ngs on his slate, when the
young man entered. He was of fair height, slenderly built, with soft
auburn hair, a little untrimmed, neat dress, and a diffident, yet
expectant and courageous, face.

"Dr. Sevier?"

"Yes, sir."

"Doctor, my wife is very ill; can I get you to come at once and see
her?"

"Who is her physician?"

"I have not called any; but we must have one now."

"I don't know about going at once. This is my hour for being in the
office. How far is it, and what's the trouble?"

"We are only three squares away, just here in Custom-house street."
The speaker began to add a faltering enumeration of some very grave
symptoms. The Doctor noticed that he was slightly deaf; he uttered his
words as though he did not hear them.

"Yes," interrupted Dr. Sevier, speaking half to himself as he turned
around to a standing case of cruel-looking silver-plated things on
shelves; "that's a small part of the penalty women pay for the doubtful
honor of being our mothers. I'll go. What is your number? But you had
better drive back with me if you can." He drew back from the glass case,
shut the door, and took his hat.

"Narcisse!"

On the side of the office nearest the corridor a door let into a
hall-room that afforded merely good space for the furniture needed by a
single accountant. The Doctor had other interests besides those of his
profession, and, taking them altogether, found it necessary, or at least
convenient, to employ continuously the services of a person to keep his
accounts and collect his bills. Through the open door the book-keeper
could be seen sitting on a high stool at a still higher desk,--a young
man of handsome profile and well-knit form. At the call of his name he
unwound his legs from the rounds of the stool and leaped into the
Doctor's presence with a superlatively high-bred bow.

"I shall be back in fifteen minutes," said the Doctor. "Come,
Mr. ----," and went out with the stranger.

Narcisse had intended to speak. He stood a moment, then lifted the
last half inch of a cigarette to his lips, took a long, meditative
inhalation, turned half round on his heel, dashed the remnant with
fierce emphasis into a spittoon, ejected two long streams of smoke from
his nostrils, and extending his fist toward the door by which the Doctor
had gone out, said:--

"All right, ole hoss!" No, not that way. It is hard to give his
pronunciation by letter. In the word "right" he substituted an a for the
r, soundin