matters; and much absurdity in his mode of doing so, seeing that at
heart he was a thorough Conservative. It is hardly too much to say
that he naturally hated a lord at first sight; but, nevertheless, he
would have expended his means, his blood, and spirit, in fighting for
the upper house of Parliament.

Such a disposition, until it was thoroughly understood, did not tend to
ingratiate him with the wives of the country gentlemen among whom he
had to look for practice. And then, also, there was not much in his
individual manner to recommend him to the favour of ladies. He was
brusque, authoritative, given to contradiction, rough though never
dirty in his personal belongings, and inclined to indulge in a sort of
quiet raillery, which sometimes was not thoroughly understood. People
did not always know whether he was laughing at them or with them; and
some people were, perhaps, inclined to think that a doctor should not
laugh at all when called in to act doctorially.

When he was known, indeed, when the core of the fruit had been reached,
when the huge proportion of that loving trusting heart had been
learned, and understood, and appreciated, when that honesty had been
recognized, that manly, almost womanly tenderness had been felt, then,
indeed, the doctor was acknowledged to be adequate in his profession.

To trifling ailments he was too often brusque. Seeing that he accepted
money for the cure of such, he should, we may say, have cured them
without an offensive manner. So far he is without defence. But to
real suffering no one found him brusque; no patient lying painfully on
a bed of sickness ever thought him rough.

Another misfortune was, that he was a bachelor. Ladies think, and I,