a
skeleton. He grew worse and worse. Wealth was at his command--so was
everything that wealth can purchase; but although wealth procured the
best of doctors in any number that the patient chose to order them, it
could not purchase health. So Mr Stuart pined away. The doctors shook
their heads and gave him up, recommending him to send for his clergyman.

Mr Stuart scorned the recommendation at first; but as he grew worse he
became filled with an undefinable dread, and at last did send for his
pastor. As a big cowardly boy at school tyrannises over little boys and
scoffs at fear until a bigger than he comes and causes his cheek to
blanch, so Mr Stuart bullied and scorned the small troubles of life,
and scoffed at the anxieties of religious folk until death came and
shook his fist in his face; then he succumbed and trembled, and
confessed himself, (to himself), to be a coward. One result of the
clergyman's visit was that Mr Stuart sent for Colonel Crusty.

"My dear Stuart," said the colonel, entering the sick man's room and
gently taking his wasted hand which lay outside the counterpane, "I am
distressed to find you so ill; bless me, how thin you are! But don't
lose heart. I am quite sure you have no reason to despond. A man with
a constitution like yours can pull through a worse illness than this.
Come, cheer up and look at the bright side of things. I have seen men
in hospital ten times worse than you are, and get better."

Mr Stuart shook, or rather rolled, his head slowly on the pillow, and
said in a weak voice--

"No, colonel, I am dying--at least the doctors say so, and I think they
are right."

"Nonsense, my dear fellow," returned the colonel kindly, "doctors are
often mistaken, and many a man recovers after they have given him up."

"Well, that may be or it may not be," said Mr Stuart with a sudden
access of energy, "nevertheless I believe that I am a dying man, and I
have sent for you on purpose to tell you that I am an ass--a consummate
ass."

"My dear Stuart," remonstrated the colonel, "really, you are taking a
very warped view of--"

"I--am--an--ass," repeated the sick man, interrupting his friend; "more
than that, _you_ are an ass too, colonel."

The colonel was a very pompous and stately man. He had not been
honoured with his true title since he left school, and was therefore a
good deal taken aback by the plain-speaking of his friend. He
attributed the words, however, to the weak condi