims.  This is a small dose to have produced the results which followed—­even in the case of a person so sensitive as Mr. Blake.  I think it highly probable that Mr. Candy gave more than he supposed himself to have given—­knowing, as I do, that he has a keen relish of the pleasures of the table, and that he measured out the laudanum on the birthday, after dinner.  In any case, I shall run the risk of enlarging the dose to forty minims.  On this occasion, Mr. Blake knows beforehand that he is going to take the laudanum—­which is equivalent, physiologically speaking, to his having (unconsciously to himself) a certain capacity in him to resist the effects.  If my view is right, a larger quantity is therefore imperatively required, this time, to repeat the results which the smaller quantity produced, last year.

* * * * *

Ten o’clock.—­The witnesses, or the company (which shall I call them?) reached the house an hour since.

A little before nine o’clock, I prevailed on Mr. Blake to accompany me to his bedroom; stating, as a reason, that I wished him to look round it, for the last time, in order to make quite sure that nothing had been forgotten in the refurnishing of the room.  I had previously arranged with Betteredge, that the bedchamber prepared for Mr. Bruff should be the next room to Mr. Blake’s, and that I should be informed of the lawyer’s arrival by a knock at the door.  Five minutes after the clock in the hall had struck nine, I heard the knock; and, going out immediately, met Mr. Bruff in the corridor.

My personal appearance (as usual) told against me.  Mr. Bruff’s distrust looked at me plainly enough out of Mr. Bruff’s eyes.  Being well used to producing this effect on strangers, I did not hesitate a moment in saying what I wanted to say, before the lawyer found his way into Mr. Blake’s room.

“You have travelled here, I believe, in company with Mrs. Merridew and Miss Verinder?” I said.

“Yes,” answered Mr. Bruff, as drily as might be.

“Miss Verinder has probably told you, that I wish her presence in the house (and Mrs. Merridew’s presence of course) to be kept a secret from Mr. Blake, until my experiment on him has been tried first?”

“I know that I am to hold my tongue, sir!” said Mr. Bruff, impatiently.  “Being habitually silent on the subject of human folly, I am all the readier to keep my lips closed on this occasion.  Does that satisfy you?”

I bowed, and left Betteredge to show him to his room.  Betteredge gave me one look at parting, which said, as if in so many words, “You have caught a Tartar, Mr. Jennings—­and the name of him is Bruff.”

It was next necessary to get the meeting over with the two ladies.  I descended the stairs—­a little nervously, I confess—­on my way to Miss Verinder’s sitting-room.