She complied, and informed him:—
'It is Mr. Shamus O'Brien, and he wants you to come round at once.'
The physician knew this to be purely an imaginary case of illness, so not wishing to be disturbed, said to her:—
'Tell him the doctor is out, and will not be home till morning.'
Unfortunately he spoke so near the telephone that his remark was audible to the patient. So when the wife had duly delivered the message, the answer came back:—
'If the man in your bed is a doctor, send him here.'
CHAPTER XIV
IRISH CHARACTERISTICS
It's the proudest boast of my life that I am an Irishman, and the compliment which I have most appreciated in my time was being called 'the poor man's friend,' for I love Paddy dearly though I see his faults. Yes, perhaps one of the reasons why I love him is because I do see the faults, for the errors of an Irishman are often almost as good as the virtues of an Englishman, and are far more diverting into the bargain. You must not judge Paddy by the same standard as you apply to John. To begin with, he has not had the advantages, and secondly, there's an ingrained whimsicality, for which I would not exchange all the solid imperfections of his neighbour across the Irish Channel.