ims to the Home Secretaryship should be "carefully considered."
But it was not fated that I should ever again cross the threshold of St.
Stephen's.

So much for my public career, which I have only touched on in
illustration of my private and moral history.

The reader may wonder how it came about that I was able to support
myself and keep up my position during all this space of time, seeing
that my attendance in Parliament made it impossible for me to continue
in practise as a doctor. It happened thus.

When my old and true friend, Stephen Strong, died on the night of my
election, it was found that he was even richer than had been supposed,
indeed his personalty was sworn at 191,000 pounds, besides which he
left real estate in shops, houses and land to the value of about 23,000
pounds. Almost all of this was devised to his widow absolutely, so that
she could dispose of it in whatever fashion pleased her. Indeed, there
was but one other bequest, that of the balance of the 10,000 pounds
which the testator had deposited in the hands of a trustee for my
benefit. This was now left to me absolutely. I learned the fact from
Mrs. Strong herself as we returned from the funeral.

"Dear Stephen has left you nearly 9000 pounds, doctor," she said shaking
her head.

Gathering from her manner and this shake of her head that the legacy
was not pleasing to her, I hastened to explain that doubtless it was
to carry into effect a business arrangement we had come to before I
consented to stand for Parliament.

"Ah, indeed," she said, "that makes it worse, for it is only the payment
of a debt, not a gift."

Not knowing what she could mean, I said nothing.

"Doubtless, doctor, if dear Stephen had been granted time he would have
treated you more liberally, seeing how much he thought of you, and that
you had given up your profession entirely to please him and serve the
party. That is what he meant when he looked at me before he died, I
guessed it from the first, and now I am sure of it. Well, doctor, while
I have anything you shall never want. Of course, a member of Parliament
is a great person, expected to live in a style which would take more
money than I have, but I think that if I put my own expenses at 500
pounds a year, which is as much as I shall want, and allow another 1000
pounds for subscriptions to the anti-vaccination societies, the society
for preventing the muzzling of dogs, and the society for the discovery
of the lost