In short, I had colored the
story so as to make him look ridiculous.
--I am afraid I did,--I said,--but was n't I colored myself so as to look
ridiculous? I've heard it said that people with the jaundice see
everything yellow; perhaps I saw things looking a little queerly, with
that black and blue spot I could n't account for threatening to make a
colored man and brother of me. But I am sorry if I have done you any
wrong. I hope you won't lose any patients by my making a little fun of
your meters and scopes and contrivances. They seem so odd to us outside
people. Then the idea of being bronzed all over was such an alarming
suggestion. But I did not mean to damage your business, which I trust is
now considerable, and I shall certainly come to you again if I have need
of the services of a physician. Only don't mention the names of any
diseases in English or Latin before me next time. I dreamed about cutis
oenea half the night after I came to see you.
Dr. Benjamin took my apology very pleasantly. He did not want to be
touchy about it, he said, but he had his way to make in the world, and
found it a little hard at first, as most young men did. People were
afraid to trust them, no matter how much they knew. One of the old
doctors asked him to come in and examine a patient's heart for him the
other day.
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