Page:Chipperfield--Unseen Hands.djvu/313

Rh the powder in her soup and tea when I served her in the old-fashioned way, which Richard had always insisted upon when we were without guests; and when yesterday she took to her bed, it was a simple matter to prepare her broth myself and drop in my dainty seasoning before Marcelle's unsuspecting eyes.

"But I commenced to fear this young police officer; not that he dreamed mine was the hand, but he had probed into my sister's death and her son's, and discovered the severed picture-cables and the sawn stairs. This morning he took from Peters the broth intended for Cissie and spilled it; and when later the Doctor put me out of her room and took my place, I knew they were aware of her real condition; and if I did not want to fail as I had in Gene's case I must work quickly.

"I saved out enough arsenic for a death dose; and mixing the rest in a paste I spread it near a rat-hole in the wainscoting of father's room, where its presence could readily be accounted for if it were found. The powder I had saved I put in a fresh portion of broth intending to give it to Cissie at the first opportunity, but I was too careful to bring it up to her myself; I arranged for Peters to do that, so that in the end he would at least be equally under suspicion with the cook; for why should anyone think that I, the devoted aunt, could desire the death of my lovely niece?

"The opportunity came just now, and as soon as the doctor left me alone with her I rang for Peters to bring up the broth." Suddenly the woman's figure stiffened, and she pointed a shaking finger at Odell. "But for you, Cissie would now have gone the way I paved for her; but Peters