His practiced glance ran over the bottles on the shelves ranged there like soldiers in their silent ranks.

His eye gleamed vindictively as he murmured: "First, my old friend chloral hydrate--there you are.

Now, your reliable brother, chloroform"-- He shook up the growing mixture with a secret pride.

"Just the right amount of muriate codine"-- There was a pause, as the codine dissolved with the other ingredients.

"And now," he gaily murmured, "distilled water," the last element needed to bind these together as a water of death.