olution of the great mass heaving beyond.
It takes away one's breath, does Pattaquasset."

"You are making it akin to 'the music of the spheres,'" said Mr. Linden.

"Is that what you find in Pattaquasset?" said the doctor. "Your ears
must be pleasantly constituted--or more agreeably saluted than those of
other mortals. The only music I know of here is Miss Derrick's voice.
Does she feed upon roses, like the Persian bulbul?"

"I should suppose not--unless roses impart their colour in that way,"
said Mr. Linden, softly turning the folded paper from side to side.

"This is a nice place," said the doctor surveying the room--"and you
look very comfortable. I should like to take your invitation and sit
down--but I mustn't. Won't you try and put a good opinion of me into
the head of Mrs Derrick?"

"What an extraordinary request!" said Mr. Linden, laughing a little.
"Pray what am I to understand by it? And why mustn't you sit
down?--here is something to rejoice your heart with a few of the
aforesaid upheavings of Society;" and he handed the doctor an unopened
foreign newspaper.

"Absolutely irresistible!" said the doctor, and he broke the cover,
took a chair and sat down before the fire; where for awhile to all
appearance he also made himself 'comfortable'; and certainly turned and
returned and ran over the paper in an artistic manner.

"After all," said he, "it's a bore! this alternation of knocking each
other down which the nations of the earth practise,--and the
societies,--and the men! It's a pugilistic world we live in, Linden.
It's a bore to keep up with them,--for one must know who's atop--both
in Europe and in Pattaquasset--where you are just now the king of men's
mouths--And all the while it don't a pin signify, except to the one who
is atop;--I beg your pardon!"

"How long must I, being 'atop,' lie here? All this week?"

"What will you do if I say more than that?"

"Why I'll listen respectfully. Do you know I like to see you sitting
there?--Here is another paper for you."

The doctor looked at him with an odd, frankly inquisitive smile; but he
only took the paper to play with it.

"I wonder if I may ask a roundabout favour from you?"

"You may ask anything--" said Mr. Linden. "I would rather have it in a
straight-forward form."

"Can't," said the doctor, "because it is crooked. I suppose at this
hour every lady in Pattaquasset expects that her friends will not call
her away from her affairs; and I stu