116 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



to undergo the operation, she could not keep away. 

 She was about eighteen, of lively imagination, pic- 

 turing pleasure or pain in the strongest colours, and 

 with a smile ever ready to chase away the tear. At 

 one moment she roused herself to the effort, and the 

 next, calling herself coward, fell into her mother's 

 arms, while her mother cheered and encouraged her, 

 representing to her, with that confidence allowed be- 

 fore medical men, the advantage it would give her 

 in the eyes of our sex. Her eyes were large, full, 

 and round, and with the tear glistening in them, the 

 defect was hardly visible ; in fact, all that they want- 

 ed was to be made to roll in the right direction. 

 \ I have given the reader a faint picture of Daguer- 

 reotype practice with young ladies, but this was al- 

 together another thing, and it was very different from 

 having to deal with boys or men. It is easy enough 

 to spread out a boy upon a table, but not so with a 

 young lady ; so, too, it is easy enough to tie a bandage 

 around a boy's head, but vastly different among combs 

 and curls, and long hair done up behind. As the 

 principal assistant of Doctor Cabot, this complica- 

 ted business devolved upon me ; and having, with 

 the help of her mother, accomplished it, I laid her 

 head upon the pillow as carefully as if it had been 

 my own property. In all the previous cases I had 

 found it necessary, in order to steady my hand, to 

 lean my elbow on the table, and my wrist on the 

 forehead of the patient. I did the same with her, 

 and, if I know myself, I never gazed into any eyes 



