hoked, her mouth
twitched, but she brought something, a little packet that she waved, and
from which, trembling frightenedly, she shook a powder into the first
two empty glasses, which were on her side of the table and were those
she and the general had drained. She still had strength to fill them
with water, while Rouletabille was almost overcome by the general, whom
he still had in his arms, and Natacha concerned herself with nothing
but her father, leaning over him as though to follow the progress of
the terrible poison, to read in his eyes if it was to be life or death.
"Ipecac," cried Matrena Petrovna, and she made the general drink it.
She did not drink until after him. The heroic woman must have exerted
superhuman force to go herself to find the saving antidote in her
medicine-chest, even while the agony pervaded her vitals.

Some minutes later both could be considered saved. The servants, Ermolai
at their head, were clustered about. Most of them had been at the lodge
and they had not, it appeared, heard the beginning of the affair, the
cries of Natacha and Rouletabille. Koupriane arrived just then. It was
he who worked with Natacha in getting the two to bed. Then he directed
one of his agents to go for the nearest doctors they could find.

This done, the Prefect of Police went toward the kiosk where he had left
Rouletabille. But Rouletabille was not to be found, and the flask of
vodka and the glasses from which they had drunk were gone also. Ermolai
was near-by, and he inquired of the servant for the young Frenchman.
Ermolai replied that he had just gone away, carrying the flask and the
glasses. Koupriane swore. He shook Ermolai and even started to give him
a blow with the fist for permitting such a thing to happen before his
eyes without making a protest.

Ermolai, who had his own haughtiness, dodged Koupriane's fist and
replied that he had wished to prevent the young Frenchman, but the
reporter had shown him a police-paper on which Koupriane himself had
declared in advance that the young Frenchman was to do anything he
pleased.

XII. PERE ALEXIS

Koupriane jumped into his carriage and hurried toward St. Petersburg.
On the way he spoke to three agents who only he knew were posted in
the neighborhood of Eliaguine. They told him the route Rouletabille had
taken. The reporter had certainly returned into the city. He hurried
toward Troitski Bridge. There, at the corner of the Naberjnaia,
Koupriane saw