or our use, or it would not have been created."

"But not for our abuse."

"Ah! there's the rock that we all split upon--and I, with others, must
plead guilty. The greatest difficulty in this world is, to know when
and where to stop. Even a philosopher like yourself cannot do it. You
allow your hypothesis to whirl in your brain, until it forms a vortex
which swallows up everything that comes within its influence. A modern
philosopher, with his hypothesis, is like a man possessed with a devil
in times of yore; and it is not to be cast out by any human means, that
I know of."

"As you please," replied Macallan, laughing; "I only deprecated a bad
habit."

"An hypothesis is only a habit,--a habit of looking through a glass of
one peculiar colour, which imparts its hue to all around it. We are but
creatures of habit. Luxury is nothing more than contracting fresh
habits, and having the means of administering to them--_ergo_, doctor,
the more habits you have to gratify, the more luxuries you possess. You
luxuriate in the contemplation of nature--Price in quoting, or trying to
quote, Shakespeare--Billy Pitts in his dictionary--I in my snuff-box;
and surely we may all continue to enjoy our harmless propensities,
without interfering with each other: although I must say, that those
still-born quotations of our messmate Price are most tryingly annoying."

"And so is a pinch of snuff in the eye, I can assure you," replied
Macallan.

"Granted; but we must `give and take,' doctor."

"In the present case, I don't care how much you take, provided you don't
give," rejoined Macallan, recovering his good humour.

A messenger from Captain M---, who desired to speak with Macallan, put
an end to the conversation.

"Mr Macallan," said Captain M---, when the surgeon came into the cabin
to receive his commands, "I am sorry to find, from letters which I have
received, that the yellow fever is raging in the other islands in a most
alarming manner, and that it has been communicated to the squadron on
the station. I am sorry to add, that I have received a letter from the
governor here, informing me that it has made its appearance at the
barracks. I am afraid that we have little chance of escaping so general
a visitation. As it is impossible to put to sea, even if my orders were
not decisive to the contrary, are there not some precautions which ought
to be taken?"

"Certainly, sir. It will be prudent to fumigate the lower deck;