Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-08

tice over to me / had never contemplated.
Hence l thanked him most heartily. Yes,
Sir Bernard had been my benefactor always.
"All the women know you" he went on
In his snappish way. you are the only
man to take my place. They would come
to you, but not to a new man. All / can
hope is that they won't bore you with their
domestic troubles-as they have done me"
and he smiled.
"Oh." 1 said. More than once I, too,
have been compelled to listen to the do
mestic secrets Of certain households. 1t
really is astonishing what a woman will
tell her doctor, even though he may be
young"
The old man laughed again.
"Ah!" he sighed. "You don't know
women as know them, Boyd. You've got
your experience to gain. Then you'll hold
them in abhorrence-just as / do. They
call me a woman-hater." he grunted. Per
haps l am-for I've had cause to hold the
feminine mind and the feminine passion
equally in contempt"
"Well," laughed, there's not a man in
London who is more qualified to speak from
personal experience than yourself. So i
anticipate a pretty rough time when I've
had years OF 1t, as you have"
"And yet you want to marry!" he said,
looking me straight in the face. "Of course,
you love Ethelwynn Mivart. Every man at
your age loves. 1t is a malady that oceurs
in the teens and declines in the :hirties.
] should have thought that your affection
Of the heart had been about cured. II is
surely time it was"
at is true that I love Ethelwynn." ! de-
clared, rather annoyed, land l intend TO
marry her"
IF you do, then you spoil all your
chances OF success The class of women
who are my patients would much rather
consult a confirmed bachelor than a man
who has a jealous wife hanging to his coat
tails. The doctors wife must always be a
long-suffering person"
I smiled: and then our conversation
turned upon his proposed retirement, which
was to take place in six months time.
I returned to london by the last train,
ard on entering my room found a telegram
from Amber making an appointment to call
on the following evening. The message was
dated from Eastbourne, and was the first /
had received from him for some days.
Next morning / sat in Sir Bernard's con-
sulting room as usual, receiving patients,
and the afternoon I spent on the usual hos
pltaI round. About 8 o'clock Amber ar
rived, drank a brandy and soda with a re-
Elective air, and then suggested that we
might dine together at the Cavour. a IA
vorite haunt Of his.
AZ table / endeavored to induce him TO
explain his movements and what he had
discovered, but he was still disinclined TO
tell me anything. He worked always in Sc
crot, and until facts were clear said moth
ing. II was a popularity Of his 10 remain
dumb even to his most Intimate friends
concerning any inquiries he was making.
He was a man Of moods, with an active
mind and a still tongge-two qualities es-
sential to the successful unraveling OF mys-
teries.
Having finished dinner we lit cigars and
took a cab back to my rooms. On passing
along Harley street IL suddenly occurred to
me that In the morning / had left a small
case OF intruments in Sir Demands con-
suIting room. and that I might require them
for a patient II called that night.
Therefore. l stopped the cab. dismissed
Il, and knocked at Sir Demands door
Ford. on opening Il, surprised me by an
nouneing that his master, whom had left