"If you think so highly of his skill, why not take his advice? It can do
no harm."

"No harm? Why, if I was to leave them off I should catch a dreadful
cold; and that would be sure to settle on my chest, and carry me off,
in my present delicate state. Besides, it is so unfeminine not to wear
them."

This staggered Mr. Lusignan, and he was afraid to press the point; but
what Staines had said fermented in his mind.

Dr. Snell and Mr. Wyman continued their visits and their prescriptions.

The patient got a little worse.

Mr. Lusignan hoped Christopher would call again, but he did not.

When Dr. Staines had satisfied himself that the disorder was easily
curable, then wounded pride found an entrance even into his loving
heart. That two strangers should have been consulted before him! He was
only sent for because they could not cure her.

As he seemed in no hurry to repeat his visit, Mr. Lusignan called on
him, and said, politely, he had hoped to receive another call ere this.
"Personally," said he, "I was much struck with your observations; but my
daughter is afraid she will catch cold if she leaves off her corset, and
that, you know, might be very serious."

Dr. Staines groaned, and, when he had groaned, he lectured. "Female
patients are wonderfully monotonous in this matter; they have a