“O Phil! what will you say next?” exclaimed his wife, laughing.

“Well, only wait till you’re a male physician, then, and see,” returned he, jumping into his chaise, and relieving his own nerves with a crack of the whip, which put new vivacity into those of De Quincey.

I made ready at once, for the day was sulky.  It had been weeping, and had not yet begun to smile.

Nelly lived with her uncle, the apothecary, Mr. Wardour, and his widowed sister, Mrs. Cumberland.  As I neared the door, I heard her voice, which was not dulcet, from the parlor-kitchen:  “What’s this here winder open for?”

“It felt so close in here,” was the plaintive little answer; “and the Doctor said I ought to have the air.”

“Does he think we can afford wood enough to warm all out-doors with?”

I knocked; but Mrs. Cumberland was deaf, and went on:  “My sakes alive, child! what’s all this?”

“The stewed damsons.”

“‘Stewed damsons,’ indeed!—­Stewed stalks and stewed leaves and stewed creaturs!  Didn’t you have faculty of yourself enough to know that they’d got to be picked over before they went into the pot?  There, there, child! don’t you go to cryin’, whatever you do.”

I knocked louder.

“There’s somebody to the door; mebbe it’s the Doctor.  You go and see what’s wanted, an’ don’t take no more concern about these.  I’ll see to ’em.”

After a little delay, occasioned perhaps by the need of rubbing the eyelids, which were red, a little pallid lass, apparently about sixteen years old, shyly opened the door, and looked relieved, I thought, to find only me at it.  She had a small and pretty nose and mouth, large, heavy blue eyes, flaxen hair drawn neatly, but unbecomingly, away from her face, looked modest and refined, but sadly moped, and was dressed in dark green, which set her off much as spinach does a dropped egg.

“Miss Nelly?” said I.

“Yes, Miss Morne,” said she.

I had never seen her before; but it afterwards came out that she had peeped at me through the blinds of her chamber.

“I have brought you a little treat from Dr. Physick.”

“O,” said she, looking rather pleased; “then isn’t he coming to-day?”

“No; he sent me instead.”

“I am glad to see you,” said she, timidly, but beginning to look really pretty, as her countenance went on brightening.  “Won’t you walk in?”

I did so, sat down opposite to her in the cold, shaded “best parlor,” and went over the directions to her aloud.  She kept her face civilly turned towards me; but it grew utterly blank again, and I saw she was not paying the least attention.  So I played her a genuine teacher’s trick, which I had learned in my school-room.  “Now,” continued I, “will you be so good as to repeat to me what I have been saying, so that I may be able to tell Dr. Physick that I explained it to you perfectly?  He was rather particular about it.”