of her husband's immediate reward--that reward
which could be readily converted into the shoes and frocks constantly
needed by the little brood about her? So led on with the thought in her
mind, she inquired how far the Doctor had travelled--the town to which
he had gone. He told her with readiness the name of the railway station
where the practitioner had met him and driven him to the patient's
house; then his face relighting with the memory of the case which had so
engrossed him, came out in his characteristic way with: "Very sick man;
pneumonia; unusual type--very unusual." "But that very long trip, a
whole afternoon and evening, that should mean a pretty good fee," said
his wife. The Doctor, his mind still occupied with the sick man's
problem, replied: "It was in the upper lobe, right side, quite solid,
very rare--very rare to see that in these cases."

Then very gently from his wife came: "Did you remember to put down his
address?" "No, no," was the somewhat irritable response. His mind then
going back to the patient again: "But I have my notes on the case--on
his condition." "But his name?" she came out with, "so that you can send
your bill; you put that down?" "His name?" repeated the Doctor slowly, a
slight frown of annoyance coming over his face as his train of thought
was by then definitely derailed. "His name? No. Didn't get that."

IV

One morning I happened, for some reason or other, to be in the Doctor's
office. A lady from a near-by town had been consulting him. As she was
about to leave, she said: "Tell me, Dr. Janeway, about Dr. N. in our
town. We have just gone there to live, you know, and we want to be sure
to have the best doctor in case we have to call one in." Dr. Janeway
replied: "You cannot do better than Dr. N. I know him very well. He is a
good doctor. He won't do you any harm." The lady went away and I went
back to my work in the laboratory, but that phrase kept ringing in my
ears. "He is a very good doctor. He won't do you any harm." What had he
meant by that? I kept wondering. Well, the woman seemed to be
satisfied; at least she went away without further comment. Later
on--perhaps two or three weeks later--I heard him make very much the
same remark again: "Dr. R. is an excellent doctor. He won't do you any
harm." I did not understand his meaning then, but the thing got stuck in
my mind, and I remembered it. It was some years, I think, before that
saying, for it would keep coming b