WHEN, immediately after the episode of the bottle of Romanee-Conti in the State dining-room, Prince Aribert and old Hans found that Prince Eugen had sunk in an unconscious heap over his chair, both the former thought, at the first instant, that Eugen must have already tasted the poisoned wine.

But a moment's reflection showed that this was not possible.

If the Hereditary Prince of Posen was dying or dead, his condition was due to some other agency than the Romanee-Conti.

Aribert bent over him, and a powerful odour from the man's lips at once disclosed the cause of the disaster: it was the odour of laudanum.
Indeed, the smell of that sinister drug seemed now to float heavily over the whole table.

Across Aribert's mind there flashed then the true explanation.