MY APPRENTICESHIP. 209 



There are few apothecaries' apprentices, I believe,, who do not think 

 more of the art of making love, than that of making physic. I recollect 

 the name of one of my fair enchanters, which I had for some time vainly 

 endeavoured to twist into a sonnet, so haunted me, that I wrote it by 

 mistake on some half dozen packets of draughts, embrocations, and pills, 

 which the boy of course conveyed to the house, and the poor girl nar- 

 rowly escaped with her life. Love was the regular business of my life 

 not a pretty pair of eyes for miles round, that I had not eulogized in 

 verse ; and rosy cheeks, and flowing tresses, were endless subjects for 

 my muse : but a climax was about to arrive to my tender aspirations, 

 as well as to the term of my apprenticeship, which, as forming the 

 principal event in this epoch of my existence, I cannot do better than 

 recount. 



There came to reside, close to our village, a German gentleman of 

 large fortune, with an only daughter, who appeared to be a very amiable 

 girl. She was very pretty; therefore it is needless to say that she 

 became the object of my warmest adoration. My master, Mr. Grubbins, 

 was the ordinary medical attendant in the family; and when he was not 

 in the way, I occasionally visited in his place. We received one day an 

 urgent message, to go instantly to Mr. Von Tromp' s, as Miss Von 

 Tromp had fallen from her horse. Mr. G. was, luckily for me, tied by 

 the leg with another case. Away I started, pleased with having an 

 opportunity of coming into more immediate intercourse with the family. 

 The first person I met was Mr. Von Tromp himself, in his morning- 

 gown, smoking his pipe. He addressed me in his usual dry manner. 

 " Vel, sar, you make speed for to take de bloode from my daughter." 

 I found the young lady a good deal alarmed, and suffering also from a 

 severe sprain of the ancle. I saw that there was no necessity for bleed- 

 ing, but advised leeches to the sprained joint. Mr. Von Tromp flew 

 into a German passion ; swore I was not well acquainted with my pro- 

 fession ; and that any man who knew any thing of his profession, always 

 took blood. He then left the room, but soon returned with an instru- 

 ment that is used in Germany for bleeding, which acts by means of a 

 spring ; an instrument now only used among farriers. I could not keep 

 my countenance when he handed to me this barbarous implement, in 

 order to procure blood from the delicate arm of a female. " Vat you 

 laugh for ?" he exclaimed, and looked very angry. During the absence 

 of Mr. Von Tromp, I had explained to the young lady, that it was quite 

 unncessary to bleed her ; and by a little patience, we gained the victory. 

 After remaining an hour or two, to see the effect of the leeches, I 

 returned home, not a little pleased at the opportunity I had enjoyed, of 

 seeing so much of the young lady; and in the evening I visited her 

 again, to see what effect a cold lotion had produced. Mr. Von Tromp 

 was in a better humour, and I made myself as agreeable as I could 

 paying particular attention to my patient. I made the most I could 

 of the sprained ancle, and called upon my patient quite as often as was 

 necessary, to see how she went on. She appeared pleased by my great 

 attention to the case ; and even old Von Tromp himself said I had, after 

 all, done very well : and, as a proof of his sincerity in this opinion, he 

 presented me with an old German tobacco-pipe, which I received with 

 apparent gratitude. 



All the world knows that ladies have a quick eye in detecting any 

 partiality towards themselves ; and I soon perceived that I had made an 



M. M. No. 80. P 



