Paul Faber, Surgeon

ad to take her up-sat with her basket on the foot-board behind. His coachman sat beside him; he never took the reins when his master was there. Mr. Bevis drove like a gentleman, in a

of a nodding acquaintance with poverty, gave it the right clerical air of being not of this world. Mrs. Bevis had her basket on the seat before her, co

en air. Altogether he had the look of a man who knew what he was about, and was on tolerable terms with himself, and on still better with his neighbor. The heart under his ribs was larger even than indicated by the benevolence of his countenance and t

oment wild as youth. Just in front of them, in the air, over a high hedge, scarce touching the topmost twigs with his hoofs, appeared a great red horse. Down he came into the road, bringing with him a rather tall, certainly handsome, and even at first sight, attractive rider. A dark brown mustache upon a somewhat smooth sunburned face, and a stern settling of the strong

neck some day! You should think of your patients, man

nd then," returned the surgeon, who never met the

dge there, I took you for Death in the Revelations, that h

reverence, and his conscience sat behind him in the person of his wife. But that conscienc

bagged this week?" c

geon. "-You've got one behind, I see," he ad

"she's got a heavy basket, and we all need a lift sometim

s well as every one else he knew him to be no friend to the church, or to Christianity, or even to religious belief of any sort, his liking

e never practiced the euthanasia. The instincts of my profession,

kindly look from his box, which, however

influence of it notwith

s you, Mr. Bevis, there would be mo

he carriage window. There, catching sight of Mrs. Bevis, of whose possible presence he had not thought once, he paid his compliments, and made his apologies, then trotted his gaunt Ruber again beside the wheel, and resumed talk, but not the same talk, with the rector. For a few minutes it turned upon the state of this and that ailing parishioner; for, wh

that horse of yours upon

you should see him feed! He eats enough for two, bu

he way of heaving him over such hedges on to the hard road. In my best days

a prudent man of me, you see," returned the surgeon. "At

as of his own producing. The careless defiant words wrought in him an unaccountable k

lemnly. "There may be something to b

ty of long life, by keeping the rheumatic and epileptic and phthisical ali

ed. At length

r, I wish you were better. When

present. For all her sweet ways and looks, the spring is n

ctor would gladly have said som

ught I saw you pass the gate-let me se

me. I was sent for to a

ession of the lady. She is a stranger here.-John, that gate is sw

u. All I know is that she is a lady. Th

e is a beauty,"

dded his head

ou seen he

. She walks well. Do yo

she wi

bod

evis shall c

not. Mrs. Puckridge is a good old s

ter with her? No

a chill. I was afraid

he is b

ot to be dawdling like this, with half my patients to see

ther side of the way, scrambled up the steep bank to the field above, and galloped toward Glas

ter him admiringly, and pulling up his horses

e. He has no passion for humbugging other people. There's that curate of his now believes every thing, and would humbug the whole world if he could! How

wise and good and powerful, absolutely impossible. If one said to him that he believed thousands of things he had never himself known, he answered he did so upon testimony. If one rejoined that here too we have testimony, he replied it was not credible testimony, but founded on such experiences as he was justified in considering imaginary, seeing they were like none he had ever had himself. When he was asked whether, while he yet believed there was such a being as his mother told him of, he had ever set himself to act upon that belief, he asserted himself fortunat

s respect to one's fellows. Not a man in Glaston was readier, by day or by night, to run to the help of anoth

o strike into, and thus disclose to the man himself, the deeper strata of his being. This might indeed at first only render him the more earnest in his denials, but at length it would probably rouse in him that spiritual nature to which alone such questions really belong, and which alone is capable of coping with them. The first notable result, however, of the surgeon's intercourse with the cura

eing good Christians, minding their own affairs, going to church, and so feeling safe for the next world. What did opinion matter as long as they were good Christians? He did not exactly know what he believed himself, but he hoped he was none the less of a Christian for that! Was it not enough to hold fast whatever lay in the apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian creed, without splitting metaphysical hairs with your neighbor? But was it decent tha