The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

THE SURGEON'S DAUGHTER. 461
mas of the child - and I am Matthew Middlemas, at your service. This,"
he continued, "will provide Mrs. Middlemas in every thing she may wish
to possess-or assist her in case of accidents." With that he placed ~100
in Mr. Gray's hand, who rather scrupled receiving it, saying, "He supposed
the lady was qualified to be her own purse-bearer."
"The worst in the world, I assure you, Doctor," replied the stranger.
"If she wished to change that piece of paper, she would scarce know how
many guineas she should receive for it. No, Mr. Gray, I assure you you
will find Mrs. Middleton- Middlemas - what did I call her - as ignorant
of the affairs of this world as any one you have met with in your practice:
So you will please to be her treasurer and administrator for the time, as for
a patient that is incapable to look after her own affairs."
This was spoke, as it struck Dr. Gray, in rather a haughty and supercilious manner. The words intimated nothing in themselves, more than
the same desire of preserving incognito, which might be gathered from all
the rest of the stranger's conduct; but the manner seemed to say, "I am
not a person to be questioned by any one-what I say must be received
without comment, how little soever you may believe or understand it." It
strengthened Gray in his opinion, that he had before him a case either of
seduction, or of private marriage, betwixt persons of the very highest rank;
and the whole bearing, both of the lady and the gentleman, confirmed his
suspicions. It was not in his nature to be troublesome or inquisitive, but
he could not fail to see that the lady wore no marriage-ring; and her deep
sorrow, and perpetual tremor, seemed to indicate an unhappy creature, who
had lost the protection of parents, without acquiring a legitimate right to that
of a husband. He was therefore somewhat anxious when Mr. Middlemas,
after a private conference of some length with the lady, bade him farewell.
It is true, he assured him of his return within ten days, being the very
shortest space which Gray could be prevailed upon to assign for any prospect of the lady being moved with safety.
" I trust in Heaven that he will return," said Gray to himself, " but there
is too much mystery about all this, for the matter being a plain and wellmeaning transaction. If he intends to treat this poor thing, as many a
poor girl has been used before, I hope that my house will not be the scene
in which he chooses to desert her. The leaving the money has somewhat a
suspicious aspect, and looks as if my friend were in the act of making some
compromise with his conscience. Well-I must hope the best. Meantime,
my path plainly is to do what I can for the poor lady's benefit."
Mr. Gray visited his patient shortly after Mr. Middlemas's departure-as
soon, indeed, as he could be admitted. He found her in violent agitation.
Gray's experience dictated the best mode of relief and tranquillity. iHe
caused her infant to be brought to her. She wept over it for a long time,
and the violence of her agitation subsided under the influence of parental
feelings, which, from her appearance of extreme youth, she must have
experienced for the first time.
The observant physician could, after this paroxysm, remark that his
patient's mind was chiefly occupied in computing the passage of the time,
and anticipating the period when the return of her husband-if husband he
was -might be expected. She consulted almanacks, enquired concerning
distances, though so cautiously as to make it evident she desired to give no
indication of the direction of her companion's journey, and repeatedly compared her watch with those of others; exercising, it was evident, all that
delusive species of mental arithmetic by which mortals attempt to accelerate the passage of Time while they calculate his progress. At other times
she wept anew over her child, which was by all judges pronounced as goodly
an infant as needed to be seen; and Gray sometimes observed that she murmured sentences to the unconscious infant, not only the words, but the very
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