forthcoming at the Towers. His accent was Scotch, not provincial. He
had not an ounce of superfluous flesh on his bones; and leanness goes a
great way to gentility. His complexion was sallow, and his hair black;
in those days, the decade after the conclusion of the great continental
war, to be sallow and black-a-vised was of itself a distinction;' he
was not jovial (as my lord remarked with a sigh, but it was my lady who
endorsed the invitations), sparing of his words, intelligent, and
slightly sarcastic. Therefore he was perfectly presentable.

His Scotch blood (for that he was of Scotch descent there could be no
manner of doubt) gave him just the kind of thistly dignity which made
every one feel that they must treat him with respect; so on that head
he was assured. The grandeur of being an invited guest to dinner at the
Towers from time to time, gave him but little pleasure for many years,
but it was a form to be gone through in the way of his profession,
without any idea of social gratification.

But when Lord Hollingford returned to make the Towers his home, affairs
were altered. Mr. Gibson really heard and learnt things that interested
him seriously, and that gave a fresh flavour to his reading. From time
to time he met the leaders of the scientific world; odd-looking,
simple-hearted men, very much in earnest about their own particular
subjects, and not having much to say on any other. Mr. Gibson found
himself capable of appreciating such persons, and also perceived that
they valued his appreciation, as it was honestly and intelligently
given. Indeed, by-and-by, he began to send contributions of his own to
the more scientific of the medical journals, and thus partly in
receiving, partly in giving out information and accurate thought, a new
zest was added to his life. There was not much intercourse between Lord
Hollingford and himself; the one was too silent and shy, the other too