It is no earthly use my coming--I'll come."
He came that very evening, and saw directly she was worse. "Of course,"
said he, sadly, "you have not taken my advice."
Rosa replied with a toss and an evasion, "I was not worth a
prescription!"
"A physician can prescribe without sending his patient to the druggist;
and when he does, then it is his words are gold."
Rosa shook her head with an air of lofty incredulity.
He looked ruefully at Mr. Lusignan and was silent. Rosa smiled
sarcastically; she thought he was at his wit's end.
Not quite: he was cudgelling his brains in search of some horribly
unscientific argument, that might prevail; for he felt science would
fall dead upon so fair an antagonist. At last his eye kindled; he had
hit on an argument unscientific enough for anybody, he thought. Said he,
ingratiatingly, "You believe the Old Testament?"
"Of course I do, every syllable."
"And the lessons it teaches?"
"Certainly!"
"Then let me tell you a story from that book. A Syrian general had a
terrible disease. He consulted Elisha by deputy. Elisha said, 'Bathe
seven times in a certain river, Jordan, and you will get well.' The
general did not like this at all; he wanted a prescription; wanted to
go to the druggist; didn't believe in hydropathy to begin, and, in any
case, turned up his nose at Jordan.
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