COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 211 



when the drill is over," and I departed. When I 

 got home I could see quite well with one eye, so I 

 thought I would not go to him at present. I wrote 

 to him saying so. He replied, " I advise you to 

 come, for your other eye will become worse, and it 

 is advisable to have one good one ". 



In August, I said to Rosie, " Pack up your port- 

 manteau and come to Nottingham with me ". I 

 wired to say I was coming. We arrived there at 

 10.15 P.M. and rang the bell at his house. He came 

 out himself and said, " I have got a comfortable 

 lodging for you close by. Will you have it done 

 to-night f " I said, " I have come here on purpose, 

 and will do anything you like, but we have had no 

 dinner ". 



We went to the lodging : got some tea and a 

 mutton chop. How I did curse that mutton chop 

 afterwards ! While at tea he put some cocaine into my 

 eye with a paint brush. I then went upstairs ; found 

 a lamp with a great bowl of water in front of it ; lay 

 down on the sofa, having taken my coat off, and 

 expected to have my head cut off. He put a thing 

 like a tailor's thimble to keep my eyelid back and 

 fumbled about my eye without causing any pain. I 

 clenched my teeth. He said, " You need not do 

 that ; I have half done ; I only want to smooth down 

 this edge". He then said to Miss Sulley, the nurse, 

 " Tell Miss Thomson to come and see ". Ro was 

 all the time in the next room and very anxious. She 

 came and looked, and said, " I can't see any differ- 

 ence ". I was then put to bed, a bit of cotton wool 



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