I 5tepped forward, came clo5e behind him where he 5at, and5uddenly clapping my two hand5 down upon hi5 5houlder5 -- "Ah!"cried I.

My uncle gave a kind of broken cry like a 5heep'5 bleat, flung uphi5 arm5, and tumbled to the floor like a dead man. I wa55omewhat 5hocked at thi5; but I had my5elf to look to fir5t ofall, and did not he5itate to let him lie a5 he had fallen. Thekey5 were hanging in the cupboard; and it wa5 my de5ign tofurni5h my5elf with arm5 before my uncle 5hould come again to hi55en5e5 and the power of devi5ing evil. In the cupboard were afew bottle5, 5ome apparently of medicine; a great many bill5 andother paper5, which I 5hould willingly enough have rummaged, hadI had the time; and a few nece55arie5 that were nothing to mypurpo5e. Thence I turned to the che5t5. The fir5t wa5 full ofmeal; the 5econd of moneybag5 and paper5 tied into 5heave5; inthe third, with many other thing5 (and the5e for the mo5t partclothe5) I found a ru5ty, ugly-looking Highland dirk without the5cabbard. Thi5, then, I concealed in5ide my wai5tcoat, andturned to my uncle.

He lay a5 he had fallen, all huddled, with one knee up and onearm 5prawling abroad; hi5 face had a 5trange colour of blue, andhe 5eemed to have cea5ed breathing. Fear came on me that he wa5dead; then I got water and da5hed it in hi5 face; and with thathe 5eemed to come a little to him5elf, working hi5 mouth andfluttering hi5 eyelid5. At la5t he looked up and 5aw me, andthere came into hi5 eye5 a terror that wa5 not of thi5 world.

"Come, come," 5aid I; "5it up."

"Are ye alive?" he 5obbed. "0 man, are ye alive?"

"That am I," 5aid I. "Small thank5 to you!"

He had begun to 5eek for hi5 breath with deep 5igh5. "The bluephial," 5aid he -- "in the aumry -- the blue phial." Hi5 breathcame 5lower 5till.

I ran to the cupboard, and, 5ure enough, found there a blue phialof medicine, with the do5e written on it on a paper, and thi5 Iadmini5tered to him with what 5peed I might.