and you won't even think it over. You
came here knowing what you had; you came to ask advice of me, with the
intention of paying no heed to it, unless it conformed to your wishes.
A superficial honesty has driven you to take that chance in order to
satisfy your conscience. You wanted to have somebody upon whom you could
put off, bye and bye, the consequences of an act whose culpability you
understand! No, don't protest! Many of those who come here think and act
as you think, and as you wish to act; but the marriage made against
my will has generally been the source of such calamities that now I am
always afraid of not having been persuasive enough, and it even seems to
me that I am a little to blame for these misfortunes. I should have been
able to prevent them; they would not have happened if those who are the
authors of them knew what I know and had seen what I have seen. Swear to
me, sir, that you are going to break off that marriage!"

George was greatly embarrassed, and unwilling to reply. "I cannot swear
to you at all, Doctor; I can only tell you again that I will think it
over."

"That WHAT over?"

"What you have told me."

"What I have told you is true! You cannot bring any new objections; and
I have answered those which you have presented to me; therefore, your
mind ought to be made up."

Groping for a reply, George hesitated. He could not deny that he had
made inquiry about these matters before he had come to the doctor. But
he said that he was not al all certain that he had this disease. The
doctor declared it, and perhaps it was true, but the most learned
physicians were sometimes deceived.

He remembered something he had read in one of the medical books. "Dr.
Ricord maintains that after a certain period the disease is no longer
contagious. He has proven his contentions by examples. Today you produce
new examples to show that he is wrong! Now, I want to do what's right,
but surely I have the right to think it over. And when I think it
over, I realize that all the evils with which you threaten me are only
probable evils. In spite of your desire to terrify me, you have been
forced to admit that possibly my marriage would not have any troublesome
consequence for my wife."

The doctor found difficulty in restraining himself. But he said, "Go on.
I will answer you afterwards."

And George blundered ahead in his desperation. "Your remedies are
powerful, you tell me; and for the calamities of which you sp