he assisted the aged
peer on to a hastily improvised stretcher and accompanied him to the
Hall.

His lordship once in bed, the doctor examined him again. It was obvious
immediately that there was only one hope of saving the patient's life.
An injection of anthro-philomelitis must be given without loss of time.

Dr. Venables took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. He never
travelled without a small bottle of this serum in his waistcoat
pocket--a serum which, as my readers know, is prepared from the
earth-worm, in whose body (fortunately) large deposits of
anthro-philomelitis are continually found. With help from a footman in
holding down the patient, the injection was made. In less than a year
Lord Lair was restored to health.

. . . . .

Dr. Gordon Venables' case came before the British Medical Council early
in October. The counts in the indictment were two.

The first was that, "on the 17th of June last, Dr. Gordon Venables did
feloniously and with malice aforethought commit the disgusting and
infamous crime of attending professionally the client of another
practitioner."

The second was that "in the course of rendering professional services to
the said client, Dr. Venables did knowingly and wittingly employ the
assistance of one who was not a properly registered medical man, to wit,
Thomas Boiling, footman, thereby showing himself to be a scurvy fellow
of infamous morals."

Dr. Venables decided to apologise. He also decided to send in an account
to Lord Lair for two hundred and fifty guineas. He justified this to
himself mainly on the ground that, according to a letter in that week's
_Lancet_, the supply of anthro-philomelitis in earth-worms was suddenly
giving out, and that it was necessary to recoup himself for the generous
quantity he had injected into Lord Lair. Naturally, also, he felt that
his lordship, as the author of the whole trouble, owed him something.

The Council, in consideration of his apology, dismissed the first count.
On the second count, however, they struck him off the register.

It was a terrible position for a young doctor to be in, but Gordon
Venables faced it like a man. With Lord Lair's fee in his pocket he came
to town and took a house in Harley Street. When he had paid the first
quarter's rent and the first instalment on the hired furniture, he had
fifty pounds left.

Ten pounds he spent on embossed stationery.

Forty pounds he spent on pos