similar occasion."

"I hope," said Mr Farmer, "that I shall never stand in the doctor's
shoes."

"I hope you never will--nor in Captain Reud's either."

The gallant commander turned from yellow to black at this innuendo,
which was, for many reasons, particularly disagreeable. Seeing that he
was bagging to leeward, like a west-country barge laden with a haystack,
in this sailing-match of wits, he broke up the conference by observing,
"You had better, doctor, in consideration of your weakness, retire to
your cabin. I certainly cannot, seeing my near prospect of your
invaluable legacy, in any honesty wish you better."

With all due precautions, hesitations, and restings, Dr Thompson
reached his cabin, and I doubt not as he descended, enervated as he was,
but that he placed, like O'Connell, a vow in heaven, that if ever
Captain Reud fell under his surgical claws, the active operations of Dr
Sangrado should be in their celerity even as the progress of the sloth,
compared with the despatch and energy with which he would proceed on the
coveted opportunity.

When he was alone he was overheard to murmur, "Stand in my shoes--the
ignorant puppies! I shall see one of them, if not both in their shrouds
yet. Stand in my shoes! it is true the buckles are but brass; but they
are shoes whose latchets they are not worthy to unloose."

There was then another day for the poor doctor, of fasting, tartarised
antimony, and irritating eye-salve. And the captain, no doubt in secret
understanding with the admiral, played off the same trick. The survey
was deferred from day to day, for six days, and until the very one
before the ship weighed anchor. It must have been a period of intense
vexation and bodily suffering to the manoeuvring doctor.

Each day as he made his appearance at noon in the captain's cabin, he
had to wait in miserable state his hour and a half; or two hours, and
then to meet the gibing salutation of the captain, of; "Not dead yet,
doctor?" with his jokes upon the invaliding suit. The misery of the
deception, and the sufferings that he was forced to self-impose to keep
it up, as he afterwards confessed, had nearly conquered him on the third
day: that he was a man of the most enduring courage to brave a whole
week of such martyrdom, must be conceded to him. Had the farce
continued a day or two longer, he would have had the disagreeable option
forced upon him, either of being seriously ill, or of returning
_insta