incapable of utterance, "you had better let me cook some for you at
the same time. I am an expert at grilling chops."

"But, really, Doctor--" my mother began. He laid his huge hand upon
her shoulder, and my mother sat down upon the nearest chair.

"My dear lady," he said, "she's a person you never ought to have had
inside your house. She's promised me to be gone in half an hour, and
I'm coming back to see she keeps her word. Give her a month's wages,
and have a clear fire ready for me." And before my mother could
reply, he had slammed the front door.

"What a very odd sort of a man," said my mother, recovering herself.

"He's a character," said my father; "you might not think it, but he's
worshipped about here."

"I hardly know what to make of him," said my mother; "I suppose I had
better go out and get some chops;" which she did.

Susan went, as sober as a judge, on Friday, as the saying is, her
great anxiety being to get out of the house before the doctor
returned. The doctor himself arrived true to his time, and I lay
awake--for no human being ever slept or felt he wanted to sleep while
Dr. Washburn was anywhere near--and listened to the gusts of laughter
that swept continually through the house. Even my aunt laughed that
supper time, and when the doctor himself laughed it seemed to me that
the bed shook under me. Not liking to be out of it, I did what spoilt
little boys and even spoilt little girls sometimes will do under
similar stress of feeling, wrapped the blanket round my legs and