The Merry Past 



could hardly stomach such a remark, for he was by 

 no means rich. " How comes it," again demanded the 

 Prince, '^ that you. Doctor, who are so keen, and, 

 let me add, so good a sportsman, ride so bad a horse ? " 

 Thoroughly roused, the doctor bluntly replied : " For 

 the same reason that your Highness rides so good a 

 one." " How so ? " rejoined the Prince. " Because 

 Providence has made you a Prince, and me a parson." 

 " You have exactly defined it. Doctor," said His 

 Highness, in high glee, " and we must see how it can 

 be amended." The sequel was that one of the best 

 horses in the royal stud was made over to the parson, 

 to have and to hold for his own. 



On another occasion — a certain Saturday night — 

 when, after a long day and a late dinner, the bedroom 

 candles were brought in, all, of course, waited until 

 the Prince called for his — except the doctor, who, as 

 soon as ever they appeared, grasped one, and was about 

 to depart with clerical, but uncourtly, haste, had he 

 not been deterred by one of the most ceremonious of 

 the small household, who saw no joke in breaches of 

 etiquette, but regarded them with utter horror. 

 Just at this moment the Prince had, on the sudden, 

 fallen into earnest conversation with some person of 

 consequence, and the colloquy lasting some time, 

 the doctor began to evince manifest and manifold 

 signs of impatience — coughing, scraping his feet, and 

 ever and anon casting unutterable looks towards the 

 Prince. He stood thus for about half an hour, when 

 all-powerful Nature broke out, and, shaking off the 

 punctilious functionary above mentioned, who again 



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