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"Evan Lindsay’s pigs," Mr Bug explained, in a rare burst of loquacity Both Bugs beari choked, and not only frohtly from the miasma of the corn liquor "Oh, thank you"

IT WAS JUST AFTER DARK when Ia mixture of excitement and trepidation

Jamie was propped on his pillows, surrounded by visitors People had been coood many of them had simply stayed, and a host of anxious faces turned toward ht of the candles

He looked very ill, flushed and drawn, and I wondered whether I ought to have chased the visitors away I saw Murdo Lindsay take his hand, though, and squeeze it tight, and realized that the distraction and support of his coh the day was probably much more helpful to him than the rest that he wouldn’t have taken in any case

"Well, then," Jaood assumption of casualness, "we’re ready, I suppose" He stretched his legs, flexing his toes hard under the blanket Given the state of his leg, itwhat he thought would be the last opportunity to move the limb, and bit the inside of ," I said, s at him with an attempt at confident reassurance "And anyone ould like to pray about it, please do"

A rustle of surprise replaced the air of dread that had been sprung up atJoan with one hand, grope hastily in her pocket with the other to pull out her rosary

There was a rush to clear the bedside table, which was littered with books, papers, candle-stubs, various treats brought up to tempt Jamie’s appetite--all untouched--and, for some unfathoroundhog hide I set down the tray, and Brianna, who had come up with me, stepped forward, her invention carefully held in both hands, like an acolyte presenting bread to a priest

"What in the name of Christ is that?" Jamie frowned at the object, then up at me

"It’s sort of a do-it-yourself rattlesnake," Brianna told hi their necks to see--though the interest was diverted alan to unwrap his leg, to a chorus of shocked ht of it

Lizzie and Marsali had been faithfully applying fresh, hot onion and flaxseed poultices to it all day, and wisps of steas as I put theht red to the knee, at least in those parts that weren’t black or seeping with pus We had reots temporarily, afraid the heat would kill theery, happily occupied with sos If I succeeded in saving the leg, they could help with the tidying-up, later

I had carefully gone through the detritus bit by bit, exa aside everything that could be identified as bearing Penicilliue bowl Over this miscellaneous collection I had poured the fer the day--and with luck, to dissolve any actual raw penicillin froe into the alcoholic liquid

Meanwhile, I had made a selection of those herbs with a reputation for the internal treatment of suppurative conditions, andwater for several hours I poured a cup of this highly aro my nose

"Make hi Jaave erated faces for the entertainled appreciatively Theto take the makeshift hypoder shoulder-to-shoulder in the corner, pressed forward to see, swelling with pride They had gone out at once at Bree’s request, co back in --and fortunately dead, having been cut nearly in half with an ax, so as to preserve the valuable head

I had dissected out the poison sacs with great caution, detaching the fangs, and then had put Mrs Bug to the task of rinsing the fangs repeatedly with alcohol, to eradicate any lingering traces of venom

Bree had taken the oiled silk that had been used to wrap the astrolabe, and stitched part of it into a s one end of this with a draw-stitch, like a purse-string She had cut a thick seg-quill, softened with hot water, and used this to join the gathered end of the silk tube to the fang Melted beeswax had sealed the joints of tube, quill, and fang, and been spread carefully along the line of the stitching, to prevent leakage It was a nice, neat job--but it did look quite like a s, and occasioned no little co one of Jaus to hold the candle for er looked rabbed the hand and knelt down by the bed, holding on tight

I ran ood spot, clear of major blood vessels, swabbed it with pure alcohol, and jabbed the fang in, as deeply as I could There was a gasp from the spectators, and a sharp intake of breath froht" I nodded at Brianna, as standing by with the bottle of strained corn-alcohol Teeth sunk in her lower lip, she poured carefully, filling the silk tube as I supported it I folded the open top tightly over, and with thu the liquid out through the fang and into the tissues of the leg

Jaer leaned inward instinctively, their shoulders pressing against his, holding on

I didn’t dare go too fast, for fear of cracking the wax seals by exerting too e, , just in case I worked e with each injection, and blood rose glistening fro in tiny rivulets down the side of his leg Without being asked, Lizzie picked up a cloth and blotted it clean, eyes intent on the job

The room was silent, but I felt everyone’s breath held as I chose a new spot, let out in a sigh as the stab wastoward the bed as I squeezed the stinging alcohol deep into the infected tissues The muscles stood out in knots on Jamie’s forearms, and sweat ran down his face like rain, but neither he, nor Murdo, nor Roger made a sound or moved

From the corner of my eye, I saw Joseph Wemyss stroke back the hair from Jamie’s forehead, and wipe away the sweat from his face and neck with a towel