f the
ground. But above the curved soft elbow, where no room was for one cross
word (according to our proverb),* three sad gashes, edged with crimson,
spoiled the flow of the pearly flesh. My presence of mind was lost
altogether; and I raised the poor sore arm to my lips, both to stop the
bleeding and to take the venom out, having heard how wise it was, and
thinking of my mother. But Ruth, to my great amazement, drew away from
me in bitter haste, as if I had been inserting instead of extracting
poison. For the bite of a horse is most venomous; especially when he
sheds his teeth; and far more to be feared than the bite of a dog, or
even of a cat. And in my haste I had forgotten that Ruth might not know
a word about this, and might doubt about my meaning, and the warmth
of my osculation. But knowing her danger, I durst not heed her
childishness, or her feelings.

* A maid with an elbow sharp, or knee,
Hath cross words two, out of every three.

'Don't be a fool, Cousin Ruth,' I said, catching her so that she could
not move; 'the poison is soaking into you. Do you think that I do it for
pleasure?'

The spread of shame on her face was such, when she saw her own
misunderstanding, that I was ashamed to look at her; and occupied myself
with drawing all the risk of glanders forth from the white limb, hanging
helpless now, and left entirely to my will. Before I was quite sure of
having wholly exhausted suction, and when I had made the holes in her
arm look like the gills of a lamprey, in came the doctor, partly drunk,
and in haste to get through his business.

'Ha, ha! I see,' he cried; 'bite of a horse, they tell me. Very
poisonous; must be burned away. Sally, the iron in the fire. If you have
a fire, this weather.'

'Crave your pardon, good sir,' I said; for poor little Ruth was fainting
again at his savage orders: 'but my cousin's arm shall not be burned; it
is a great deal too pretty, and I have sucked all the poison out. Look,
sir, how clean and fresh it is.'

'Bless my heart! And so it is! No need at all for cauterising. The
epidermis will close over, and the cutis and the pellis. John Ridd, you
ought to have studied medicine, with your healing powers. Half my virtue
lies in touch. A clean and wholesome body, sir; I have taught you the
Latin grammar. I leave you in excellent hands, my dear, and they wait
for me at shovel-board. Bread and water poultice cold, to be renewed,
tribus horis. John Ridd, I was a