xiii PLANT-BKEEDING 157 



The doctor went to the railwayman, and said to him 

 that he would like to try the new method on his 

 injury. The railwayman was quite willing he was 

 greatly interested, indeed, for the doctor explained to 

 him just in what way the new method would be 

 better if it succeeded. But if the method failed there 

 was danger. Somebody must always stay by the 

 bedside of the patient, night and day, to make sure 

 that nothing went wrong. Even if a doctor could 

 be got in three minutes it might be too late ; some- 

 body must be always there. Therefore the students 

 remember they had their daily work to do as 

 usual arranged to take it in turns to watch by 

 the man's bed night and day, with all their instru- 

 ments ready, so that if anything went wrong, it 

 could be put right instantly. For ten days, the 

 doctor said, there would be risk. For ten days the 

 man must never be left for an instant. 



Nine days passed, and everything went well. 

 Every morning the doctor came, and every morning 

 the patient said, " It's holding, doctor," for he was 

 as keen as anybody on the experiment. But, alas ! 

 during the ninth day something went wrong. A 

 watchful student was at hand, and no harm came 

 to the brave patient but the doctor had failed. 



What he felt, nobody knew ; but one of his 

 students says that he came into the lecture-room 

 next morning exactly the same as usual, and he 



