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MEXICO. 



upon me. They sent for me at all hours of the 

 day and night, whenever there was the least 

 change ; and although they must have seen that 

 I could do them no good, they still wished to be 

 encouraged to hope the best. In so small a town^ 

 and where there was no physician within twenty 

 miles, every eye was turned upon us, which made 

 the case a still more anxious one. If the child 

 recovered, indeed, we should have been certain 

 of the respect and the esteem of the society : but, 

 on the other hand, if she died, as we began to 

 fear she must, the effect of our interference was 

 much to be dreaded on the minds of people habi- 

 tually distrustful of strangers. There was clear- 

 ly nothing for it now, however, but to go through 

 with the matter; although it was too obvious 

 that in spite of our care, the child was getting 

 daily worse. As all the old women in the town 

 had given the case up as hopeless — and they 

 were the only pretenders to medical knowledge 

 in the neighbourhood — our endeavours were 

 watched with uncommon anxiety, and became 

 the universal topic of conversation, even as far as 

 Topic. 



Late one night, I was called out of bed by a 



