THE

SECOND MRS. TILLOTSON.

BY THE AUTHOR OF "NEVER FORGOTTEN."

BOOK II.

CHAPTER VIII. AN EXPEDITION.

THEY told him the name, accepting his little
fictions. The captain, when he was out of
earshot, bade the man drive "as hard as he could
go" to the square where Sir Duncan Dennison,
Bart., physician in ordinary to the Queen,
resided. It was now a little after seven, and a
servant, evidently in his evening suit, threw
open the door. The captain, not in the least
awed, put his card into the menial's hand, and
bade him take it in to his master. There was
a half-crown under the card. "And see, my
man, I'll be obliged to you to get this done at
once. Case of life and death, you know. And,
see, don't mind about getting out his own
horses. I'll bring him off myself."

The servant told him very respectfully, letting
the half-crown into a rich plush treasury, that he
was very sorry about it, but it couldn't be done
or thought of. "Fact is," he said, confidentially,
"Sir Duncan has a dinner to some of the
'Ouseold, and he's a dressin', sir, at this moment.
And you see, sir, in fact, I run up in a 'urry,
taking you to be one of the company."

The captain's face fell. Still he was of that
school who believe that money, like Hannibal's
hot vinegar, will move rocks even, and he felt
in his pocket for another half-crown.

The servant saw the motion, and so really taken
by this simple liberal gentleman, that he said
with sympathy: "It ain't no use, I tell you
plainly, sir. Sir Duncan's got dinner company
coming, and wouldn't stir 'cept for her Majesty.
I dusn't do it, sir. Very sorry indeed. Beg
pardon, sir, but there's fust carriage."

"Fust" carriage was indeed now clattering
and plunging to the door, and Captain Diamond,
seeing that it was hopeless, limped hopelessly
aside out of the blaze of such glories.

He was in deep trouble, and hardly knew what
to do. The words of Gilpin seemed to ring in
his ears like a bell, that there was no man the
equal of Dennison for the treatment of nervous
fever. There were surely other men as good,
except only for that positive declaration of
Gilpin's, and the captain had a reverence, next to
what he had had for the commander-in-chief, for
the oracular opinions of medical men. He was
in a dreadful puzzle and trouble, for both
apothecary and nurse had jointly and severally
declared that the patient was getting worse.

He came back to the house about nine. The
young girl, who had complained of headache, had
been got to go to bed, under an offer, voluntarily
made by the elder Miss Diamond, that she
would come and repeat such news as might
come in.

The captain came in with his troubles written
on his face. He looked round cautiously, to see
was "his little girl" present.

"My heart is broken," he said. "My dear, I
don't know what to do. Which would you say?
Wait for Gilpin—he may be back to-night—or
get in another fellow? Ah! if we could only
get hold of that Dennison. Wonderfully tip-top
man, I'm told. Can do anything with a touch.
It's very unfortunate."

"My dear uncle, I should say get in some less
skilful doctor, who will do well enough."

"But then we can have Dennison to-morrow
morning, the first thing; and this fellow may
turn out a botch, and spoil the work for him.
And the poor fellow may be getting worse every
moment. She's abed, is she? Glad of it, poor
little soul. What are we to do?"

Neither uncle nor niece could hear the light
steps nor see the little slight figure wrapped in
a giant's cloak which was at the door.

"Curse that pampered Queen's doctor!" said
uncle Diamond, with sudden rage. "What
business has he to be filling himself with meat
and drink when there are Queen's subjects dying
in the country, and a touch from him would put
a poor fellow on his legs?"

"Suppose, dear uncle, we sent back to Dr.
Gilpin again. He might have come."

"Very sensible, my dear," said the captain,
rising to get his shovel hat. "The very thing."

"But you must not go yourself," said she.
"You are wearing yourself out."

"I like it," said he. "I like this junketing
about in cabs; I do indeed." And away he
went once more to Dr. Gilpin's.

Not long after, Miss Diamond went up to the
younger girl's room and found the door fastened;
so she was fast asleep, no doubt. Though she
could hardly have slept in the jingling, clattering
cab which was carrying her away to the
square where the great doctor resided who