"And all through a love disappointment," replied Avenza, lifting his eyes. "Ah! the poor young man!"
I now began to see the kind of story Beltrami had told Avenza to account for the condition of Pallanza, and I must say it did credit to his powers of invention.
"The amount of the poison he took was ten drops." went on Beltrami, uncorking the bottle, "so it will require ten drops of this antidote to revive him, but when the life is once more in him I suppose he will be weak."
"Most certainly," answered Avenza, nodding his head, "since you say he has been like this for nearly a week. But proceed, Marchese, I am anxious to see the result of this antidote."
Beltrami bent over the face of the unconscious man, and forced the teeth slightly apart with a spoon he held in his left hand. Having done this, he poised the bottle over the pale lips, and began to pour the red liquid drop by drop into the mouth.
Both Avenza and myself bent forward eagerly to watch the operation, and held our breaths with anxiety as the Marchese counted, slowly,--
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!"
The body made no movement, and Beltrami drew back, looking somewhat anxious.
"Dio! I am afraid ten drops are not enough!"
"Wait," said Avenza, taking his watch out of his pocket, and placing his fingers on the pulse of the seemingly-dead man. "You cannot expect this antidote to act at once."