“Oh, I'm not afraid. I don't want to wait until the doctor comes and I know this must be like the other. It's exactly the same color.”
“My good woman,” said Mary, “you certainly will not risk that. It might kill you.”
“No, Mrs. Dawson, you must either wait till the doctor comes or come again,” said Mrs. Parkin. The patient grumbled a little about having to make an extra trip and took her leave.
When the door had closed behind her Mary asked the other doctor's wife if she often had patients like that.
“Oh, yes. People come here when the doctor is away and either want me to prescribe for them or to prescribe for themselves.”
“You don't do it, do you?”
“Sometimes I do, when I am perfectly sure what I am doing. Having the office here in the house so many years I couldn't help learning a few things.”
“I wouldn't prescribe for anything or anybody. I'd be afraid of killing somebody.” About an hour later Mary, looking out of the window, saw a wagon stopping at the gate. It contained a man and a woman and two well-grown girls.
“Hello!” called the man.
“People call you out instead of coming in. That is less trouble,” observed Mary. The doctor's wife went to the door.