u6 PROFESSOR OWEN CH. IV. 



good — better than her body I fear, if she 



survives — as she prays — to see us both again 

 with the little pledge of affection which reconciles 

 age to the irremediable lot, that the apathy of 

 decay may blunt much of the pleasure which she 

 has derived from my present visit.' 



In another letter from Lancaster written to 

 his wife he makes the following somewhat 

 flippant remarks relative to a request sent from 

 the Trustees of the College of Surgeons that he 

 should send them as soon as possible a report 

 concerning his work of the past year : — 



1 What's the use of trying to collect one's ideas 

 for a report to the Trustees ? " One thousand and 

 three moths killed by tobacco-smoke and directions 

 of the Board of Curators. Complaint of some of the 

 sorrowing relatives of said moths that returns was 

 used instead of canaster (such infra digs, would 

 never have taken place in good old Sir William's 

 time, the moths — though they be moths — having 

 been bred and born in the Royal College of 

 Surgeons)." Secondly, " All old corners and out- 

 of-the-way archives diligently and carefully looked 

 through, and the letters out o' date, old catalogues, 

 and other documents, left where they were found." 

 Thirdly, Mr. O. has minutely and casually looked 

 (without spectacles) at all the uncatalogued speci- 

 mens in spirit, and feels much out of spirits him- 

 self when he thinks of the same. Fourthly, that 

 Mrs. C[lift] closed the due proportion of her 



