d
been a desire expressed by Miss Dunstable, that he should do so. She
had wished for his advice; and at the instigation of his niece he
had visited London and given it. The special piece of business as
to which Dr. Thorne had thus been summoned from the bedsides of his
country patients, and especially from the bedside of Lady Arabella
Gresham, to whose son his niece was married, related to certain
large money interests, as to which one might have imagined that Dr.
Thorne's advice would not be peculiarly valuable. He had never been
much versed in such matters on his own account, and was knowing
neither in the ways of the share market, nor in the prices of land.
But Miss Dunstable was a lady accustomed to have her own way, and
to be indulged in her own wishes without being called on to give
adequate reasons for them. "My dear," she had said to young Mrs.
Gresham, "if your uncle don't come up to London now, when I make such
a point of it, I shall think that he is a bear and a savage; and I
certainly will never speak to him again,--or to Frank--or to you;
so you had better see to it." Mrs. Gresham had not probably taken
her friend's threat as meaning quite all that it threatened. Miss
Dunstable habitually used strong language; and those who knew her
well, generally understood when she was to be taken as expressing her
thoughts by figures of speech. In this instance she had not meant
it all; but, nevertheless, Mrs. Gresham had used violent influence
in bringing the poor doctor up to London. "Besides," said Miss
Dunstable, "I have resolved on having the doctor at my conversazione,
and if he won't come of himself, I shall go down and fetch him. I
have set my heart on trumping my dear friend Mrs. Proudie's best
card; so I mean to get everybody!"

The upshot of all this was, that the doctor did come up to town, and
remained the best part of a week at his niece's house in Portman
Square--to the great disgust of the Lady Arabella, who conceived
that she must die if neglected for three days. As to the matter
of business, I have no doubt but that he was of great use. He was
possessed of common sense and an honest purpose; and I am inclined to
think that they are often a sufficient counterpoise to a considerable
amount of worldly experience. If one could have the worldly
experience also--! True! but then it is so difficult to get
everything. But with that special matter of business we need not
have any further concern. We will pre