Delia's Doctors

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7. Elasticity



"When Fancy's smile
Gilding youth's scenes, and promising to bring
The curtained morrow fairer than today." - Mrs. Sigourney.

Being left alone in the reception-room of the disciple of Hahnemann, Ella began to look around in quest of amusement or occupation. She wished that she had been admitted into his study. There she would have found books. Here, naught was at first visible, save the usual furniture of a common parlor. To her great joy, however, she soon espied a slate, evidently hanging for the express purpose of receiving orders during the absence of its proprietor. She immediately wrote, " Dr. Liston is requested to call at the residence of Mr. Thornton, No. 16 Myrtle Street."

With a feeling of relief she was quitting the room, when she was suddenly met by the physician himself. -She recognized him, having had her attention directed to the foreign professor, a few days prior to the occurrence of this morning's adventures. There he stood, with his large dreamy eyes, mildly contemplating the buoyant aspect of his visitor. The little girl courtsied. The gentleman bowed.

" I have called, sir," began Ella, " to ask you to attend my sister, whose health is not good. My father's name is Joseph Thornton."

The elegant stranger regarded her in silence. Surprised at his apparent abstraction, she earnestly repeated her message.

" Yes, my child," he now replied, with the pure English accent, but with the deliberation of a man not yet sufficiently familiar with the language, to express his thoughts with ease and fluency, "wait a few moments, and I will accompany you."

Ella watched the movements of her proposed escort, as he slowly unlocked his desk, calmly arranged his writing implements, and very carefully - with the air of a man engaged in scientific composition, and quite uncertain of the correctness of his views - penned a few lines in cipher. Then, withdrawing to his sanctum, he presently returned with a wallet of moderate size, opened it in his quiet manner, inspected two or three rows of tiny inch-length vials, secured in their places by kid fastenings, and containing pills resembling very small pin heads, made of some chalky substance; readjusted this very convenient pharmaceutical apparatus, deposited it in his coat pocket, and signified that he was now at liberty to go with his messenger.

The twain left the house, the physician occasionally giving his young companion so inquisitorial a glance, that she began to wonder whether he suspected her of robbing the reception-room during his absence. Her doubts were soon relieved.

"My child," he said, with benignant tone, "in personal appearance you very much resemble my little sister, whom I left last year in "Weimar."

" In Weimar," rapturously repeated Ella, " oh, how I should like to be there with your sister! Does she visit that beautiful library every day, and is she acquainted with any of the great authors, who reside in that celebrated place ?"

Doctor Liston smiled as he gently answered in the negative. After a pause, he remarked, " The fame of my native town has then reached you."

" Oh, yes," replied Ella, complacently, "Weimar is called the Athens of Germany ; and Boston, the Athens of America."

A half smile flitted across the countenance of the German as he responded to the beaming expression of the little school girl. During the remainder of the walk, he made quite a companion of the delighted Ella, who, overjoyed that she had so good an auditor, conversed with great freedom and volubility, especially expatiating upon the point that the young ladies of Germany ought to receive a more thorough education, and declaring that the men were very selfish in monopolizing so large a share of the immense literary advantages enjoyed by students in that country.

Ella and the physician were met at the door by Mrs. Thornton, who, from the window, had been observing, with blank amazement, their apparent familiarity. She gave Ella an ominous frown, the precursor, as the child well knew, of a heavy penalty for presuming to converse with a stranger.

Dr. Liston, having been informed that Delia was the patient, commenced a more formidable list of interrogatories than had ever before been propounded to the young lady. Producing pencil and note-book, he carefully recorded all her answers. Her exact age was first marked ; then the peculiarities of her constitution, as they had been revealed from birth to the present time, were elicited. An account of her habits of life was also demanded. The homeopathist was evidently a close observer. He noticed, with a critical eye, the configuration of the head, and the general physical organization of his patient. Then, the kinds of food that best suited her palate were discussed, and the various effects which each article produced. By turns, the German mentioned the brain, the nerves, the spine, the lungs, the heart, etc. ; made sundry investigations, and learned, as well as he could, the condition of each organ, and the state of its functions. The bewildered Delia, hardly knowing her own symptoms, was frequently at a loss for a reply. She endeavored to describe her malady; but so dissimilar, at times, were its developments, that, as she afterward said, she scarcely knew whether she gave a true or a false statement. The examination terminated, Dr. Liston continued for some minutes to write, apparently, in some style of stenography. Having finished his memoranda, he turned to Mrs. Thornton and said,

" I expect, madam, that I shall soon be able to restore your daughter to health. In the course of the day, I shall send her some medicine, with directions for its use ; also, a list of regulations which must be scrupulously observed. If any deviation from my rules is allowed, I can not be responsible for the consequences."

The physician's novel mode of procedure, and his authoritative method of speaking, had made so profound an impression upon Mrs. Thornton, that she seemed as taciturn as if she had suddenly taken a vow of perpetual silence. As, however, after two low bows - one to the mother, the other to the daughter - the gentleman was preparing to depart, the lady recovered, in some measure, from the abstraction into which she had been plunged, and asked, "Dr. Liston, what is the matter with my daughter?"

"Absence of sound health," was the Spartan reply of the homeopathist, as he vanished through the doorway, leaving the mother of his fair patient, with her mind in rather an unenviable state of doubt, mistrust, and confusion.