30 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. II. 



in my pocket. The sense of desolation which I 

 experienced in walking up Holborn towards St. 

 Bartholomew's Hospital, where the letter was to 

 be presented, was something indescribable, and 

 the numbers of strange faces which kept passing 

 by only increased that feeling.' 



When he arrived at the hospital Abernethy 

 had just finished lecturing, and was evidently in 

 anything but the best of tempers, being surrounded 

 by a small crowd of students waiting about to ask 

 him questions. Owen was just screwing up his 

 courage to attack this formidable personage and 

 state his business, when Abernethy suddenly 

 turned upon him and said, ' And what may you 

 want ? ' After presenting the letter, Abernethy 

 glanced at it for a moment, stuffed it into his 

 pocket, and vouchsafed the gracious reply of ' Oh ! ' 

 As this did not seem to point to anything very 

 definite, Owen, after waiting for further remarks 

 and enlightenment, was turning away to go when 

 Abernethy called after him, ' Here ; come to break- 

 fast to-morrow morning at eight ; ' and, presenting 

 him with his card, added : ' That's my address/ 

 What were the terms in which Dr. Barclay had 

 spoken of him Owen never knew, but he thought 

 they must have been favourable, for when he pre- 

 sented himself the next morning at Abernethy's 

 residence, and was anticipating anything but an 

 agreeable tete-a-tete with the great doctor, he found 

 him, to his surprise, considerably smoothed down, 



