'Yes, dear. Drink this.' I now gave her a slightly larger dose.
There was a still longer pause, and Henry, Elizabeth and I waited for
her to speak, or express emotion of some sort. At last she opened her
lips and said, 'May I have----'

'A basin?' inquired Elizabeth, darting forward.

'----my custard, now, if you please, Elizabeth?'

'No,' I said sternly. 'It's very strange that the ipecac, has had no
effect.'

'Try salt and water. There's more about it, like,' remarked Elizabeth.
'I'll fetch some.'

'And hurry,' Henry commanded, 'every moment's delay is making the thing
more serious.'

'Now drink this salt and water, darling,' I urged The Kid when
Elizabeth reappeared.

'Oh, _must_ I, Mama?'

[Illustration: 'Oh, _must_ I, Mama?']

'Yes. Your life depends upon it.'

She drank rather hastily at that. There was a long, long pause while
Elizabeth, Henry and I gazed into each other's eyes and--waited.