t my
doctor have his own way.

"My name," he proceeded, "is MacGlue. I had the honor of presenting
my respects at your house yonder when you first came to live in this
neighborhood. You don't remember me at present, which is natural
enough in the unbalanced condition of your mind, consequent, you will
understand (as a professional person yourself) on copious loss of
blood."

There my patience gave way.

"Never mind me!" I interposed. "Tell me about the lady!"

"You have opened your mouth, sir!" cried Mr. MacGlue, severely. "You
know the penalty--take a sup of this. I told you we should proceed
systematically," he went on, after he had forced me to submit to the
penalty. "Everything in its place, Mr. Germaine--everything in its
place. I was speaking of your bodily condition. Well, sir, and how did
I discover your bodily condition? Providentially for _you_ I was driving
home yesterday evening by the lower road (which is the road by the river
bank), and, drawing near to the inn here (they call it a hotel; it's
nothing but an inn), I heard the screeching of the landlady half a mile
off. A good woman enough, you will understand, as times go; but a poor
creature in any emergency. Keep still, I'm coming to it now. Well,
I went in to see if the screeching related to anything wanted in the
medical way; and there I found you and the stranger lady in a position
which I may truthfully describe as standing in some need of improvement
on the score of propriety. Tut! tut! I speak jocosely--you were both in
a dead swoon. Having heard what the landlady had to tell me, and having,
to the best of my ability, separated history from hysterics in the
course of the woman's narrative, I found myself, as it were, placed
between two laws. The law of gallantry, you see, pointed to the lady as
the first object of my professional services, while the law of humanity
(seeing that you were still bleeding) pointed no less imperatively to
you. I am no longer a young man: I left the lady to wait. My word! it
was no light matter, Mr. Germaine, to deal with your case, and get you
carried up here out of the way. That old wound of yours, sir, is not to
be trifled with. I bid you beware how you open it again. The next time
you go out for an evening walk and you see a lady in the water, you will
do well for your own health to leave her there. What's that I see? Are
you opening your mouth again? Do you want another sup already?"

"He wants to hear more ab