Lord Arthur Saviles Crime | Page 9

volume of
Erskine, he found a very interesting and complete account of the
properties of aconitine, written in fairly clear English. It seemed to him
to be exactly the poison he wanted. It was swift-- indeed, almost
immediate, in its effect--perfectly painless, and when taken in the form
of a gelatine capsule, the mode recommended by Sir Mathew, not by
any means unpalatable. He accordingly made a note, upon his shirt-cuff,
of the amount necessary for a fatal dose, put the books back in their
places, and strolled up St. James's Street, to Pestle and Humbey's, the
great chemists. Mr. Pestle, who always attended personally on the
aristocracy, was a good deal surprised at the order, and in a very
deferential manner murmured something about a medical certificate
being necessary. However, as soon as Lord Arthur explained to him
that it was for a large Norwegian mastiff that he was obliged to get rid
of, as it showed signs of incipient rabies, and had already bitten the
coachman twice in the calf of the leg, he expressed himself as being
perfectly satisfied, complimented Lord Arthur on his wonderful
knowledge of Toxicology, and had the prescription made up
immediately.
Lord Arthur put the capsule into a pretty little silver bonbonniere that
he saw in a shop window in Bond Street, threw away Pestle and
Hambey's ugly pill-box, and drove off at once to Lady Clementina's.
'Well, monsieur le mauvais sujet,' cried the old lady, as he entered the
room, 'why haven't you been to see me all this time?'
'My dear Lady Clem, I never have a moment to myself,' said Lord
Arthur, smiling.
'I suppose you mean that you go about all day long with Miss Sybil
Merton, buying chiffons and talking nonsense? I cannot understand
why people make such a fuss about being married. In my day we never
dreamed of billing and cooing in public, or in private for that matter.'
'I assure you I have not seen Sybil for twenty-four hours, Lady Clem.
As far as I can make out, she belongs entirely to her milliners.'

'Of course; that is the only reason you come to see an ugly old woman
like myself. I wonder you men don't take warning. On a fait des folies
pour moi, and here I am, a poor rheumatic creature, with a false front
and a bad temper. Why, if it were not for dear Lady Jansen, who sends
me all the worst French novels she can find, I don't think I could get
through the day. Doctors are no use at all, except to get fees out of one.
They can't even cure my heartburn.'
'I have brought you a cure for that, Lady Clem,' said Lord Arthur
gravely. 'It is a wonderful thing, invented by an American.'
'I don't think I like American inventions, Arthur. I am quite sure I don't.
I read some American novels lately, and they were quite nonsensical.'
'Oh, but there is no nonsense at all about this, Lady Clem! I assure you
it is a perfect cure. You must promise to try it'; and Lord Arthur
brought the little box out of his pocket, and handed it to her.
'Well, the box is charming, Arthur. Is it really a present? That is very
sweet of you. And is this the wonderful medicine? It looks like a
bonbon. I'll take it at once.'
'Good heavens! Lady Clem,' cried Lord Arthur, catching hold of her
hand, 'you mustn't do anything of the kind. It is a homoeopathic
medicine, and if you take it without having heartburn, it might do you
no end of harm. Wait till you have an attack, and take it then. You will
be astonished at the result.'
'I should like to take it now,' said Lady Clementina, holding up to the
light the little transparent capsule, with its floating bubble of liquid
aconitine. I am sure it is delicious. The fact is that, though I hate
doctors, I love medicines. However, I'll keep it till my next attack.'
'And when will that be?' asked Lord Arthur eagerly. 'Will it be soon?'
'I hope not for a week. I had a very bad time yesterday morning with it.
But one never knows.'

'You are sure to have one before the end of the month then, Lady
Clem?'
'I am afraid so. But how sympathetic you are to-day, Arthur! Really,
Sybil has done you a great deal of good. And now you must run away,
for I am dining with some very dull people, who won't talk scandal, and
I know that if I don't get my sleep now I shall never be able to keep
awake during dinner. Good-bye, Arthur, give my love to Sybil, and
thank you so much for the American medicine.'
'You won't