PHLEBOTOMY. 



287 



his siesta. I took the liberty of urging him re- 

 peatedly to defer the story till after he had bled 

 the girl ; but as this produced no effect, I said, 

 at length, that unless he began immediately, we 

 must employ some one else to do it instead. This 

 put him a little on his mettle, and he very pomp- 

 ously called for a ribbon, a towel, a handkerchief, 

 a candle, and a basin. These being brought and 

 ranged before him, he drew forth his case of lan- 

 cets, examined five or six with most pedantic de- 

 liberation, and, after many minutes delay, select- 

 ed one ; he then tied up the arm, drew it out at 

 full length, and folded it up again till the fingers 

 touched the shoulder; this he repeated several 

 times, without seeming at all disposed to go any 

 further ; upon which we insinuated to him, that if 

 the girl died through his preposterous delays, he 

 should be held responsible. This roused him a 

 little ; and having bared the arm, he first wet it, 

 and then, in the rudest manner possible, rubbed 

 it with a coarse towel from the wrist to the elbow, 

 till the skin was much abraded. At last he touch- 

 ed the vein with his lancet, after slowly making 

 the sign of the cross three times over the place. 

 Owing to the violent manner in which he had 



