Chapters 7 - 9 Summary

In chapter seven, James reflects on just how little attention people truly pay to a vet, especially when in great need. On his way home from one call where he cut and bandaged his finger, James is flagged down by a family whose dog has a ball stuck in its throat. Being too far down to reach with his fingers, Harriot presses behind the animal's jaw and the ball pops out. After resuscitation, Benny, the collie, reunites with the ecstatic children. A written thank you from the family opens with the salutation, "Dear Vet with the bandaged finger" (p. 68, chap. 7).

Chapter eight shows James recalling his very first winter in Darrowby, specifically at old Mr. Stokill's farm. The wind bites through his heavy overcoat and woolen gloves, but Mr. Stokill, an old-timer in Yorkshire, wears nothing but a khaki cover over...