And before she had grasped these consequences, another supposition served to make her regard the first as unlikely, if not absurd.  It was the act of a madman to take her life in a manner so easy of discovery, unless there were far more reason for the crime than any that Manston could possibly have.

Was it not merely his intention, in tampering with her wine, to make her sleep soundly that night?  This was in harmony with her original suspicion, that he intended secretly to abscond.  At any rate, he was going to set about some stealthy proceeding, as to which she was to be kept in utter darkness.  The difficulty now was to avoid drinking the wine.

By means of one pretext and another she put off taking her glass for nearly five minutes, but he eyed her too frequently to allow her to throw the potion under the grate.  It became necessary to take one sip.  This she did, and found an opportunity of absorbing it in her handkerchief.

Plainly he had no idea of her countermoves.  The scheme seemed to him in proper train, and he turned to poke out the fire.  She instantly seized the glass, and poured its contents down her bosom.  When he faced round again she was holding the glass to her lips, empty.

In due course he locked the doors and saw that the shutters were fastened.  She attended to a few closing details of housewifery, and a few minutes later they retired for the night.

5.  FROM ELEVEN O’CLOCK TO MIDNIGHT

When Manston was persuaded, by the feigned heaviness of her breathing, that Anne Seaway was asleep, he softly arose, and dressed himself in the gloom.  With ears strained to their utmost she heard him complete this operation; then he took something from his pocket, put it in the drawer of the dressing-table, went to the door, and down the stairs.  She glided out of bed and looked in the drawer.  He had only restored to its place a small phial she had seen there before.  It was labelled ‘Battley’s Solution of Opium.’  She felt relieved that her life had not been attempted.  That was to have been her sleeping-draught.  No time was to be lost if she meant to be a match for him.  She followed him in her nightdress.  When she reached the foot of the staircase he was in the office and had closed the door, under which a faint gleam showed that he had obtained a light.  She crept to the door, but could not venture to open it, however slightly.  Placing her ear to the panel, she could hear him tearing up papers of some sort, and a brighter and quivering ray of light coming from the threshold an instant later, implied that he was burning them.  By the slight noise of his footsteps on the uncarpeted floor, she at length imagined that he was approaching the door.  She flitted upstairs again and crept into bed.