"
Once more a pause followed. There was nothing now of the grand dame
about Arctura.
"Has nothing occurred to wake a doubt in you?" she said at last,
abruptly. "Have you not suspected him of--of using you in any way?"
"I have had an undefined ghost of a suspicion," answered Donal.
"Please tell me what you know."
"I should know nothing--although, my room being near his, I should
have been the more perplexed about some things--had he not made an
experiment upon myself a year ago."
"Is it possible?"
"I sometimes fancy I have not been so well since. It was a great
shock to me when I came to myself:--you see I am trusting you, Mr.
Grant!"
"I thank you heartily, my lady," said Donal.
"I believe," continued lady Arctura, gathering courage, "that my
uncle is in the habit of taking some horrible drug for the sake of
its effect on his brain. There are people who do so! What it is I
don't know, and I would rather not know. It is just as bad, surely,
as taking too much wine! I have heard himself remark to Mr.
Carmichael that opium was worse than wine, for it destroyed the
moral sense more. Mind I don't say it is opium he takes!"
"There are other things," said Donal, "even worse!--But surely you
do not mean he dared try anything of the sort on you!"
"I am sure he gave me something! For, once that I dined with
him,--but I cannot describe the effect it had upon me! I think he
wanted to see its operation on one who did not even know she had
taken anything.
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