for her. I examined her
and found a frightful sarcoma of the bone, hardly showing upon the
surface, but involving the shoulder-blade and clavicle as well as the
humerus. A more malignant case I have never seen. I sent her out of
the room and I told him the truth. What did he do? Why, he walked
slowly round that room with his hands behind his back, looking with the
greatest interest at the pictures. I can see him now, putting up his
gold pince-nez and staring at them with perfectly vacant eyes, which
told me that he saw neither them nor the wall behind them. 'Amputation
of the arm?' he asked at last. 'And of the collar-bone and
shoulder-blade,' said I. 'Quite so. The collar-bone and
shoulder-blade,' he repeated, still staring about him with those
lifeless eyes. It settled him. I don't believe he'll ever be the same
man again. But the woman took it as bravely and brightly as could be,
and she has done very well since. The mischief was so great that the
arm snapped as we drew it from the night-dress. No, I don't think that
there will be any return, and I have every hope of her recovery.

"The first patient is a thing which one remembers all one's life. Mine
was commonplace, and the details are of no interest. I had a curious
visitor, however, during the first few months after my plate went up.
It was an elderly woman, richly dressed, with a wickerwork picnic
basket in her hand. This she opened with the tears streaming down her
face, and out there waddled the fattest, ugliest, and mangiest little
pug dog that I have ever seen. 'I wish you to put him painlessly out
of the world, doctor,' she cried. 'Quick, quick, or my resolution may
give way.' She flung herself down, with hysterical sobs, upon the
sofa. The less experienced a doctor is, the higher are his notions of
professional dignity, as I need not remind you, my young friend, so I
was about to refuse the commission with indignation, when I bethought
me that, quite apart from medicine, we were gentleman and lady, and
that she had asked me to do something for her which was evidently of
the greatest possible importance in her eyes. I led off the poor
little doggie, therefore, and with the help of a saucerful of milk and
a few drops of prussic acid his exit was as speedy and painless as
could be desired. 'Is it over?' she cried as I entered. It was really
tragic to see how all the love which should have gone to husband and
children had, in default