senseless in the street: a clerk of Mr. Hardie's
had recognised him, and brought him home: so
Alfred said.

"Then the cause is mintal," said Sampson;
"unless he got a blow on the hid in bein'
wrecked."

He then examined David's head carefully, and
found a long scar:

"But this is not it," said he; " this is old."

Mrs. Dodd clasped her hands, and assured him
it was new to her: her David had no scar there
when he left her last.

Pursuing his examination, Sampson found an
open wound in his left shoulder.

He showed it them; and they were all as pale
as the patient in a moment. He then asked to
see his coat, and soon discovered a corresponding
puncture in it, which he examined long and
narrowly.

"It is a stab— with a one-edged knife."

There was a simultaneous cry of horror.

"Don't alarm yourselves for that," said Sampson:
" it is nothing: a mere flesh- wound. It is
the vein-wound that alarms me. This school
knows nothing about the paroxysms and remissions
of disease. They have bled and cupped
him for a passing fit. It has passed into the
cold stage, but no quieker than it would have
done without stealing a drop of blood. Tomorrow,
by Disease's nature, he will have another
hot fit in spite of their bleeding. Then
those ijjits would leech his temples; and on that
paroxysm remitting by the nature of Disease,
would fancy their leeches had cured it."

The words were the old words, but the tone
and manner were so different: no shouting, no
anger: all was spoken low and gently, and with
a sort of sad and weary and worn-out air.

He ordered a kettle of hot water and a quantity
of mustard, and made his preparations for the
hot fit as he called it, maintaining the intermittent
and febrile character of all disease.

The patient rambled a good deal, but quite
incoherently, and knew nobody.

But about eight o'clock in the morning he was
quite quiet, and apparently sleeping : so Mrs.
Dodd stole out of the room to order some coffee
for Sampson and Edward. They were nodding,
worn out with watching.

Julia, whose high-strung nature could dispense
with sleep on such an occasion, was on her knees
praying for her Father.

Suddenly there came from the bed, like a
thunder-clap, two words uttered loud and furiously:

"HARDIE! VILLAIN!"

Up started the drowsy watchers, and rubbed
their eyes. They had heard the sound but not
the sense.

Julia rose from her knees bewildered and
aghast: she had caught the strange words distinctly;
words that were to haunt her night and
day.

They were followed immediately by a loud
groan: and the stertorous breathing recommenced,
and the face was no longer pale, but
flushed and turgid. On this Sampson hurried
Julia from the room, and, with Edward's help,
placed David on a stool in the bath, and getting
on a chair discharged half a bucket of cold water
on his head: the patient gasped: another; and
David shuddered, stared wildly, and put his hand
to his head: a third, and he staggered to his
feet.

At this moment Mrs. Dodd coming hastily into
the room, he looked steadily at her, and said,
"Lucy!"

She ran to throw her arms round him, but
Sampson interfered: "Gently! gently!" said
he; " we must have no violent emotions."

"Oh no! I will be prudent." And she stood
quiet with her arms still extended, and cried for
joy.

They got David to bed again, and Sampson
told Mrs. Dodd there was no danger now from
the malady, but only from the remedies.

And in fact David fell into a state of weakness
and exhaustion; and kept muttering unintelligibly.

Dr. Short called in the morning, and was invited
to consult with Dr. Sampson. He declined.
"Dr. Sampson is a notorious quack: no physician
of any eminence will meet him in consultation."

"I regret that resolution," said Mrs. Dodd,
quietly, " as it will deprive me of the advantage
of your skill."

Dr. Short bowed stiffly: " I shall be at your
service, madam, when that empiric has given the
patient up." And he drove away.

Osmond, finding Sampson installed, took the
politic line; he contrived to glide by fine gradations
into the empiric's opinions, without recanting
his own, which were diametrically opposed.
Sampson, before he shot back to town, asked
him to provide a good reliable nurse.

He sent a young woman of iron: she received
Sampson's instructions, and assumed the command
of the sick room; and was jealous of Mrs.
Dodd and Julia; looked on them as mere rival
nurses, amateurs, who, if not snubbed, might
ruin the professionals : she seemed to have forgotten
in the hospitals all about the family affections,
and their power of turning invalids themselves
into nurses.

The second night she got the patient all to
herself for four hours; from eleven till two.

The ladies having consented to this arrangement,
in order to recruit themselves for the
work they were not so mad as to entrust wholly
to a hireling, nurse's feathers smoothed themselves
perceptibly.

At twelve the patient was muttering and murmuring
incessantly about wrecks, and money,
and things: of which vain babble nurse showed
her professional contempt by nodding.

At 12.30 she slept.

At 1.20 she snored very loud, and woke instantly
at the sound.