o make you his substitute--to take his
place with you."

"So like Hal," said Frank softly. "Well, and so you have."

"Have I, lad? Well, I have tried, and it has been very pleasant to have
you come to me to chat over your experiences and successes and failures,
and to tell you mine."

"You have made more of a man of me," said Frank softly; "often and often
when I have felt that I was only an ignorant, blundering boy."

"I never saw much of the ignorance or blundering," said the doctor
quietly. "You were always too enthusiastic over your studies for that."

"Never mind about my qualities," said Frank, with a little laugh; "it is
like trying to put me off from talking about you. As I was going to
say, don't you remember telling me that whenever you were going to
perform an operation upon some poor suffering fellow-creature you always
felt a strong sensation of shrinking and want of nerve?"

"Of course. I always do."

"And that you always prayed that your efforts might be rightly guided?"

"Yes," said the doctor, very softly and slowly.

"And that the next day when you went into the operating theatre and
stood there with the patient before you, the students and surgeons with
your assistants about you ready for the task, you always felt as calm
and cool as possible, and that your nerves were like steel?"

"Yes! It is so."

"Then why should you feel doubt now? I have none."

The doctor was silent for a few minutes as they rode on through the
mysterious-looking night, their shadows bowing and undulating on the
sand.

"I suppose it is the same," he said at last, "with the soldiers going
into some engagement. There is the feeling of nervousness which they
suffer from till the stern work begins, and then--well, they act as
brave men do act."

"Even if they are generals in the great fight with disease and death,"
said Frank gravely. "I wish I could feel as sure of our ultimate
success as I do of your being perfectly calm and self-contained in all
you do."

"I should be, my dear boy," said the doctor, "if I could only get rid of
the feeling that I shall be an impostor."

Frank laughed pleasantly.

"That feeling troubling you again?" he said. "How absurd! Are you
going to cheat the poor creatures you attend with sham medicines?"

"Am I going to do what?" said the doctor indignantly.

"And play tricks with the wounds they are suffering from?"

"My dear Frank!"

"And make believe to extract bulle