r days
dragged more heavily, far than his own; for he could study.

At last his knocker began to show signs of life: his visitors were
physicians. His lectures on "Diagnosis" were well known to them; and one
after another found him out. They were polite, kind, even friendly; but
here it ended: these gentlemen, of course, did not resign their patients
to him; and the inferior class of practitioners avoided his door like a
pestilence.

Mrs. Staines, who had always lived for amusement, could strike out no
fixed occupation; her time hung like lead; the house was small; and in
small houses the faults of servants run against the mistress, and she
can't help seeing them, and all the worse for her. It is easier to keep
things clean in the country, and Rosa had a high standard, which her two
servants could never quite attain. This annoyed her, and she began to
scold a little. They answered civilly, but in other respects remained
imperfect beings; they laid out every shilling they earned in finery;
and, this, I am ashamed to say, irritated Mrs. Staines, who was wearing
out her wedding garments, and had no excuse for buying, and Staines
had begged her to be economical. The more they dressed, the more she
scolded; they began to answer. She gave the cook warning; the other,
though not on good terms with the cook, had a gush of esprit de corps
directly, and gave Mrs. Staines warning.

Mrs. Staines told her husband all this: he took her part, though without
openly interfering; and they had two new servants, not so good as the
last.

This worried Rosa sadly; but it was a flea-bite to the deeper nature,
and more forecasting mind of her husband, still doomed to pace that
miserable yard, like a hyena, chafing, seeking, longing for the patient
that never came.

Rosa used to look out of his dressing-room window, and see him pace the
yard. At first, tears of pity stood in her eyes. By and by she got angry
with the world; and at last, strange to say, a little irritated with
him. It is hard for a weak woman to keep up all her respect for the man
that fails.

One day, after watching him a long time unseen, she got excited, put on
her shawl and bonnet, and ran down to him: she took him by the arm:
"If you love me, come out of this prison, and walk with me; we are too
miserable. I shall be your first patient if this goes on much longer."
He looked at her, saw she was very excited, and had better be humored;
so he kissed her and just said,