which the basis was rum, be it said, done up with certain bitter herbs of
the old lady's own gathering, at proper times of the moon, and which was a
well-known drink to all who were favored with Aunt Keziah's friendship;
though there was a story that it was the very drink which used to be
passed round at witch-meetings, being brewed from the Devil's own recipe.
And, in truth, judging from the taste (for I once took a sip of a draught
prepared from the same ingredients, and in the same way), I should think
this hellish origin might be the veritable one.

[_"I thought" quoth the doctor, "I could drink anything, but"_--]

But the valiant doctor sipped, and sipped again, and said with great
blasphemy that it was the real stuff, and only needed henbane to make it
perfect. Then, taking from his pocket a good-sized leathern-covered flask,
with a silver lip fastened on the muzzle, he offered it to Septimius, who
declined, and to Aunt Keziah, who preferred her own decoction, and then
drank it off himself, with a loud smack of satisfaction, declaring it to
be infernally good brandy.

Well, after this Septimius and he talked; and I know not how it was, but
there was a great deal of imagination in this queer man, whether a bodily
or spiritual influence it might be hard to say. On the other hand
Septimius had for a long while held little intercourse with men; none
whatever with men who could comprehend him; the doctor, too, seemed to
bring the discourse singularly in apposition with what his host was
continually thinking about, for he conversed on occult matters, on people
who had had the art of living long, and had only died at last by accident,
on the powers and qualities of common herbs, which he believed to be so
great, that all around our feet--growing in the wild forest, afar from
man, or following the footsteps of man wherever he fixes his residence,