"They are all like atropine, mydriatic alkaloids," he proceeded,
"so called from the effect they have on the eye. Why, one-one
hundred thousandth of a grain will affect the eye of a cat. You
saw how it acted on our subject. It is more active in that way
than atropine. Better yet, you remember how Whitney's eyes looked,
how Inez said her father stared, and how she feared for Lockwood?"
"I remember," I said, still not able to detach the evil-eye idea
quite from my mind. "How about the Senora's eyes? What makes them
so--well, effective?"
"Oh," Craig answered quickly, "her pupils were normal enough.
Didn't you notice that? It was the difference in Whitney's and the
others' that first suggested making some tests."
"What is the effect?" I asked, wondering whether it might have
contributed to the cause of Mendoza's death.
"The concentrated poison which has been used in these cigarettes
does not kill--at least not outright. It is worse than that.
Slowly it accumulates in the system. It acts on the brain."
I was listening, spellbound, as he made his disclosure. No wonder,
I thought, even a scientific criminal stood in awe of Craig.
"Of all the dangers to be met with in superstitious countries,
these mydratic alkaloids are among the worst.
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