4 THE FAT OF THE LAND 
with flocks and herds, but I did not expect to real- 
ize my visions until I came on earth a second time. 
I would never have given up my profession 
voluntarily ; but when it gave me up, I had 
to accept the dismissal, surrender my ambitions, 
and fall back upon my primary instinct for di- 
version and happiness. The dismissal came with- 
out warning, like the fall of a tree when no wind 
shakes the forest, but it was imperative and per- 
emptory. The doctors (and they were among 
the best in the land) said, “« No more of this kind 
of work for years,” and I had to accept their 
verdict, though I knew that “for years” meant 
forever. - 
My disappointment lasted longer than the acute 
attack; but, thanks to the cheerful spirit of my 
wife, by early summer of that year I was able 
to face the situation with courage that grew as 
strength increased. Fortunately we were well 
to do, and the loss of professional income was 
not a serious matter. We were not rich as 
wealth is counted nowadays; but we were more 
than comfortable for ourselves and our children, 
though I should never earn another dollar. This 
is not the common state of the physician, who 
gives more and gets less than most other men; 
it was simply a happy combination of circum- 
stances. Polly was a small heiress when we 
married; I had some money from my maternal 
grandfather; our income was larger than our 
necessities, and our investments had been fortu- 
