The Doctor's Fee, Part V [pp. 35-47]

THE DOCTOR's FEE.
listening to and trying to understand the meaning of the buzz-z
which was all that he could make out of Mr. Gowan's plainly
enough spoken sentences. His head would sink slowly forward
to an angle very much out of the perpendicular, when suddenly,
recovering a dim sense of his surroundings, he would bring it
up with a quick jerk, force his quivering eyelids wide open, and
utter a word or two of assent or apology that had no relevancy
to what the druggist was saying. The latter looked surprised
once or twice at the inconsequent replies he received; but, being near-sighted, he could not from where he sat distinguish the
face of Father Brian clearly, and therefore he repeated more
at length the questions which, he supposed, had been misunderstood.
It would have been amusing if it had not been alarming to
the doctor to watch the scene. He let it go on, hoping that the
necessity to exert himself which Father Brian evidently felt even
in his present state of somnolence might prevent a total lapse
into unconsciousness. But at last the young man found himselt
constrained to interfere. Mr. Gowan, after explaining elaborately some of the accusations that are made by Protestants
against the confessional, and the abuses which, according to their
enlightened testimony, flow from it, was amazed and obviously
scandalized at receiving an unqualified though disjointed assent
to each count as it was cited. "No doubt," " yes," "unquestionably true," Father Brian, having an obscure perception that he
was expected to say something, would respond at each pause of
the speaker, who finally turned a face of ludicrous astonishment
toward the doctor.
"Don't you see that he don't know what he is saying-that
he is asleep?" said Ferrison impatiently, as he rose and hurried
out of the room. And the druggist, approaching the priest, did
see that in the instant which had elapsed since his last response
he had sunk into a profound slumber.
Dr. Ferrison returned as quickly as he went out, and, coming
to his patient, shook his shoulder vigorously until he opened his
eyes with a sleepy, bewildered expression.
"You must walk about some, father!" said the young man.
"Here, Gowan, support him on that side, will you? He must
not go to sleep."
Together they lifted the poor padre to his feet and put him in
motion, guiding his steps up and down the floor, until he was sufficiently awake to be made to comprehend that he must swallow
the coffee which the doctor held to his lips. Back and forth,
[April,
42