It was
bound in red and gold, had two handsome silver-gilt clasps and red
edges, the writing being exquisitely straight and legible, and without a
single blot.
'I have them all except--two--_three_,' murmured the thoughtful Puddock
when he had read over the list of ingredients. These, however, he got
from Toole, close at hand, and with a little silver grater and a pretty
little agate pocket pestle and mortar--an heirloom derived from poor
Aunt Bell--he made a wonderful powder; 'nutmeg and ginger, cinnamon and
cloves,' as the song says, and every other stinging product of nature
and chemistry which the author of this famous family 'purge for the
head' could bring to remembrance; and certainly it _was_ potent. With
this the cartridges were loaded, the ends tied up, and O'Flaherty,
placed behind a table on which stood a basin, commenced the serious
operation, under Puddock's directions, by introducing a bag at each side
of his mouth, which as a man of honour, he was bound to retain there
until Puddock had had his morning's tete-a-tete with the barber.
Those who please to consult old domestic receipt-books of the last
century, will find the whole process very exactly described therein.
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