nts."

"Sir!"

"Sir!"

_Dr. Dosewell_, (with dignity.)--"You don't know, perhaps, Dr. Morgan,
that I am an apothecary as well as a surgeon. In fact," he added, with a
certain grand humility, "I have not yet taken a diploma, and am but
Doctor by courtesy."

_Dr. Morgan._--"All one, sir! Doctor signs the death-warrant--'pothecary
does the deed!"

_Dr. Dosewell_, (with a withering sneer.)--"Certainly we don't profess
to keep a dying man alive upon the juice of the deadly upas-tree."

_Dr. Morgan_, (complacently.)--"Of course you don't. There are no
poisons with us. That's just the difference between you and me, Dr.
Dosewell!"

_Dr. Dosewell_, (pointing to the homoeopathist's travelling
pharmacopoeia, and with affected candor.)--"Indeed, I have always said
that if you can do no good, you can do no harm, with your
infinitesimals."

Dr. Morgan, who had been obtuse to the insinuation of poisoning, fires
up violently at the charge of doing no harm.

"You know nothing about it! I could kill quite as many people as you, if
I chose it; but I don't choose."

_Dr. Dosewell_, (shrugging up his shoulders.)--"Sir! 'tis no use
arguing; the thing's against common sense. In short, it is my firm
belief that it is--is a complete--"

_Dr. Morgan._--"A complete what?"

_Dr. Dosewell_, (provoked to the utmost.)--"Humbug!"

_Dr. Morgan._--"Humbug! Cott in heaven! You old--"

_Dr. Dosewell._--"Old what, sir?"

_Dr. Morgan_, (at home in a series of alliteral vowels, which none but a
Cymbrian could have uttered without gasping.)--"Old allopathical
anthropophagite!"

_Dr. Dosewell_, (starting up, seizing by the back the chair on which he
had sate, and bringing it down violently on its four legs)--"Sir!"

_Dr. Morgan_, (imitating the action with his own chair.)--"Sir!"

_Dr. Dosewell._--"You're abusive."

_Dr. Morgan._--"You're impertinent."

_Dr. Dosewell._--"Sir!"

_Dr. Morgan._--"Sir!"

The two rivals fronted each other.

They were both athletic men, and fiery men. Dr. Dosewell was the taller,
but Dr. Morgan was the stouter. Dr. Dosewell on the mother's side was
Irish; but Dr. Morgan on both sides was Welsh. All things considered, I
would have backed Dr. Morgan if it had come to blows. But, luckily for
the honor of science, here the chambermaid knocked at the door, and
said, "The coach is coming, sir."

Dr. Morgan recovered his temper and his manners at that announcement.
"Dr. Dosewell," said he, "I have been too