troy his peace and hinder him in his scientific advancement!

Tormented by such bitter thoughts as these, he went into a neat little
house by the harbor where a worthy pilot lay dying, surrounded by his
wife and children; and there, at once, he was himself again, putting
forth all his knowledge and heartfelt kindliness, quitting the scene
with a bleeding heart and an empty purse; but no sooner was he out of
doors than his former mood closed in upon him with double gloom. The
case was plain: Even with the fixed determination not to sacrifice
himself for others he could not help doing it; the impulse was too
strong for him. He could no more help suffering with the sufferer,
and giving the best he had to give with no hope of a return, than the
drunkard can help drinking. He was made to be plundered; it was his
fate!

With a drooping head he returned to his old friend's work-room.
Horapollo was sitting, just as he had sat the night before, at his
writing-table with his scrolls and his three lamps, a slave below,
snoring while he awaited his master's pleasure.

The leech's pretty Greek greeting "Rejoice!" sounded rather like "May
you choke!" as he flung aside his upper garment; and to the old man's
answer and anxious exclamation: "How badly you look, Philip!" he
answered crossly: "Like a man who deserves a kick rather than a welcome;
a booby who has submitted to have his nose pulled; a cur who has licked
the hand of the lout who has thrashed him!"

He threw himself on the divan and told Horapollo all that had passed
between him and Orion. "And the maddest part of it all," he ended, "is
that I almost like the man; that he really seems to me to be on the high
road to become a capital fellow; and that I no longer feel inclined to
pitch him into a lime-kiln at the mere thought of his putting out a hand
to Paula. At the same time," and he started to his feet, "even if I help
him to bring the poor little girl away from that demented old hag, I
cannot and will not continue to be her physician. There are plenty of
quacks about in this corpse of a town, and they may find one of them.

"You will continue to treat the child," interrupted the old man quietly.

"To have my heart daily flogged with nettles!" exclaimed the leech,
going towards Horapollo with wild gesticulations. "And do you believe
that I have any desire to meet that young fellow's sweetheart day after
day, often twice a day, that the barb may be twisted round and rou