“Oh, papa! If you knew how he was working,—how eager he is to pass his examination, and be a credit to us all, and owe his independence to himself—”
“I know more of him than you do, miss,—far more, too, than he is aware of,—and I know something of myself also; and I tell him now, that if he's rejected at the examination, he need not come back here with the news.”
“And where am I to go, then?” asked the young fellow, half insolently.
“You may go—” Where to, the doctor was not suffered to indicate, for already Polly had thrown herself into his arms and arrested the speech.
“Well, I suppose I can 'list; a fellow need not know much about gallipots for that.” As he said this, he snatched up his tattered old cap and made for the door.
“Stay, sir! I have business for you to do,” cried Dill, sternly. “There's a young gentleman at the 'Fisherman's Home' laid up with a bad sprain. I have prescribed twenty leeches on the part. Go down and apply them.”
“That's what old Molly Day used to do,” said Tom, angrily.'
“Yes, sir, and knew more of the occasion that required it than you will ever do. See that you apply them all to the outer ankle, and attend well to the bleeding; the patient is a young man of rank, with whom you had better take no liberties.”
“If I go at all—”
“Tom, Tom, none of this!” said Polly, who drew very close to him, and looked up at him with eyes full of tears.