hoped it would have happened so soon.
I told you, Major, that I was appealing to him in the right way."

"It's a loss of three pounds a week to me," said Doyle, "without
reckoning what he might take to drink. I'll be expecting you to make
that good to me--you and the Major between you."

"It was the cooking did it, I suppose," said Meldon.

"That and the state his bed was in," said Doyle. "It was close on
eleven o'clock last night, and I was sitting smoking quiet and easy
along with the doctor, when there came a noise like as if some one
would be ringing a bell, and him in a hurry. It was the doctor drew my
attention to it first; but I told him he'd better sit where he was, for
it was Sabina's business to go up to any one that would ring a bell.
Well, the ringing went on terrible strong, for maybe ten minutes, and--"

"Sabina funked it, I suppose," said Meldon.

"She did be in dread," said Doyle, "on account of the way the bell was
going, not knowing what there might be at the other end of it. That's
what she said any way, and I believe her. The doctor spoke to her,
encouraging her, the way she'd go and see whatever it might be, and
we'd be at peace again. But for all he said to her she wouldn't move
an inch. Then I told the doctor that maybe he'd better go himself, for
it could be that the gentleman was ill. 'It's hardly ever,' I said,
'that a man would ring a bell the way that one's being rung without
there'd be some kind of a sickness on him. It'll be a pound into your
pocket, doctor, and maybe more,' I said, 'if you get at him at once
before the pain leaves him.'"

"I should think O'Donoghue jumped at that," said Meldon.

"He did not then, but he sat there looking kind of frightened, the same
as Sabina did; like as if there might be something that the judge would
want to be blaming on him. At the latter end I had to go myself. It
was in his bedroom he was, and devil such a state ever you saw as he
had the place in. The sheets and the blankets was off the bed,
scattered here and there about the floor, and the pillow along with
them. It was like as if they'd been holding a meeting about the land,
and the police were after interfering with it, such a scatteration as
there was. I hadn't the door hardly opened before he was at me. 'You
detestable villain,' says he, 'what do you mean by asking me to sleep
in a bed like that? Isn't it enough for you to have me near poisoned
with paraffin oil without-