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The Elder, who had listened silently thus far, not without an occasional and apparently involuntary manifestation of dissent, here interposed.

“Pardon me, my dear friend,” said he; “but I must needs say that I look upon speculations of this kind, however ingenious or plausible, as unprofitable, and well-nigh presumptuous. For myself, I only know that I am a weak, sinful man, accountable to and cared for by a just and merciful God. What He has in reserve for me hereafter I know not, nor have I any warrant to pry into His secrets. I do not know what it is to pass from one life to another; but I humbly hope that, when I am sinking in the dark waters, I may hear His voice of compassion and encouragement, ‘It is I; be not afraid.'”

“Amen,” said the Skipper, solemnly.

“I dare say the Parson is right, in the main,” said the Doctor. “Poor creatures at the best, it is safer for us to trust, like children, in the goodness of our Heavenly Father than to speculate too curiously in respect to the things of a future life; and, notwithstanding all I have said, I quite agree with good old Bishop Hall: ‘It is enough for me to rest in the hope that I shall one day see them; in the mean time, let me be learnedly ignorant and incuriously devout, silently blessing the power and wisdom of my infinite Creator, who knows how to honor himself by all those unrevealed and glorious subordinations.'”

CHAPTER VI. THE SKIPPER’S STORY

“WELL, what’s the news below?” asked the Doctor of his housekeeper, as she came home from a gossiping visit to the landing one afternoon. “What new piece of scandal is afloat now?”

“Nothing, except what concerns yourself,” answered Widow Matson, tartly. “Mrs. Nugeon says that you’ve been to see her neighbor Wait’s girl–she that ‘s sick with the measles–half a dozen times, and never so much as left a spoonful of medicine; and she should like to know what a doctor’s good for without physic. Besides, she says Lieutenant Brown would have got well if you’d minded her, and let him have plenty of thoroughwort tea, and put a split fowl at the pit of his stomach.”

“A split stick on her own tongue would be better,” said the Doctor, with a wicked grimace.

“The Jezebel! Let her look out for herself the next time she gets the rheumatism; I’ll blister her from head to heel. But what else is going?”

“The schooner Polly Pike is at the landing.”

“What, from Labrador? The one Tom Osborne went in?”

“I suppose so; I met Tom down street.”

“Good!” said the Doctor, with emphasis. “Poor Widow Osborne’s prayers are answered, and she will see her son before she dies.”

“And precious little good will it do her,” said the housekeeper. “There’s not a more drunken, swearing rakeshame in town than Tom Osborne.”

“It’s too true,” responded the Doctor. “But he’s her only son; and you know, Mrs. Matson, the heart of a mother.”

The widow’s hard face softened; a tender shadow passed over it; the memory of some old bereavement melted her; and as she passed into the house I saw her put her checked apron to her eyes.

By this time Skipper Evans, who had been slowly working his way up street for some minutes, had reached the gate.

“Look here!” said he. “Here’s a letter that I’ve got by the Polly Pike from one of your old patients that you gave over for a dead man long ago.”

“From the other world, of course,” said the Doctor.

“No, not exactly, though it’s from Labrador, which is about the last place the Lord made, I reckon.”

“What, from Dick Wilson?”

“Sartin,” said the Skipper.

“And how is he?”

“Alive and hearty. I tell you what, Doctor, physicking and blistering are all well enough, may be; but if you want to set a fellow up when he’s kinder run down, there’s nothing like a fishing trip to Labrador, ‘specially if he’s been bothering himself with studying, and writing, and such like. There’s nothing like fish chowders, hard bunks, and sea fog to take that nonsense out of him. Now, this chap,” (the Skipper here gave me a thrust in the ribs by way of designation,) “if I could have him down with me beyond sunset for two or three months, would come back as hearty as a Bay o’ Fundy porpoise.”