A DELICATE CASE. 



185 



he could expect to get out of us in return. We had 

 hardly begun to speculate upon this when, as if 

 knowing what was passing in our minds, he called 

 in his wife, a respectable-looking elderly person, and 

 disclosed another design upon the Daguerreotype. 

 At Nohcacab he had heard of portraits being taken, 

 and wanted one of his wife, and he was somewhat 

 disappointed, and, perhaps, went over the calculation 

 we had just made, when he learned that, as there 

 were no subjects on which it could be used to ad- 

 vantage, we had determined not to open the appa- 

 ratus. 



But he did not let us off yet. His next attempt 

 was upon Dr. Cabot, and this, too, was in favour of 

 his old wife. Taking her by the hand, he led her 

 before the doctor, and, with an earnestness that gave 

 dignity to his scanty wearing apparel, and ought to 

 have found its way to the depths of medical science, 

 explained the nature of her maladies. It was really 

 a delicate case, and made more so by the length of 

 time that had elapsed since marriage. No such 

 case had ever occurred in my practice, and even 

 Doctor Cabot was at a loss. 



While the matter was under discussion several 

 men came in. No doubt they had all received a 

 hint to drop in at that hour. One had an asthma, 

 another a swelling, and there were so many of Don 

 Juan's friends afflicted that we made an abrupt re- 

 treat. 



Vol. IL— a a 



