the first evidences of its effects.

"Muscarin," Kennedy concluded, "has been chemically investigated
more often than any other mushroom poison and a perfect antidote
has been discovered. Atropin, or belladonna, is such a drug."

For a moment I looked about at the others in the room. Had it been
an accident, after all? Perhaps, if any of the others had been
attacked, one might have suspected that it was. But they had not
been affected at all, at least apparently. Yet there could be no
doubt that it was the poisonous muscarin that had affected
Mansfield.

"Did you ever see anything like that?" asked Kennedy, suddenly,
holding up the gilt spangle which he had found on the closet floor
near the wall safe.

Though no one said a word, it was evident that they all recognized
it. Lewis was watching Madeline closely. But she betrayed nothing
except mild surprise at seeing the spangle from her dress. Had it
been deliberately placed there, it flashed over me, in order to
compromise Madeline Hargrave and divert suspicion from some one
else?

I turned to Mina. Behind the defiance of her dark eyes I felt that
there was something working. Kennedy must have sensed it even
before I did, for he suddenly bent down over the recording needle
and the ruled paper on the table.

"This," he shot out, "is a pneumograph which shows the actual