第5章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Doctor Thorne",免费读到尾

  Winterbones,notawhitoffended,againhidhiscupunderhiscoat-tailandvanished。

  \'Sitdown,Thorne,sitdown,\'saidthecontractor,speakinginquiteadifferentmannerfromanythathehadyetassumed。\'Iknowyou\'reinahurry,butyoumustgivemehalfanhour。Imaybedeadbeforeyoucangivemeanother;whoknows?\'

  Thedoctorofcoursedeclaredthathehopedtohavemanyahalf-hour\'schatwithhimformanyayeartocome。

  \'Well,that\'sasmaybe。Youmuststopnow,atanyrate。Youcanmakethecobpayforit,youknow。\'

  Thedoctortookachairandsatdown。Thusentreatedtostop,hehadhardlyanyalternativebuttodoso。

  \'Itwasn\'tbecauseI\'millthatIsentforyou,orratherletherladyshipsendforyou。Lordblessyou,Thorne;doyouthinkIdon\'tknowwhatitisthatmakesmelikethis?WhenIseethatpoorwretchWinterbones,killinghimselfwithgin,doyouthinkIdon\'tknowwhat\'scomingtomyselfaswellashim?

  \'Whydoyoutakeitthen?Whydoyoudoit?Yourlifeisnotlikehis。Oh,Scatcherd!Scatcherd!\'andthedoctorpreparedtopouroutthefloodofhiseloquenceinbeseechingthissingularmantoabstainfromhiswell-knownpoison。

  \'Isthatallyouknowofhumannature,doctor?Abstain。Canyouabstainfrombreathing,andlivelikeafishdoesunderwater?\'

  \'ButNaturehasnotorderedyoutodrink,Scatcherd。\'

  \'Habitissecondnature,man;andastrongernaturethanthefirst。AndwhyshouldInotdrink?WhatelsehastheworldgivenmeforallthatIhavedoneforit?WhatotherresourcehaveI?Whatothergratification?\'

  \'Oh,myGod!Haveyounotunboundedwealth?Canyounotdoanythingyouwish?beanythingyouchoose?\'

  \'No,\'andthesickmanshriekedwithanenergythatmadehimaudibleallthroughthehouse。\'IcandonothingthatIwouldchoosetodo;benothingthatIwouldwishtobe!WhatcanIdo?WhatcanIbe?WhatgratificationcanIhaveexceptthebrandybottle?IfIgoamonggentlemen,canItalktothem?Iftheyhaveanythingtosayaboutarailway,theywillaskmeaquestion:iftheyspeaktomebeyondthat,Imustbedumb。IfIgoamongmyworkmen,cantheytalktome?No;I

  amtheirmaster,andasternmaster。Theybobtheirheadsandshakeintheirshoeswhentheyseeme。Wherearemyfriends?Here!\'saidhe,andhedraggedabottlefromunderhisverypillow。\'Wherearemyamusements?Here!\'andhebrandishedthebottlealmostinthedoctor\'sface。\'Whereismyoneresource,myonegratification,myonlycomfortafterallmytoils。Here,doctor;here,here,here!\'and,sosaying,hereplacedhistreasurebeneathhispillow。

  Therewassomethingsohorrifyinginthis,thatDrThorneshrankbackamazed,andwasforamomentunabletospeak。

  \'But,Scatcherd,\'hesaidatlast;\'surelyyouwouldnotdieforsuchapassionasthat?\'\'Dieforit?Aye,wouldI。LiveforitwhileIcanlive;anddieforitwhenIcanlivenolonger。Dieforit!Whatisthatforamantodo?Whatisamantheworsefordying?WhatcanIbetheworsefordying?Amancandiebutonce,yousaidjustnow。I\'ddietentimesforthis。\'

  \'Youarespeakingnoweitherinmadness,orelseinfolly,tostartleme。\'

  \'Follyenough,perhaps,andmadnessenough,also。Suchalifeasminemakesamanafool,andmakeshimmadtoo。WhathaveaboutmethatI

  shouldbeafraidtodie?I\'mworththreehundredthousandpounds;andI\'dgiveitalltobeabletogotoworkto-morrowwithahodandmortar,andhaveafellowclaphishanduponmyshoulder,andsay:

  “Well,Roger,shallushavethat\'ereotherhalf-pintthismorning?”

  I\'lltellyouwhat,Thorne,whenamanhasmadethreehundredthousandpounds,there\'snothingleftforhimbuttodie。It\'sallhe\'sgoodforthen。Whenmoney\'sbeenmade,thenextthingistospendit。Nowthemanwhomakesithasnotthehearttodothat。\'

  Thedoctor,ofcourse,inhearingallthis,saidsomethingofatendencytocomfortandconsolethemindofhispatient。Notthatanythinghecouldsaywouldcomfortorconsoletheman;butthatitwasimpossibletositthereandhearsuchfearfultruths——forasregardedScatcherdtheyweretruths——withoutmakingsomeanswer。\'

  \'Thisisasgoodasaplay,isn\'t,doctor?\'saidthebaronet。\'Youdidn\'tknowhowIcouldcomeoutlikeoneofthoseactorfellows。Well,now,come;atlastI\'lltellyouwhyIhavesentforyou。BeforethatlastburstofmineImademywill。\'

  \'Youhadmadeawillbeforethat。\'

  \'Yes,Ihad。Thatwillisdestroyed。Iburntitwithmyownhand,sothatthereshouldbenomistakeaboutit。InthatwillIhadnamedtwoexecutors,youandJackson。IwasthenpartnerwithJacksonintheYorkandYeovilGrandCentral。IthoughtadealofJacksonthen。He\'snotworthashillingnow。\'

  \'Well,I\'mexactlyinthesamecategory。\'

  \'No,you\'renot。Jacksonisnothingwithoutmoney;butmoney\'llnevermakeyou。\'

  \'No,norIshan\'tmakemoney,\'saidthedoctor。

  \'No,youneverwill。Nevertheless,there\'smyotherwill,there,underthatdeskthere;andI\'veputyouinassoleexecutor。\'

  \'Youmustalterthat,Scatcherd;youmustindeed;withthreehundredthousandpoundstobedisposedof,thetrustisfartoomuchforanyoneman:besidesyoumustnameayoungerman;youandIareofthesameage,andImaydiefirst。\'

  \'Now,doctor,nohumbug;let\'shavenohumbugfromyou。Rememberthis;

  ifyou\'renottrue,you\'renothing。\'

  \'Well,but,Scatcherd——\'

  \'Well,butdoctor,there\'sthewill,it\'salreadymade。Idon\'twanttoconsultyouaboutthat。Youarenamedasexecutor,andifyouhavethehearttorefusetoactwhenI\'mdead,why,ofcourse,youcandoso。\'

  Thedoctorwasnotlawyer,andhardlyknewwhetherhehadanymeansofextricatinghimselffromthispositioninwhichhisfriendwasdeterminedtoplacehim。

  \'You\'llhavetoseethatwillcarriedout,Thorne。NowI\'lltellyouwhatIhavedone。\'

  \'You\'renotgoingtotellmehowyouhavedisposedofyourproperty?\'

  \'Notexactly;atleastnotallofit。OnehundredthousandI\'veinlegacies,including,youknow,whatLadyScatcherdwillhave。\'

  \'HaveyounotleftthehousetoLadyScatcherd?\'

  \'No;whatthedevilwouldshedowithahouselikethis?Shedoesn\'tknowhowtoliveinitnowshehasgotit。Ihaveprovidedforher;itmattersnothow。Thehouseandtheestate,andtheremainderofmymoneyIhavelefttoLouisPhilippe。\'

  \'What!twohundredthousandpounds?\'saidthedoctor。

  \'Andwhyshouldn\'tIleavetwohundredthousandpoundstomyson,eventomyeldestsonifIhavemorethanone?DoesnotMrGreshamleaveallhispropertytohisheir?WhyshouldnotImakeaneldestsonaswellasLorddeCourcyortheDukeofOmnium?IsupposearailwaycontractoroughtnottobeallowedaneldestsonbyActofParliament!

  Won\'tmysonhaveatitletokeepup?Andthat\'smorethantheGreshamshaveamongthem。\'

  Thedoctorexplainedawaywhathesaidaswellashecould。Hecouldnotexplainthatwhathehadreallymeantwasthis,thatSirRogerScatcherd\'ssonwasnotamanfittobetrustedwiththeentirecontrolofanenormousfortune。

  SirRogerScatcherdhadbutonechild;thatchildwhichhadbeenborninthedaysofhisearlytroubles,andhadbeendismissedfromhismother\'sbreastinorderthatthemother\'smilkmightnourishtheyoungheirofGreshamsbury。Theboyhadgrownup,buthadbecomestrongneitherinmindnorbody。Hisfatherhaddeterminedtomakeagentlemanofhim,andhadsenttoEtonandCambridge。Buteventhisreceipt,generallyasitisrecognized,willnotmakeagentleman。Itishard,indeed,todefinewhatreceiptwilldoso,thoughpeopledohaveintheirownmindssomecertainundefined,butyettolerablycorrectideasonthesubject。Bethatasitmay,twoyearsatEton,andthreetermsatCambridge,didnotmakeagentlemanofLouisPhilippeScatcherd。

  Yes;hewaschristenedLouisPhilippe,aftertheKingoftheFrench。Ifonewishestolookoutintheworldforroyalnomenclature,tofindchildrenwhohavebeenchristenedafterkingsandqueens,ortheunclesandauntsofkingsandqueens,thesearchshouldbemadeinthefamiliesofdemocrats。Nonehavesoservileadeferencefortheverynail-paringsofroyalty;nonefeelsowonderinganaweattheexaltationofacrownedhead;nonearesoanxioustosecurethemselvessomeshredorfragmentthathasbeenconsecratedbytheroyaltouch。Itisthedistancewhichtheyfeeltoexistbetweenthemselves,andthethronewhichmakesthemcovetthecrumbsofmajesty,theoddsandendsandchancesplintersofroyalty。

  TherewasnothingroyalaboutLouisPhilippeScatcherdbuthisname。Hehadnowcometoman\'sestate,andhisfather,findingtheCambridgereceipttobeinefficacious,hadsenthimabroadtotravelwithatutor。Thedoctorhadfromtimetotimeheardtidingsofthisyouth;

  heknewthathehadalreadyshownsymptomsofhisfather\'svices,butnosymptomsofhisfather\'stalents;heknewthathehadbegunlifebybeingdissipated,withoutbeinggenerous;andthatattheageoftwenty-onehehadalreadysufferedfromdeliriumtremens。

  Itwasonthisaccountthathehadexpresseddisapprobation,ratherthansurprise,whenheheardthathisfatherintendedtobequeaththebulkofhislargefortunetotheuncontrolledwillofthisunfortunateboy。

  \'Ihavetoiledformymoneyhard,andIhavearighttodoasIlikewithit。Whatothersatisfactioncanitgiveme?\'

  Thedoctorassuredhimthathedidnotatallmeantodisputethis。

  \'LouisPhilippewilldowellenough,you\'llfind,\'continuedthebaronet,understandingwhatwaspassingwithinhiscompanion\'sbreast。

  \'Letayoungfellowsowhiswildoatswhileheisyoung,andhe\'llbesteadyenoughwhenhegrowsold。\'

  \'Butwhatifheneverlivestogetthroughthesowing?\'thoughtthedoctortohimself。\'Whatifthewild-oatsoperationiscarriedoninsoviolentamannerastoleavenostrengthinthesoilfortheproductofamorevaluablecrop?\'Itwasofnousesayingthis,however,soheallowedScatcherdtocontinue。

  \'IfI\'dhadafreeflingwhenIwasayoungster,Ishouldn\'thavebeensofondofthebrandybottlenow。Butanyway,mysonshallbemyheir。I\'vehadthegumptiontomakethemoney,butIhaven\'tthegumptiontospendit。Myson,however,shallbeabletoruffleitwiththebestofthem。I\'llgobailheshallholdhisheadhigherthaneveryoungGreshamwillbeabletoholdhis。Theyaremuchofthesameage,aswellIhavecausetoremember;——andsohasherladyshiphere。\'

  Nowthefactwas,thatSirRogerScatcherdfeltinhisheartnospecialloveforyoungGresham;butwithherladyshipitmightalmostbeaquestionwhethershedidnotlovetheyouthwhomshehadnursedalmostaswellasthatotheronewhowasherownproperoffspring。

  \'Andwillyounotputanycheckonthoughtlessexpenditure?Ifyoulivetenortwentyyears,aswehopeyoumay,itwillbecomeunnecessary;

  butinmakingawill,amanshouldalwaysrememberhemaygooffsuddenly。\'

  \'Especiallyifhegoestobedwithabrandybottleunderhishead;eh,doctor?But,mind,that\'samedicalsecret,youknow;notawordofthatoutofthebedroom。\'

  DrThornecouldbutsigh。Whatcouldhesayonsuchasubjecttosuchamanasthis?

  \'Yes,Ihaveputacheckonhisexpenditure。Iwillnotlethisdailybreaddependonanyman;Ihavethereforelethimfivehundredayearathisowndisposal,fromthedayofmydeath。Lethimmakewhatducksanddrakesofthathecan。\'

  \'Fivehundredayeariscertainlynotmuch,\'saidthedoctor。

  \'No;nordoIwanttokeephimtothat。Lethimhavewhateverhewantsifhesetsaboutspendingitproperly。Butthebulkoftheproperty——thisestateofBoxallHill,andtheGreshamsburymortgage,andthoseothermortgages——Ihavetiedupinthisway:theyshallbeallhisattwenty-five;anduptothatageitshallbeinyourpowertogivehimwhathewants。Ifheshalldiewithoutchildrenbeforeheshallbetwenty-fiveyearsofage,theyarealltogotoMary\'seldestchild。\'

  NowMarywasSirRoger\'ssister,themother,therefore,ofMissThorne,and,consequently,thewifeoftherespectableironmongerwhowenttoAmerica,andthemotherofafamilythere。

  \'Mary\'seldestchild!\'saidthedoctor,feelingthattheperspirationhadnearlybrokenoutonhisforehead,andthathecouldhardlycontrolhisfeelings。\'Mary\'seldestchild!Scatcherd,youshouldbemoreparticularinyourdescription,oryouwillleaveyourbestlegacytothelawyers。\'

  \'Idon\'tknow,andneverheardthenameofoneofthem。\'

  \'Butdoyoumeanaboyoragirl?\'

  \'TheymaybeallgirlsforwhatIknow,orallboys;besides,Idon\'tcarewhichitis。Agirlwouldprobablydobestwithit。Onlyyou\'dhavetoseethatshemarriedsomedecentfellow;you\'dbeherguardian。\'

  \'Pooh,nonsense,\'saidthedoctor。\'Louiswillbefive-and-twentyinayearortwo。\'

  \'Inaboutfouryears。\'

  \'Andforallthat\'scomeandgoneyet,Scatcherd,youarenotgoingtoleaveusyourselfquitesosoonasallthat。\'

  \'NotifIcanhelpit;butthat\'sasmaybe。\'

  \'Thechancesaretentoonethatsuchaclauseinyourwillwillnevercometobear。\'

  \'Quiteso,quiteso。IfIdie,LouisPhilippewon\'t,butIthoughtitrighttoputinsomethingtopreventhissquanderingitallbeforehecomestohissenses。\'

  \'Oh!quiteright,quiteright。IthinkIwouldhavenamedalateragethantwenty-five。\'

  \'SowouldnotI。LouisPhilippewillbeallrightbythattime。That\'smylookout。Andnow,doctor,youknowmywill;andifIdieto-morrow,youwillknowwhatIwantyoutodoforme。\'

  \'Youhavemerelysaidtheeldestchild,Scatcherd?\'

  \'That\'sall;giveithere;andI\'llreadittoyou。\'

  \'No;no;nevermind。Theeldestchild!Youshouldbemoreparticular,Scatcherd;youshould,indeed。Considerwhatanenormousinterestmayhavetodependonthosewords。\'

  \'Why,whatthedevilcouldIsay?Idon\'tknowtheirnames;neverevenheardthem。Buttheeldestistheeldest,alltheworldover。PerhapsIoughttosaytheyoungest,seeingthatIamonlyarailwaycontractor。\'

  ScatcherdbegantothinkthatthedoctormightnowaswellgoawayandleavehimtothesocietyofWinterbonesandthebrandy;but,muchasourfriendhadbeforeexpressedhimselfinahurry,henowseemedinclinedtomoveveryleisurely。Hesattherebythebedside,restinghishandsonhiskneesandgazingunconsciouslyatthecounterpane。Atlasthegaveadeepsigh,andthenhesaid,\'Scatcherd,youmustbemoreparticularinthis。IfIamtohaveanythingtodowithit,youmust,indeed,bemoreexplicit。\'

  \'Why,howthedeucecanIbemoreexplicit?Isn\'thereldestlivingchildplainenough,whetherhebeJack,orshebeGill?\'

  \'Whatdidyourlawyersaytothis,Scatcherd?\'

  \'Lawyer!Youdon\'tsupposeIletmylawyerknowwhatIwasputting。

  No;Igottheformandthepaper,andallthatfromhim,andIdiditinanother。It\'sallrightenough。ThoughWinterboneswroteit,hediditinsuchawayhedidnotknowwhathewaswriting。\'

  Thedoctorsatawhilelonger,stilllookingatthecounter-pane,andthengotuptodepart。\'I\'llseeyouagainsoon,\'saidhe;\'to-morrow,probably。\'

  \'To-morrow!\'saidSirRoger,notatallunderstandingwhyDrThorneshouldtalkofreturningsosoon。\'To-morrow!whyIain\'tsobadasthat,man,amI?Ifyoucomesooftenasthatyouwillruinme。\'

  \'Oh,notasamedicalman;notasthat;butaboutthiswill,Scatcherd。Imustthinkifover;Imust,indeed。\'

  \'YouneednotgiveyourselftheleasttroubleintheworldaboutmywilltillI\'mdead;nottheleast。Andwhoknows——maybe,Imaybesettlingyouraffairsyet;eh,doctor?lookingafteryourniecewhenyou\'redeadandgone,andgettingahusbandforher,eh?Ha!ha!ha!\'

  Andthen,withoutfurtherspeech,thedoctorwenthisway。

  CHAPTERXI

  THEDOCTORDRINKSHISTEA

  Thedoctorgotonhiscobandwenthisway,returningdulytoGreshamsbury。But,intruth,ashewenthehardlyknewwhitherhewasgoing,orwhathewasdoing。SirRogerhadhintedthatthecobwouldbecompelledtomakeupforlosttimebyextraexertionontheroad;

  butthecobhadneverbeenpermittedtohavehisownwayastopacemoresatisfactorilythanonthepresentoccasion。Thedoctor,indeed,hardlyknewthathewasonhorseback,socompletelywasheenvelopedinthecloudofhisownthoughts。

  Inthefirstplace,thatalternativewhichithadbecomehimtoputbeforethebaronetasoneunlikelytooccur——thatofthespeedydeathofbothfatherandson——wasonewhichhefeltinhisheartofheartsmightveryprobablycometopass。

  \'Thechancesaretentoonethatsuchaclausewillneverbebroughttobear。\'Thishehadsaidpartlytohimself,soastoeasethethoughtswhichcamecrowdingonhisbrain;partly,also,inpityforthepatientandthefather。Butnowthathethoughtthematterover,hefeltthattherewerenosuchodds。Werenottheoddstheotherway?Wasitnotalmostprobablethatboththesemenmightbegatheredtotheirlongaccountwithinthenextfouryears?One,theelder,wasastrongman,indeed;onewhomightyetliveforyearstocomeifhecouldbutgivehimselffairplay。Butthen,hehimselfprotested,andprotestedwithatruthtoosurelygrounded,thatfairplaytohimselfwasbeyondhisownpowertogive。Theother,theyounger,hadeverythingagainsthim。Notonlywasheapoor,punycreature,withoutphysicalstrength,oneofwhoselifeafriendcouldneverfeelsureunderanycircumstances,buthealsowasalreadyaddictedtohisfather\'svices;

  healsowasalreadykillinghimselfwithalcohol。

  Andthen,ifthesetwomendiddiewithintheprescribedperiod,ifthisclauseofSirRoger\'swillwerebroughttobear,itshouldbecomehis,DrThorne\'s,dutytoseethatclausecarriedout,howwouldhebeboundtoact?Thatwoman\'seldestchildwashisownniece,hisadoptedbairn,hisdarling,theprideofhisheart,thecynosureofhiseye,hischildalso,hisownMary。Ofallhisdutiesonthisearth,nexttothatonegreatdutytohisGodandconscience,washisdutytoher。

  What,underthesecircumstances,didhisdutytoherrequireofhim?

  Butthen,thatonegreatduty,thatdutywhichshewouldbethefirsttoexpectfromhim;whatdidthatdemandofhim?HadScatcherdmadehiswillwithoutsayingwhatitsclauseswere,itseemedtoThornethatMarymusthavebeentheheiress,shouldthatclausebecomenecessarilyoperative。Whethersheweresoornotwouldatanyratebeforlawyerstodecide。Butnowthecasewasverydifferent。Thisrichmanhadconfidedinhim,andwoulditnotbeabreachofconfidence,anactofabsolutedishonesty——anactofdishonestybothtoScatcherdandtothatfar-distantAmericanfamily,tothatfather,who,informerdays,hadbehavedsonobly,andtothateldestchildofhis,woulditnotbegrossdishonestytothemallifheallowedthismantoleaveawillbywhichhispropertymightgotoapersonneverintendedtobehisheir?

  LongbeforehehadarrivedatGreshamsburyhismindonthispointhadbeenmadeup。Indeed,ithadbeenmadeupwhilesittingtherebyScatcherd\'sbedside。Ithadnotbeendifficulttomakeuphismindtosomuch;butthen,hiswayoutofthisdishonestywasnotsoeasyforhimtofind。Howshouldhesetthismatterrighttoastoinflictnoinjuryonhisniece,andnosorrowtohimself——ifthatindeedcouldbeavoided?

  Andthenotherthoughtscrowdedonhisbrain。Hehadalwaysprofessed——professedatanyratetohimselfandtoher——thatofallthevileobjectsofaman\'sambition,wealth,wealthmerelyforitsownsake,wasthevilest。They,intheirjointschoolofinherentphilosophy,hadprogressedtoideaswhichtheymightfinditnoteasytocarryout,shouldtheybecalledonbyeventstodoso。Andifthiswouldhavebeendifficulttoeitherwhenactingonbehalfofselfalone,howmuchmoredifficultwhenonemighthavetoactfortheother!Thisdifficultyhadnowcometotheuncle。Shouldhe,inthisemergency,takeuponhimselftoflingawaythegoldenchancewhichmightaccruetohisnieceifScatcherdshouldbeencouragedtomakeherpartlyhisheir?

  \'He\'dwanthertogoandlivethere——tolivewithhimandhiswife。

  AllthemoneyintheBankofEnglandwouldnotpayherforsuchmisery,\'

  saidthedoctortohimself,asheslowlyrodeintoisownyard。

  Ononepoint,andoneonly,hadhedefinitelymadeuphismind。OnthefollowingdayhewouldgooveragaintoBoxallHill,andwouldtellScatcherdthewholetruth。Comewhatmight,thetruthmustbebest。

  Andso,withsomegleamofcomfort,hewentintothehouse,andfoundhisnieceinthedrawing-roomwithPatienceOriel。

  \'MaryandIhavebeenquarrelling,\'saidPatience。\'Shesaysthedoctoristhegreatestmaninavillage;andIsaytheparsonisofcourse。\'

  \'Ionlysaythatthedoctoristhemostlookedafter,\'saidMary。

  \'There\'sanotherhorridmessageforyoutogotoSilverbridge,uncle。

  Whycan\'tthatDrCenturymanagehisownpeople?\'

  \'Shesays,\'continuedMissOriel,\'thatifaparsonwasawayforamonth,noonewouldmisshim;butthatadoctorissopreciousthathisveryminutesarecounted。\'

  \'Iamsureuncle\'sare。Theybegrudgehimhismeals。MrOrielnevergetscalledawaytoSilverbridge。\'

  \'No;weintheChurchmanageourparisharrangementsbetterthanyoudo。Wedon\'tletstrangepractitionersinamongourflocksbecausethesheepmaychancetofancythem。Oursheephavetoputupwithourspiritualdoseswhethertheylikethemornot。Inthatrespectwearemuchthebestoff。Iadviseyou,Mary,tomarryaclergyman,byallmeans。\'

  \'Iwillwhenyoumarryadoctor,\'saidshe。

  \'Iamsurenothingonearthwouldgivemegreaterpleasure,\'saidMissOriel,gettingupandcurtseyingverylowtoDrThorne;\'butIamnotquitepreparedfortheagitationofanofferthismorning,soI\'llrunaway。\'

  Andsoshewent;andthedoctor,gettingtohisotherhorse,startedagainforSilverbridge,wearilyenough。\'She\'shappynowwheresheis,\'saidhetohimself,asherodealong。\'TheyalltreatherthereasanequalatGreshamsbury。WhatthoughshebenocousintotheThornesofUllathorne。Shehasfoundherplacethereamongthemall,andkeepsitonequaltermswiththebestofthem。ThereisMissOriel;herfamilyishigh;sheisrich,fashionable,abeauty,courtedbyeveryone;butyetshedoesnotlookdownonMary。Theyareequalfriendstogether。ButhowwoulditbeifsheweretakentoBoxallHill,evenasarecognizednieceoftherichmanthere?WouldPatienceOrielandBeatriceGreshamgothereafterher?Couldshebehappythereassheisinmyhousehere,poorthoughitbe?ItwouldkillhertopassamonthwithLadyScatcherdandputupwiththatman\'shumours,toseehismodeoflife,tobedependentonhim,tobelongtohim。\'Andthenthedoctor,hurryingontoSilverbridge,againmetDrCenturyattheoldlady\'sbedside,andhavingmadehisendeavourstostaveofftheinexorablecomingofthegrimvisitor,againreturnedtohisownnieceandhisowndrawing-room。

  \'Youmustbedead,uncle,\'saidMary,asshepouredouthisteaforhim,andpreparedthecomfortsofthatmostcomfortablemeal-tea,dinner,andsupper,allinone。\'IwishSilverbridgewasfiftymilesoff。\'

  \'Thatwouldonlymakethejourneyworse;butIamnotdeadyet,and,whatismoretothepurpose,neitherismypatient。\'Andashespokehecontrivedtoswallowajorumofscaldingtea,containinginmeasuresomewhatnearapint。Mary,notawhitamazedatthisfeat,merelyrefilledthejorumwithoutanyobservation;andthedoctorwentonstirringthemixturewithhisspoon,evidentlyobliviousthatanyceremonyhadbeenperformedbyeitherofthemsincethefirstsupplyhadbeenadministeredtohim。

  Whentheclatterofknivesandforkswasover,thedoctorturnedhimselftothehearthrug,andputtingonelegovertheother,hebegantonurseitashelookedwithcomplacencyathisthirdcupoftea,whichstooduntastedbesidehim。Thefragmentsofthesolidbanquethadbeenremoved,butnosacrilegioushandhadbeenlaidontheteapotandthecream-jug。

  \'Mary,\'saidhe,\'supposeyouweretofindoutto-morrowmorningthat,bysomeaccident,youhadbecomeagreatheiress,wouldyoubeabletosuppressyourexultation?\'

  \'ThefirstthingI\'ddo,wouldbetopronounceapositiveedictthatyoushouldnevergotoSilverbridgeagain;atleastwithoutaday\'snotice。\'

  \'Well,andwhatnext?whatwouldyoudonext?\'

  \'Thenextthing——thenextthingwouldbetosendtoParisforaFrenchbonnetexactlyliketheonePatienceOrielhadon。Didyouseeit?\'

  \'WellIcan\'tsayIdid;bonnetsareinvisiblenow;besidesIneverremarkanybody\'sclothes,exceptyours。\'

  \'Oh!dolookatMissOriel\'sbonnetthenexttimeyouseeher。Icannotunderstandwhyitshouldbeso,butIamsureofthis——noEnglishfingersputtogethersuchabonnetasthat;andIamnearlysurethatnoFrenchfingerscoulddoitinEngland。\'

  \'Butyoudon\'tcaresomuchaboutbonnets,Mary!\'Thisthedoctorsaidasanassertion;buttherewas,nevertheless,somewhatofaquestioninvolvedinit。

  \'Don\'tIthough?\'saidshe。\'Idocareverymuchaboutbonnets;

  especiallysinceIsawPatiencethismorning。Iaskedhowmuchitcost——guess。\'

  \'Oh!Idon\'tknow——apound?\'

  \'Apound,uncle!\'

  \'What!agreatdealmore?Tenpounds?\'

  \'Oh,uncle。\'

  \'What!morethantenpounds?ThenIdon\'tthinkevenPatienceOrieloughttogiveit。\'

  \'No,ofcourseshewouldnot;but,uncle,itreallycostahundredfrancs!\'

  \'Oh!ahundredfrancs;that\'sfourpounds,isn\'tit?Well,andhowmuchdidyourlastnewbonnetcost?\'

  \'Mine!oh,nothing——fiveandninepence,perhaps;Itrimmeditmyself。

  IfIwereleftagreatfortune,I\'dsendtoParisto-morrow;no,I\'dgomyselftoParistobuyabonnet,andI\'dtakeyouwithmetochooseit。\'

  Thedoctorsatsilentforawhilemeditatingaboutthis,duringwhichheunconsciouslyabsorbedtheteabesidehim;andMaryagainreplenishedhiscup。

  \'Come,Mary,\'hesaidatlast,\'I\'minagenerousmood;andasIamrathermorerichthanusual,we\'llsendtoParisforaFrenchbonnet。ThegoingforitmustwaitawhilelongerIamafraid。\'

  \'You\'rejoking。\'

  \'No,indeed。Ifyouknowthewaytosend——thatImustconfesswouldpuzzleme;butifyou\'llmanagethesending,I\'llmanagethepaying;

  andyoushallhaveaFrenchbonnet。\'

  \'Uncle!\'saidshe,lookingupathim。

  \'Oh,I\'mnotjoking;Ioweyouapresent,andI\'llgiveyouthat。\'

  \'Andifyoudo,I\'lltellyouwhatI\'lldowithit。I\'llcutitintofragments,andburnthembeforeyourface。Why,uncle,whatdoyoutakemefor?You\'renotabitniceto-nighttomakesuchanofferasthattome;notabit,notabit。\'Andthenshecameoverfromherseatatthetea-trayandsatdownonafoot-stoolcloseathisknee。

  \'BecauseI\'dhaveaFrenchbonnetifIhadalargefortune,isthatareasonwhyIshouldlikeonenow?ifyouweretopayfourpoundsforabonnetforme,itwouldscorchmyheadeverytimeIputiton。\'

  \'Idon\'tseethat:fourpoundswouldnotruinme。However,Idon\'tthinkyou\'dlookabitbetterifyouhadit;and,certainly,Ishouldnotliketoscorchtheselocks,\'andputtinghishanduponhershoulders,heplayedwithherhair。

  \'Patiencehasapony-phaeton,andI\'dhaveoneifIwererich;andI\'dhaveallmybooksboundasshedoes;and,perhaps,I\'dgivefiftyguineasforadressing-case。\'

  \'Fiftyguineas!\'

  \'Patiencedidnottellme;butsoBeatricesays。Patienceshowedittomeonce,anditisadarling。IthinkI\'dhavethedressing-casebeforethebonnet。But,uncle——\'

  \'Well?\'

  \'Youdon\'tsupposeIwantsuchthings?\'

  \'Notimproperly。Iamsureyoudonot。\'

  \'Notproperly,orimproperly;notmuch,orlittle。Icovetmanythings;butnothingofthatsort。Youknow,orshouldknow,thatIdonot。WhydoyoutalkofbuyingaFrenchbonnetforme?\'

  DrThornedidnotanswerthisquestion,butwentonnursinghisleg。

  \'Afterall,\'saidhe,\'moneyisafinething。\'

  \'Veryfine,whenitiswellcomeby,\'sheanswered;\'thatis,withoutdetrimenttotheheartandsoul。\'

  \'IshouldbeahappiermanifyouwereprovidedforasMissOriel。

  Suppose,now,Icouldgiveyouuptoarichmanwhowouldbeabletoinsureyouagainstallwants?\'

  \'Insuremeagainstallwants!Oh,thatwouldbeaman。Thatwouldbesellingme,wouldn\'tit,uncle?Yes,sellingme;andthepriceyouwouldreceivewouldbefreedomfromfutureapprehensionsasregardsme。Itwouldbeacowardlysaleforyoutomake;andthen,astome——methevictim。No,uncle;youmustbearthemiseryofhavingtoprovideforme——bonnetsandall。Weareinthesameboat,andyoushan\'tturnmeoverboard。\'

  \'ButifIweretodie,whatwouldyoudothen?\'

  \'AndifIweretodie,whatwouldyoudo?Peoplemustbeboundtogether。Theymustdependoneachother。Ofcourse,misfortunesmaycome;butitiscowardlytobeafraidofthembeforehand。YouandI

  areboundtogether,uncle;andthoughyousaythesethingstoteaseme,Iknowyoudonotwishtogetridofme。\'

  \'Well,well;weshallwinthrough,doubtless;ifnotinoneway,theninanother。\'

  \'Winthrough!Ofcourseweshall;whodoubtsourwinning?but,uncle——\'

  \'But,Mary。\'

  \'Well?\'

  \'Youhaven\'tgotanothercupoftea,haveyou?\'

  \'Oh,uncle!youhavehadfive。\'

  \'No,mydear!notfive;onlyfour——onlyfour。Iassureyou;Ihavebeenveryparticulartocount。IhadonewhileIwas——\'

  \'Fiveuncle;indeedandindeed。\'

  \'Well,then,asIhatetheprejudicewhichattacheslucktoanoddnumber,I\'llhavethesixthtoshowthatIamnotsuperstitious。\'

  WhileMarywaspreparingthesixthjorum,therecameaknockatthedoor。ThoselatesummonseswerehatefultoMary\'sear,fortheywereusuallyforerunnersofamidnightridethroughthedarklanestosomefarmer\'shouse。Thedoctorhadbeeninthesaddleallday,and,asJanetbroughtthenoteintotheroom,Marystoodupasthoughtodefendherunclefromanyfurtherinvasiononhisrest。

  \'Anotefromthehouse,miss,\'saidJanet:now\'thehouse\',inGreshamsburyparlance,alwaysmeantthesquire\'smansion。

  \'Nooneillatthehouse,Ihope,\'saidthedoctor,takingthenotefromMary\'shand。\'Oh——ah——yes;it\'sfromthesquire——there\'snobodyill:waitaminute,Janet,andI\'llwritealine。Mary,lendmeyourdesk。\'

  Thesquire,anxiousasusualformoney,hadwrittentoaskwhatsuccessthedoctorhadhadinnegotiatingthenewloanwithSirRoger。Thatfact,however,was,thatinhisvisittoBoxallHill,thedoctorhadbeenaltogetherunabletobringonthecarpetthematterofthisloan。

  Subjectshadcrowdedthemselvesintooquicklyduringthatinterview——thosetwointerviewsatSirRoger\'sbedside;andhehadbeenobligedtoleavewithoutevenalludingtothequestion。

  \'Imustatanyrategobacknow,\'hesaidtohimself。Sohewrotetothesquire,sayingthathewastobeatBoxallHillagainonthefollowingday,andthathewouldcallatthehouseonhisreturn。

  \'That\'sallsettled,atanyrate,\'saidhe。

  \'What\'ssettled?\'saidMary。

  \'Why,ImustgotoBoxallHillagainto-morrow。Imustgoearly,too,sowe\'dbetterbothbeofftobed。TellJanetImustbreakfastathalf-pastseven。\'

  \'Youcouldn\'ttakeme,couldyou?IshouldsoliketoseethatSirRoger。\'

  \'ToseeSirRoger!Why,he\'sillinbed。\'

  \'That\'sanobjection,certainly;butsomeday,whenhe\'swell,couldyounottakemeover?Ihavethegreatestdesiretoseeamanlikethat;amanwhobeganwithnothingandnowhasmorethanenoughtobuythewholeparishofGreshamsbury。\'

  \'Idon\'tthinkyou\'dlikehimatall。\'

  \'Whynot?IamsureIshould;IamsureIshouldlikehim,andLadyScatcherdtoo。I\'veheardyousaythatsheisanexcellentwoman。\'

  \'Yes,inherway;andhe,too,isgoodinhisway;buttheyareneitheroftheminyourway:theyareextremelyvulgar——\'

  \'Oh!Idon\'tmindthat;thatwouldmakethemmoreamusing;onedoesn\'tgotothosesortofpeopleforpolishedmanners。\'

  \'Idon\'tthinkyou\'dfindtheScatcherdspleasantacquaintancesatall,\'saidthedoctor,takinghisbed-candle,andkissinghisniece\'sforeheadashelefttheroom。

  CHAPTERXII

  WHENGREEKMEETSGREEK,THENCOMESTHETUGOFWAR

  Thedoctor,thatisourdoctor,hadthoughtnothingmoreofthemessagewhichhadbeensenttothatotherdoctor,DrFillgrave;norintruthdidthebaronet。LadyScatcherdhadthoughtofit,butherhusbandduringtherestofthedaywasnotinahumourwhichallowedhertoremindhimthathewouldsoonhaveanewphysicianonhishands;sosheleftthedifficultytoarrangeitself,waitinginsomelittletrepidationtillDrFillgraveshouldshowhimself。

  ItwaswellthatSirRogerwasnotdyingforwantofhisassistance,forwhenthemessagereachedBarchester,DrFillgravewassomefiveorsixmilesoutoftown,atPlumstead;andashedidnotgetbacktilllateintheevening,hefelthimselfnecessitatedtoputoffhisvisittoBoxallHilltillnextmorning。Hadhechancedtohavebeenmadeacquaintedwiththatlittleconversationaboutthepump,hewouldprobablyhavepostponeditevenyetawhilelonger。

  Hewas,however,bynomeanssorrytobesummonedtothebedsideofSirRogerScatcherd。ItwaswellknownatBarchester,andverywellknowntoDrFillgrave,thatSirRogerandDrThornewereoldfriends。Itwasverywellknowntohimalso,thatSirRoger,inallhisbodilyailments,hadhithertobeencontentedtoentrusthissafetytotheskillofhisoldfriend。SirRogerwasinhiswayagreatman,andmuchtalkedofinBarchester,andrumourhadalreadyreachedtheearsoftheBarchesterGalen,thatthegreatrailwaycontractorwasill。

  When,therefore,hereceivedaperemptorysummonstogoovertoBoxallHill,hecouldnotbutthinkthatsomepurelighthadbrokeninuponSirRoger\'sdarkness,andtaughthimatlastwheretolookfortruemedicalaccomplishment。

  Andthen,also,SirRogerwastherichestmaninthecounty,andtocountypractitionersanewpatientwithlargemeansisagodsend;howmuchgreateragodsendwhennotonlyacquired,buttakenalsofromsomerivalpractitioner,needhardlybeexplained。

  DrFillgrave,therefore,wassomewhatelatedwhen,afteranearlybreakfast,hesteppedintothepost-chaisewhichwastocarryhimtoBoxallHill。DrFillgrave\'sprofessionaladvancementhadbeensufficienttojustifytheestablishmentofabrougham,inwhichhepaidhisordinaryvisitsroundBarchester;butthiswasaspecialoccasion,requiringspecialspeed,andabouttoproducenodoubtaspecialguerdon,andthereforeapairofpost-horseswereputintorequest。

  Itwashardlyyetninewhenthepost-boysomewhatloudlyrangthebellatSirRoger\'sdoor;andthenDrFillgrave,forthefirsttime,foundhimselfinthenewgrandhallofBoxallHillhouse。

  \'I\'lltellmylady,\'saidtheservant,showinghimintothegranddining-room;andthereforsomefifteenminutesortwentyminutesDrFillgravewalkedupanddownthelengthoftheTurkeycarpetallalone。

  DrFillgravewasnotatallman,andwasperhapsrathermoreinclinedtocorpulencethanbecamehisheight。Inhisstocking-feet,accordingtotheusuallyreceivedstyleofmeasurement,hewasfivefeetfive;

  andhehadalittleroundabdominalprotuberance,whichaninchandahalfaddedtotheheelsofhisbootshardlyenabledhimtocarryoffaswellashehimselfwouldhavewished。Ofthishewasapparentlyconscious,anditgavetohimanairofnotbeingentirelyathisease。Therewas,however,apersonaldignityinhisdemeanour,aproprietyinhisgait,andanairofauthorityinhisgestureswhichshouldprohibitonefromstigmatizingthoseeffortsataltitudeasafailure。Nodoubthedidachievemuch;but,nevertheless,theeffortwouldoccasionallybetrayitself,andthestoryofthefrogandtheoxwouldirresistiblyforceitselfintoone\'smindatthosemomentswhenitmostbehovedDrFillgravetobemagnificent。

  Butifthebulgyroundnessofhispersonandtheshortnessofhislegsinanywaydetractedfromhispersonalimportance,thesetriflingdefectswere,hewaswellaware,morethanatonedforbythepeculiardignityofhiscountenance。Ifhislegswereshort,hisfacewasnot;

  iftherewasanyunduepreponderancebelowthewaistcoat,allwasinduesymmetryabovethenecktie。Hishairwasgrey,notgrizzled,norwhite,butproperlygrey;andstoodupstraightfromhistemplesoneachside,withanunbendingdeterminationofpurpose。Hiswhiskers,whichwereofanadmirableshape,comingdownandturninggracefullyattheangleofhisjaw,weregreyalso,butsomewhatdarkerthanhishair。HisenemiesinBarchesterdeclaredthattheirperfectshadewasproducedbyaleadencomb。Hiseyeswerenotbrilliant,butwereveryeffective,andwellundercommand。Hewasrathershort-sighted,andapairofeye-glasseswasalwaysonhisnose,orinhishand。Hisnosewaslong,andwellpronounced,andhischin,also,wassufficientlyprominent;butthegreatfeatureofhisfacewashismouth。Theamountofsecretmedicalknowledgeofwhichhecouldgiveassurancebythepressureofthoselipswastrulywonderful。Byhislips,also,hecouldbemostexquisitelycourteous,ormoststernlyforbidding。Andnotonlycouldhebeeithertheoneortheother;buthecouldathiswillassumeanyshadeofdifferencebetweenthetwo,andproduceanymixtureofsentiment。

  WhenDrFillgravewasfirstshownintoSirRoger\'sdining-room,hewalkedupanddowntheroomforawhilewitheasy,jauntystep,withhishandsjoinedtogetherbehindhisback,calculatingthepriceofthefurniture,andcountingtheheadswhichmightbeadequatelyentertainedinaroomofsuchnobleproportions;butinsevenoreightminutesanairofimpatiencemighthavebeenseentosuffusehisface。Whycouldhenotbeshownintothesickman\'sroom?Whatnecessitycouldtherebeforkeepinghimthere,asthoughheweresomeapothecarywithaboxofleechesinhispocket?Hethenrangthebell,perhapsalittleviolently。\'DoesSirRogerknowthatIamhere?\'hesaidtotheservant。\'I\'lltellmylady,\'saidtheman,againvanishing。

  Forfiveminutesmorehewalkedupanddown,calculatingnolongerthevalueofthefurniture,butratherthatofhisownimportance。Hewasnotwonttobekeptwaitinginthisway;andthoughSirRogerScatcherdwasatpresentagreatandrichman,DrFillgravehadrememberedhimaverysmallandaverypoorman。HenowbegantothinkofSirRogerasthestone-mason,andtochafesomewhatmoreviolentlyatbeingsokeptbysuchaman。

  Whenoneisimpatient,fiveminutesisasthedurationofalltime,andaquarterofanhouriseternity。AttheendoftwentyminutesthestepofDrFillgraveupanddowntheroomhadbecomeveryquick,andhehadjustmadeuphismindthathewouldnotstaytherealldaytotheseriousdetriment,perhapsfatalinjury,ofhisotherexpectantpatients。Hishandwasagainonthebell,andwasabouttobeusedwithvigour,whenthedooropenedandLadyScatcherdentered。

  \'Oh,laws!\'Suchhadbeenherfirstexclamationonhearingthatthedoctorwasinthedining-room。Shewasstandingatthetimewithherhousekeeperinasmallroominwhichshekeptherlinenandjam,andinwhich,incompanywiththesamehousekeeper,shespentthehappiestmomentsofherlife。

  \'Ohlaws!now,Hannah,whatshallwedo?\'

  \'Send\'unupatoncetomaster,mylady!letJohntake\'unup。\'

  \'There\'llbesucharowinthehouse,Hannah;Iknowtherewill。\'

  \'Butsurelydidn\'thesendfor\'un?Letthemasterhavetherowhimself,then;that\'swhatI\'ddo,mylady,\'addedHannah,seeingthatherladyshipstillstoodtremblingindoubt,bitingherthumb-nail。

  \'Youcouldn\'tgouptothemasteryourself,couldnow,Hannah?\'saidLadyScatcherdinhermostpersuasivetone。

  \'Whyno,\'saidHannah,afteralittledeliberation;\'no,I\'mafeardI

  couldn\'t。\'

  \'ThenImustjustfaceitmyself。\'Andupwentthewifetotellherlordthatthephysicianforwhomhehadsenthadcometoattendhisbidding。

  Intheinterviewwhichthentookplacethebaronethadnotindeedbeenviolent,buthehadbeenverydetermined。Nothingonearth,hesaid,shouldinducehimtoseeDrFillgraveandoffendhisdearoldfriendDrThorne。

  \'ButRoger,\'saidherladyship,halfcrying,orratherpretendingtocryinvexation,\'whatshallIdowiththeman?HowshallIgethimoutofthehouse?\'

  \'Puthimunderthepump,\'saidthebaronet;andhelaughedhispeculiarlowgutturallaugh,whichtoldsoplainlyofthehavocwhichbrandyhadmadeinhisthroat。

  \'That\'snonsense,Roger;youknowIcan\'tputhimunderthepump。Nowyouareill,andyou\'dbetterseehimjustforfiveminutes。I\'llmakeitrightwithDrThorne。\'

  \'I\'llbed——ifIdo,mylady。\'AllthepeopleaboutBoxallHillcalledpoorLadyScatcherd\'mylady\'asiftherewassomeexcellentjokeinit;and,so,indeed,therewas。

  \'Youknowyouneedn\'tmindnothinghesays,noryettakenothinghesends:andI\'lltellhimnottocomenomore。Nowdo\'eeseehim,Roger。\'

  ButtherewasnotcoaxingRogerovernow,indeedever:hewasawilful,headstrong,masterfulman;atyrantalwaysthoughneveracruelone;

  andaccustomedtorulehiswifeandhouseholdasdespoticallyashedidhisgangsofworkmen。Suchmenitisnoteasytocoaxover。

  \'YougodownandtellhimIdon\'twanthim,andwon\'tseehim,andthat\'sanendofit。Ifhechosetoearnhismoney,whydidn\'thecomeyesterdaywhenhewassentfor?I\'mwellnow,anddon\'twanthim;andwhat\'smore,Iwon\'thavehim。Winterbones,lockthedoor。\'

  SoWinterbones,whoduringthisinterviewhadbeenatworkathislittletable,gotuptolockthedoor,andLadyScatcherdhadnoalternativebuttopassthroughitbeforethelastedictwasobeyed。

  LadyScatcherd,withslowstep,wentdownstairsandagainsoughtcounselwithHannah,andthetwo,puttingtheirheadstogether,agreedthattheonlycureforthepresentevilwastofoundinagoodfee。SoLadyScatcherd,withafive-poundnoteinherhand,andtremblingineverylimb,wentforthtoencountertheaugustpresenceofDrFillgrave。

  Asthedooropened,DrFillgravedroppedthebell-ropewhichwasinhishand,andbowedlowtothelady。Thosewhoknewthedoctorwell,wouldhaveknownfromhisbowthathewasnotwellpleased;itwasasmuchasthoughhesaid,\'LadyScatcherd,Iamyourmostobedientservant;atanyrateitappearsthatitisyourpleasuretotreatmeassuch。\'

  LadyScatcherddidnotunderstandallthis;butsheperceivedatoncethathewasangry。

  \'IhopeSirRogerdoesnotfindhimselfworse,\'saidthedoctor。\'Themorningisgettingon;shallIstepupandseehim?\'

  \'Hem!ha!oh!Why,yousee,DrFillgrave,SirRogerfindshisselfvastlybetterthismorning,vastlyso。\'

  \'I\'mverygladtohearit;butasthemorningisgettingon,shallI

  stepuptoseeSirRoger?\'

  \'Why,DrFillgrave,sir,yousee,hefindshisselfsomuchhisselfthismorning,thathea\'mostthinksitwouldbeashametotroubleyou。\'

  \'Ashametotroubleme!\'ThiswasthesortofshamewhichDrFillgravedidnotatallcomprehend。\'Ashametotroubleme!WhyLadyScatcherd——\'

  LadyScatcherdsawthatshehadnothingforitbuttomakethewholematterintelligible。Moreover,seeingthatsheappreciatedmorethoroughlythesmallnessofDrFillgrave\'spersonmorethoroughlythanshedidthepeculiargreatnessofhisdemeanour,shebegantobeashadelessafraidofhimthanshehadthoughtsheshouldhavebeen。

  \'Yes,DrFillgrave;yousee,whenamanlikehegetswell,hecan\'tabidetheideaofdoctors:now,yesterday,hewasallforsendingforyou;butto-dayhecomestohisself,anddon\'tseemtowantnodoctoratall。\'

  ThendidDrFillgraveseemtogrowoutofhisboots,sosuddenlydidhetakeuponhimselfsundrymodesofexpansiveattitude;——togrowoutofhisbootsandtoswellupwards,tillhisangryeyesalmostlookeddownonLadyScatcherd,andeacherecthairbristleduptowardstheheavens。

  \'Thisisverysingular,verysingular,LadyScatcherd;verysingularindeed;verysingular;quiteunusual。IhavecomeherefromBarchester,atsomeconsiderableinconvenience,atsomeveryconsiderableinconvenience,Imaysay,tomyregularpatients;and——and——and——Idon\'tknowthatanythingsoverysingulareveroccurredtomebefore。\'AndthenDrFillgrave,withacompressionofhislipswhichalmostmadethepoorwomansinkintotheground,movedtowardsthedoor。

  ThenLadyScatcherdbethoughtofhergreatpanacea。\'Itisn\'taboutthemoney,youknow,doctor,\'saidshe;\'ofcourseSirRogerdon\'texpectyoutocomeherewithpost-horsesfornothing。\'Inthis,bytheby,LadyScatcherddidnotstickquiteclosetoveracity,forSirRoger,hadheknownit,wouldbynomeanshaveassentedtoanypayment;

  andthenotewhichherladyshipheldinherhandwastakenfromherownprivatepurse。\'Itain\'taboutthemoney,doctor;\'andthenshetenderedthebank-note,whichshethoughtwouldimmediatelymakeallthingssmooth。

  NowDrFillgravedearlylovedafive-poundfee。Whatphysicianissounnaturalasnottoloveit?Hedearlylovedafive-poundfee;buthelovedhisdignitybetter。Hewasangryalso;andlikeallangrymen,helovedhisgrievance。Hefeltthathehadbeenbadlytreated;butifhetookthemoneyhewouldthrowawayhisrighttoindulgeinanysuchfeeling。Atthatmomenthisoutrageddignityandcherishedangerwereworthmorethanafive-poundnote。Helookedatitwithwishfulbutstillavertedeyes,andthensternlyrefusedthetender。

  \'No,madam,\'saidhe;\'no,no;\'andwithhisrighthandraisedwithhiseye-glassesinit,hemotionedawaythetemptingpaper。\'No;IshouldhavebeenhappytohavegivenSirRogerthebenefitofanymedicalskillImayhave,seeingthatIwasspeciallycalledin——\'

  \'But,doctor;iftheman\'swell,youknow——\'

  \'Oh,ofcourse;ifhe\'swell,anddoesnotchoosetoseeme,there\'sanendofit。Shouldhehaveanyrelapse,asmytimeisvaluable,hewillperhapsobligemebysendingelsewhere。Madam,goodmorning。Iwill,ifyouwillallowme,ringformycarriage——thatis,post-chaise。\'

  \'But,doctor,you\'lltakethemoney;youmusttakethemoney;indeedyou\'lltakethemoney,\'saidLadyScatcherd,whohadnowbecomereallyunhappyattheideaofherhusband\'sunpardonablewhimhadbroughtthismanwithpost-horsesallthewayfromBarchester,andthathewastobepaidnothingforhistimeorcosts。

  \'No,madam,no。Icouldnotthinkofit。SirRoger,Ihavenodoubt,willknowbetteranothertime。Itisnotaquestionofmoney;notatall。\'

  \'Butitisaquestionofmoney,doctor;andyoureallyshall,youmust。\'AndpoorLadyScatcherd,inheranxietytoacquitherselfatanyrateofanypecuniarydebttothedoctor,cametopersonalclosequarterswithhim,withaviewofforcingthenoteintohishands。

  \'Quiteimpossible,quiteimpossible,\'saidthedoctor,stillcherishinghisgrievance,andvaliantlyrejectingtherootofallevil。\'Ishallnotdoanythingofthekind,LadyScatcherd。\'

  \'Nowdoctor,do\'ee;toobligeme。\'

  \'Quiteoutofthequestion。\'Andso,withhishandsandhatbehindhisback,intokenofhisutterrefusaltoacceptanypecuniaryaccommodationofhisinjury,hemadehiswaybackwardstothedoor,herladyshipperseveringlypressinghiminfront。Soeagerhadbeentheattackonhim,thathehadnotwaitedtogivehisorderaboutthepost-chaise,butmadehiswayatoncetowardsthehall。

  \'Now,do\'eetakeit,do\'ee,\'pressedLadyScatcherd。

  \'Utterlyoutofthequestion,\'saidDrFillgrave,withgreatdeliberation,ashebackedhiswayintothehall。Ashedidso,ofcourseheturnedround,——andhefoundhimselfalmostinthearmsofDrThorne。

  AsBurleymighthaveglaredatBothwellwhentheyrushedtogetherinthedreadencounteronthemountainside;asAchillesmayhaveglaredatHectorwhenatlasttheymet,eachresolvedtotestinfatalconflicttheprowessoftheother,sodidDrFillgraveglareathisfoefromGreshamsbury,when,onturningroundonhisexaltedheel,hefoundhisnoseonalevelwiththetopbuttonofDrThorne\'swaistcoat。

  Andhere,ifitbenottootedious,letuspauseawhiletorecapitulateandadduptheundoubtedgrievancesoftheBarchesterpractitioner。Hehadmadenoefforttoingratiatehimselfintothesheepfoldofthatothershepherd-dog;itwasnotbyhisseekingthathewasnotatBoxallHill;muchashehatedDrThorne,fullsureashefeltofthatman\'sutterignorance,ofhisincapacitytoadministerproperlyevenablackdose,ofhismurderingpropensitiesandhislow,mean,unprofessionalstyleofpractice;nevertheless,hehaddonenothingtounderminehimwiththeseScatcherds。DrThornemighthavesenteverymother\'ssonatBoxallHilltohislongaccount,andDrFillgravewouldnothaveinterfered;——wouldnothaveinterferedunlessspeciallyanddulycalledupontodoso。

  Buthehadbeenanddulycalledon。BeforesuchastepwastakensomewordsmustundoubtedlyhavepassedonthesubjectbetweenThorneandScatcherds。Thornemusthaveknownwhatwastobedone。Havingbeensocalled,DrFillgravehadcome——hadcomeallthewayinapost-chaise——hadbeenrefusedadmittancetothesickman\'sroom,onthepleathatthesickmanwasnolongersick;andjustashewasabouttoretirefee-less——forthewantofthefeewasnotthelessagrievancefromthefactofitshavingbeentenderedandrefused——feeless,dishonoured,andindudgeon,heencounteredthisotherdoctor——thisveryrivalwhomhehadbeesenttosupplant;heencounteredhimintheveryactofgoingtothesickman\'sroom。

  WhatmadfanaticBurley,whatgod-succouredinsolentAchilles,everhadsuchcausetoswellwithwrathasatthatmomenthadDrFillgrave?HadIthepenofMoliere,Icouldfitlytellofsuchmedicalanger,butwithnootherpencanitbefitlytold。Hedidswell,andwhenthehugebulkofhiswrathwasaddedtohisnaturalproportions,heloomedgiganticbeforetheeyesofthesurroundingfollowersofSirRoger。

  DrThornesteppedbackthreestepsandtookhishatfromhishead,having,inthepassagefromthehall-doortothedining-room,hithertoomittedtodoso。ItmustbeborneinmindthathehadtoconceptionwhateverthatSirRogerhaddeclinedtoseethephysicianforwhomhehadsent;nonewhateverthatthephysicianwasnotabouttoreturn,feeless,toBarchester。

  DrThorneandDrFillgraveweredoubtlesswell-knownenemies。AlltheworldofBarchester,andallthatportionoftheworldofLondonwhichisconcernedwiththelancetandthescalping-knife,werewellawareofthis:theywerecontinuallywritingagainsteachother;continuallyspeakingagainsteachother;butyettheyhadneverhithertocometothatpositivepersonalcollisionwhichisheldtojustifyacutdirect。Theyveryrarelysaweachother;andwhentheydidmeet,itwasinsomecasualwayinthestreetsofBarchesterorelsewhere,andonsuchoccasionstheirhabithadbeentobowwithverycoldpropriety。

  Onthepresentoccasion,DrThorneofcoursefeltthatDrFillgravehadthewhip-handofhim;and,withasortofmanlyfeelingonsuchapoint,heconceivedittobemostcompatiblewithhisowndignitytoshow,undersuchcircumstances,morethanhisusualcourtesy——something,perhaps,amountingalmosttocordiality。Hehadbeensupplanted,quoaddoctor,inthehouseofthisrich,eccentric,railwaybaronet,andhewouldshowthatheborenomaliceonthataccount。

  Sohesmiledblandlyashetookoffhishat,andinacivilspeechheexpressedahopethatDrFillgravehadnotfoundhispatienttobeinanyveryunfavourablestate。

  Herewasanaggravationtothealreadylaceratedfeelingsoftheinjuredman。Hehadbeenbroughtthithertobescoffedatandscornedat,thathemightbealaughing-stocktohisenemies,andfoodformirthtothevile-minded。Heswelledwithnobleangertillhewouldhaveburst,haditnotbeenfortheopportunepaddingofhisfrock-coat。

  \'Sir,\'saidhe;\'sir:\'andhecouldhardlygethislipsopentogiveventtothetumultofhisheart。Perhapshewasnotwrong;foritmaybethathislipsweremoreeloquentthanwouldhavebeenhiswords。

  \'What\'sthematter?\'saidDrThorne,openinghiseyeswide,andaddressingLadyScatcherdoverhisheadandacrossthehairsoftheirritatedmanbelowhim。\'Whatonearthisthematter?IsanythingwrongwithSirRoger?\'

  \'Oh,laws,doctor!\'saidherladyship。\'Oh,laws;I\'msureitain\'tmyfault。Here\'sDrFillgrave,inataking,andI\'mquitereadytopayhim——quite。Ifamangetspaid,whatmorecanhewant?\'Andsheagainheldoutthefive-poundnoteoverDrFillgrave\'shead。

  Whatmore,indeed,LadyScatcherd,cananyofuswant,ifonlywecouldkeepourtempersandfeelingsalittleinabeyance?DrFillgrave,however,couldnotsokeephis;and,therefore,hedidwantsomethingmore,thoughatthepresentmomenthecouldhardlyhavesaidwhat。

  LadyScatcherd\'scouragewassomewhatresuscitatedbythepresenceofherancienttrustyally;and,moreover,shebegantoconceivethatthelittlemanbeforeherwasunreasonablebeyondallconsciencewithhisanger,seeingthatthatforwhichhewasreadytoworkhadbeenofferedhimwithoutanyworkatall。

  \'Madam,\'saidhe,againturningroundatLadyScatcherd,\'IwasneverbeforetreatedinsuchawayinanyhouseinBarchester——never——never。\'

  \'Goodheavens,DrFillgrave!\'saidheofGreshamsbury,\'whatisthematter?\'

  \'I\'llletyouknowwhatisthematter,sir,\'saidhe,turningroundagainasquicklyasbefore。\'I\'llletyouknowwhatisthematter。

  I\'llpublishthis,sir,tothemedicalworld;\'andasheshriekedoutthewordsofthethreat,hestoodontiptoesandbrandishedhiseye-glassesupalmostintohisenemy\'sface。

  \'Don\'tbeangrywithDrThorne,\'saidLadyScatcherd。\'Anyways,youneedn\'tbeangrywithhim。Ifyoumustbeangrywithanybody——\'

  \'Ishallbeangrywithhim,madam,\'ejaculatedDrFillgrave,makinganothersuddendemi-pirouette。\'Iamangrywithhim——or,rather,I

  despisehim;\'andcompletingthecircle,DrFillgraveagainbroughthimselfroundinfullfrontofhisfoe。

  DrThorneraisedhiseyebrowsandlookedinquiringlyatLadyScatcherd;

  buttherewasaquietsarcasticmotionroundhismouthwhichbynomeanshadtheeffectofthrowingoilonthetroubledwaters。

  \'I\'llpublishthewholeofthistransactiontothemedicalworld,DrThorne——thewholeofit;andifthathasnottheeffectofrescuingthepeopleofGreshamsburyoutofyourhands,then——then——then,Idon\'tknowwhatwill。Ismycarriage——thatis,thepost-chaisethere?\'andDrFillgrave,speakingveryloudly,turnedmajesticallytooneoftheservants。

  \'WhathaveIdonetoyou,DrFillgrave,\'saidDrThorne,nowabsolutelylaughing,\'thatyoushoulddeterminedtotakethebreadoutofmymouth?Iamnotinterferingwithyourpatient。IhavecomeheresimplywithreferencetomoneymattersappertainingtoSirRoger。\'

  \'Moneymatters!Verywell——verywell;moneymatters。Thatisyourideaofmedicalpractice。Verywell——verywell。Ismypost-chaiseatthedoor?I\'llpublishitalltothemedicalworld——everyword——everywordofit,everywordofit。\'

  \'Publishwhat,youunreasonableman?\'

  \'Man!sir;whomdoyoucallaman?I\'llletyouknowwhetherI\'maman——post-chaisethere!\'

  \'Don\'t\'eecallhimnamesnow,doctor;don\'t\'eepraydon\'t\'ee,\'saidLadyScatcherd。

  Bythistimetheyhadallgotsomewherenearerthehall-door;buttheScatcherdretainersweretoofondoftherowtoabsentthemselveswillinglyatDrFillgrave\'sbidding,anditdidnotappearthatanyonewentinsearchofthepost-chaise。

  \'Man!sir;I\'llletyouknowwhatitistospeaktomeinthatstyle。I

  think,sir,youhardlyknowwhoIam。\'

  \'AllthatIknowofyouatpresentis,thatyouaremyfriendSirRoger\'sphysician,andIcannotconceivewhathasoccurredtomakeyousoangry。\'Andashespoke,DrThornelookedcarefullyathimtoseewhetherthatpump-disciplinehadintruthbeenapplied。TherewerenosignswhateverthatcoldwaterhadbeenthrownuponDrFillgrave。

  \'Mypost-chaise——ismaypost-chaisethere?Themedicalworldshallknowall;youmaybesure,sir,themedicalworldshallknowitall;\'andthus,orderinghispost-chaiseandthreateningDrThornewiththemedicalworld,DrFillgravemadehiswaytothedoor。

  Butthemomentheputonhishathereturned。\'No,madam,\'saidhe。

  \'No;quiteoutofthequestion:suchanaffairisnottobearrangedbysuchmeans。I\'llpublishitalltothemedicalworld——post-chaisethere!\'andthen,usingallhisforce,heflungasfarashecouldintothehallalightbitofpaper。ItfellatDrThorne\'sfeet,who,raisingit,foundthatitwasafive-poundnote。

  \'Iputitintohishatjustwhilehewasinhistantrum,\'saidLadyScatcherd。\'AndIthoughtthatperhapshewouldnotfindittillhegottoBarchester。WellIwishhe\'dbeenpaid,certainly,althoughSirRogerwouldn\'tseehim;\'andinthismannerDrThornegotsomeglimpseofunderstandingintothecauseofthegreatoffence。

  \'IwonderwhetherSirRogerwillseeme,\'saidhe,laughing。

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