Kennedy looked rather wan and peaked, but insisted on going to the laboratory as usual.

“Do you remember what became of the bottle of digitalin?” he asked, fumbling in the closet.

Mechanically I felt in my own pockets; it was not there.  I shook my head.

“I don’t seem to remember what became of it—­perhaps we left it there.  In fact, we must have left it there.”

“I don’t like to have such things lying around loose,” remarked Kennedy, taking up his hat and coat with forced energy.  “I think we had better get it.”

Elaine had spent rather a sleepless night after the attempt to poison her which had miscarried and resulted in poisoning Kennedy.

To keep her mind off the thing, she had already started to take down the decorations.  Jennings and Marie, as well as a couple of workmen, were restoring the library to its normal condition under the direction of Aunt Josephine.

The telephone rang and Elaine answered it.  Her face showed that something startling had happened.

“It was Jameson,” she cried, almost dropping the receiver, overcome.

They all hurried to her.  “He says that Mr. Kennedy and he were visiting that Chinaman this morning and Mr. Kennedy suffered a relapse—­is dying there, in the Chinaman’s apartment.  He wants us to come quickly and bring that medicine that they used last night.  He says it is on the tabaret in the library.  Marie, will you look for it?  And, Jennings, get the car right away.”

Jennings hurried from the room, and a moment later Marie had found the bottle behind some ornaments on the tabaret and came back with it.

Scarcely knowing what to do, Elaine, followed by Aunt Josephine, had rushed from the house, hatless and coatless, just as the car swung around from the garage in the rear.  Jennings went out with the wraps.  They seized them and leaped into the car, which started off swiftly.

It was only a matter of minutes when they pulled up before the apartment house where Wu had taken the suite from which Long Sin had telephoned the message in my name.  Together Elaine and Aunt Josephine hurried in.

. . . . . . .

Kennedy went directly from the laboratory to the Dodge house.

I don’t think I ever saw such an expression of surprise on anybody’s face as that on Jennings’s when he opened the door and saw us.  He was aghast.  Back of him we could see Marie.  She looked as if she had seen a ghost.

“Is Miss Elaine in?” asked Kennedy.

Jennings was even too dumfounded to speak.

“Why, what’s the matter?” demanded Kennedy.

“Then—­er—­you are not ill again?” he managed to blurt out.

“Ill again?” repeated Kennedy.

“Why,” explained Jennings, “didn’t Mr. Jameson just now telephone that you had had a relapse in the apartment of that Chinaman, and for Miss Elaine to hurry over there right away with that bottle of medicine?” Kennedy waited to hear no more.  Seizing me by the arm, he turned and dashed down the steps and back again into the taxicab in which we had come.