Micawber," said I. "And I suppose you know all about medicine
and surgery?"

"I have learned when not to give medicine, I believe, and so, I think, I
can save lots of lives."

A few days after George's arrival we received a call from the Watsons. I
had never had the pleasure of meeting the Watsons, but I had had the
Watsons held up before me as examples of the right sort of style so many
times, that I felt already well acquainted with them.

Mr. Watson was a very retiring, quiet little man, awed into obscurity by
his wife. After a long and persistent effort to interest him in
conversation, I was compelled to give it up, and to leave him smiling
blankly, with his gaze directed toward the Argand burner.

Mrs. Watson was immense in every sense of the word. Her moral and mental
dimensions were awe-inspiring; and she delivered what I afterwards
found, on reflection, to be very commonplace utterances in a style in
which unction, dogmatism, self-satisfaction, and finality were
predominant. Once, when she had brought forth an unusually imposing
sentence, her husband fairly smacked his lips.

The Watsons had no children. They were among the most prominent
attendants of St. Thomas's, and the old gentleman was reputed to be
worth about a million.

George came in while the call was in progress, and after greeting the
Watsons, he turned to Mrs. W., and uttered one of the most polished,
delicate, pleasing little compliments it has ever been my fortune to
hear uttered. Then he quietly withdrew into the background.

Just then some more callers were announced, and what was my surprise to
see Mr. Desmond and Miss Van Duzen enter. The former was as resplendent
as to his watch-chain as ever, and his niece looked charming.
Introductions all round followed, and the company broke up into groups.

George took a seat near Miss Van, and a brisk fire of conversation was
soon under way between them, varied by frequent bursts of friendly
laughter.

Mr. Desmond soon drew out Mr. Watson, and their talk was on stocks,
bonds, and the like.

After Mrs. Watson had proved her theory of the laws of the universe, and
had almost intoxicated my worthy mother-in-law with her glittering
rhetoric, the Watsons took their departure. Before the others followed
their example, Miss Van extended an informal invitation to us to attend
a "social gathering" at her uncle's residence the following Wednesday
evening.

We went, of course, Mrs. Pinkerton, Georg