hing to say to me, Cullingworth,
come out into the street and say it there. It's a caddish thing to speak
like that before the marker." He lifted his cue, and I thought he was
going to strike me with it; but he flung it clattering on the floor, and
chucked half a crown to the man. When we got out in the street, he began
at once in as offensive a tone as ever.

"That's enough, Cullingworth," I said. "I've stood already rather more
than I can carry."

We were in the bright light of a shop window at that moment. He looked
at me, and looked a second time, uncertain what to do. At any moment I
might have found myself in a desperate street row with a man who was my
medical partner. I gave no provocation, but kept myself keenly on the
alert. Suddenly, to my relief, he burst out laughing (such a roar as
made the people stop on the other side of the road), and passing his arm
through mine, he hurried me down the street.

"Devil of a temper you've got, Munro," said he. "By Crums, it's hardly
safe to go out with you. I never know what you're going to do next. Eh,
what? You mustn't be peppery with me, though; for I mean well towards
you, as you'll see before you get finished with me."

I have told you this trivial little scene, Bertie, to show the strange
way in which Cullingworth springs quarrels upon me; suddenly, without
the slightest possible provocation, taking a most offensive tone, and
then when he sees he has goaded me to the edge of my endurance, turning
the whole thing to chaff. This has occurred again and again recently;
and, when coupled with the change in Mrs. Cullingworth's demeanour,
makes one feel that something has happened to change one's relations.
What that something may be, I give you my word that I have no more
idea than you have. Between their coldness, however, and my unpleasant
correspondence with my mother, I was often very sorry that I had not
taken the South American liner.

Cullingworth is preparing for the issue of our new paper. He has carried
the matter through with his usual energy, but he doesn't know enough
about local affairs to be able to write about them, and it is a question
whether he can interest the people here in anything else. At present we
are prepared to run the paper single-handed; we are working seven hours
a day at the practice; we are building a stable; and in our odd hours we
are practising at our magnetic ship-protector, with which Cullingworth
is still well pleased, though h