The Moonstone

"Yes?" said Mr. Bruff, with nine-tenths of his attention riveted on his

papers, and with one-tenth unwillingly accorded to me. "Anything else?"

"I must trouble you to return here with me, and to see me administer the

dose."

"Anything else?"

"One thing more. I must put you to the inconvenience of remaining in Mr.

Blake's room, and of waiting to see what happens."

"Oh, very good!" said Mr. Bruff. "My room, or Mr. Blake's room--it

doesn't matter which; I can go on with my papers anywhere. Unless you

object, Mr. Jennings, to my importing THAT amount of common sense into

the proceedings?"

Before I could answer, Mr. Blake addressed himself to the lawyer,

speaking from his bed.

"Do you really mean to say that you don't feel any interest in what we

are going to do?" he asked. "Mr. Bruff, you have no more imagination

than a cow!"

"A cow is a very useful animal, Mr. Blake," said the lawyer. With that

reply he followed me out of the room, still keeping his papers in his

hand.

We found Miss Verinder, pale and agitated, restlessly pacing her

sitting-room from end to end. At a table in a corner stood Betteredge,

on guard over the medicine-chest. Mr. Bruff sat down on the first chair

that he could find, and (emulating the usefulness of the cow) plunged

back again into his papers on the spot.

Miss Verinder drew me aside, and reverted instantly to her one

all-absorbing interest--her interest in Mr. Blake.

"How is he now?" she asked. "Is he nervous? is he out of temper? Do you

think it will succeed? Are you sure it will do no harm?"

"Quite sure. Come, and see me measure it out."

"One moment! It is past eleven now. How long will it be before anything

happens?"

"It is not easy to say. An hour perhaps."

"I suppose the room must be dark, as it was last year?"

"Certainly."

"I shall wait in my bedroom--just as I did before. I shall keep the door

a little way open. It was a little way open last year. I will watch the

sitting-room door; and the moment it moves, I will blow out my light. It

all happened in that way, on my birthday night. And it must all happen

again in the same way, musn't it?"

"Are you sure you can control yourself, Miss Verinder?"

"In HIS interests, I can do anything!" she answered fervently.