The Doctor frowned at the servant for permitting the interruption. But the gentleman beside him said:—
“Let him come in, sir; he seems to be in haste, sir, and I am not,—I am not, at all.”
“Come in,” said the physician.
The new-comer stepped into the room. He was about six feet three inches in height, three feet six in breadth, and the same in thickness. Two kindly blue eyes shone softly in an expanse of face that had been clean-shaven every Saturday night for many years, and that ended in a retreating chin and a dewlap. The limp, white shirt-collar just below was without a necktie, and the waist of his pantaloons, which seemed intended to supply this deficiency, did not quite, but only almost reached up to the unoccupied blank. He removed from his respectful head a soft gray hat, whitened here and there with flour.
“Yentlemen,” he said, slowly, “you vill ugscooce me to interruptet you,—yentlemen.”
“Do you wish to see me?” asked Dr. Sevier.
The German made an odd gesture of deferential assent, lifting one open hand a little in front of him to the level of his face, with the wrist bent forward and the fingers pointing down.
“Uf you bleace, Toctor, I toose; undt tat’s te fust time I effer tit vanted a toctor. Undt you mus’ ugscooce me, Toctor, to callin’ on you, ovver I vish you come undt see mine”—
To the surprise of all, tears gushed from his eyes.
“Mine poor vife, Toctor!” He turned to one side, pointed his broad hand toward the floor, and smote his forehead.