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year to me. There's a family connection, you know, and people only
want to realize that I am here. But how am I to do it unless by
brawling in the street or by increasing my family? Now, there was the
excitement about the discopherous bone. If Huxley or some of these
fellows had taken the matter up it might have been the making of me.
But they took it all in with a disgusting complacency as if it was the
most usual thing in the world and dominoes were the normal food of
ducks. I'll tell you what I'll do," he continued, moodily eyeing his
fowls, "I'll puncture the floors of their fourth ventricles and present
them to Markham. You know that makes them ravenous, and they'd
eat him out of house and home in time. Eh, Jack? "
"Look here, Thomas, " said I, "you want your name in the
papers – is that it? "
"That's about the state of the case. "
"Well, by Jove, you shall have it. "
"Eh? Why? How? "
"There's a pretty considerable crowd of people outside, isn't
there, Tom?' I continued. 'They are coming out of church, aren't they?
If there was an accident now it would make some noise. "
"I say, you're not going to let rip among them with a shot gun,
are you, in order to found a practice for me? "
"No, not exactly. But how would this read in tomorrow's
Chronicler — "Painful occurrence in George Street. — As the
congregation were leaving George Street Cathedral after the morning
service, they were horrified to see a handsome, fashionably dressed
gentleman stagger and fall senseless upon the pavement. He was
taken up and carried writhing in terrible convulsions into the surgery
of the well-known practitioner, Doctor Crabbe, who had been
promptly upon the spot. We are happy to state that the fit rapidly
passed off, and that, owing to the skilful attention which he received,
the gentleman, who is a distinguished visitor in our city, was able to
regain his hotel and is now rapidly becoming convalescent." How
would that do, eh? "
"Splendid, Jack — splendid! "
"Well, my boy, I'm your fashionably dressed stranger, and I
promise you they won't carry me into Markham's. "
"My dear fellow, you are a treasure — you won't mind my
bleeding you? "
"Bleeding me, confound you! Yes, I do very much mind. "