You, Doctor, complain of the want
of coseyness in a bachelor establishment. To state it simply, you need a
wife."
"And oust my Pooh-ba! Madame, you do not know what a treasure that old
soldier of mine is. If I call him a veritable Martha, I shall but be
paying proper tribute to the neatness with which he keeps my house and
linen; he entertains my palate as deliciously as a Corinne her salon,
and--is never in my way or thoughts. Can you commend me any woman so
self-abnegatory?"
"Many women, but no wife, I am glad to say. But you need one."
"So! Pray explain wherein the lack is apparent."
"Oh, not to me, but--"
"You mean you consider a wife an adjunct to a doctor's certificate."
"It is a great guarantee with women," put in Louis, "as a voucher against
impatience with their own foibles. They think only home practice can
secure the adequate tolerance. Eh, Aunt Esther?"
"Nonsense, Louis!" interrupted Mr. Levice; "what has that to do with
skill?"
"Skill is one thing; the manner of man is another--with women."
"That is worth considering--or adding to the curriculum," observed Kemp,
turning his steady, quiet gaze upon Arnold.
Ruth noticed that the two men had taken the same position, --vis- -vis to
each other in their respective easy-chairs, their heads thrown back upon
the cushions, their arms resting on the chair-arms.
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