refused to take the draught. He called again that afternoon.
Ballet was much better; he said that he would be quite well if he
could get some sleep, and expressed a wish to return to Paris.
Dr. Pigache dissuaded him from this and left, saying that he
would come again in the evening. Castaing said that that would
be unnecessary, and it was agreed that Pigache should see the
patient again at eight o'clock the next morning. During the
afternoon Castaing sent a letter to Paris to Jean, Auguste's
negro servant, telling him to take the two keys of his master's
desk to his cousin Malassis. But the negro distrusted Castaing.
He knew of the will which his master had made in the doctor's
favour. Rather than compromise himself by any injudicious act,
he brought the keys to Saint Cloud and there handed them over to
Castaing.

When Jean arrived his master complained to him of feeling
very ill. Jean said that he hoped he would be well enough to go
back to Paris the following day, to which Auguste replied, "I
don't think so. But if I am lucky enough to get away to-morrow,
I shall leave fifty francs for the poor here." About eleven
o'clock that night Castaing, in Jean's presence, gave the sick
man a spoonful of the draught prescribed by Dr. Pigache. Four or
five minutes later Auguste was seized with terrible convulsions,
followed by unconsciousness. Dr. Pigache was sent for. He found
Ballet lying on his back unconscious, his throat strained, his
mouth shut and his eyes fixed; the pulse was weak, his body
covered with cold sweat; and every now and then he was seized
with strong convulsions. The doctor asked Castaing the cause of
the sudden change in Ballet's condition. Castaing replied that
it had commenced shortly after he had taken a spoonful of the