g myself.
In this sort of locality rather risky cases turned up now and then;
and as soon as I got to be known as a reliable man, I began to get the
peculiar sort of practice I wanted. Notwithstanding all my efforts, I
found myself, at the close of three years, with all my means spent, and
just able to live meagerly from hand to mouth, which by no means suited
a man of my refined tastes.

Once or twice I paid a visit to my aunt, and was able to secure moderate
aid by overhauling her concealed hoardings. But as to these changes of
property I was careful, and did not venture to secure the large amount
I needed. As to the Bible, it was at this time hidden, and I judged
it, therefore, to be her chief place of deposit. Banks she utterly
distrusted.

Six months went by, and I was worse off than ever--two months in arrears
of rent, and numerous other debts to cigar-shops and liquor-dealers. Now
and then some good job, such as a burglar with a cut head, helped me
for a while; but, on the whole, I was like Slider Downeyhylle in Neal's
"Charcoal Sketches," and kept going "downer and downer" the more I tried
not to. Something had to be done.

It occurred to me, about this time, that if I moved into a more genteel
locality I might get a better class of patients, and yet keep the best
of those I now had. To do this it was necessary to pay my rent, and
the more so because I was in a fair way to have no house at all over my
head. But here fortune interposed. I was caught in a heavy rainstorm on
Seventh Street, and ran to catch an omnibus. As I pulled open the door
I saw behind me the Quaker woman, Miss Barker. I laughed and jumped in.
She had to run a little before the 'bus again stopped. She got pretty
wet. An old man in the corner, who seemed in the way of taking charge of
other people's manners, said to me: "Young man, you ought to be ashamed
to get in before the lady, and in this pour, too!"

I said calmly, "But you got in before her."

He made no reply to this obvious fact, as he might have been in the
bus a half-hour. A large, well-dressed man near by said, with a laugh,
"Rather neat, that," and, turning, tried to pull up a window-sash. In
the effort something happened, and he broke the glass, cutting his
hand in half a dozen places. While he was using several quite profane
phrases, I caught his hand and said, "I am a surgeon," and tied my
handkerchief around the bleeding palm.

The guardian of manners said, "I hope you a