78 A SPOKE IN THE WHEEL.

lent people might have quite come to a quarrel had
not a note at that moment, from a physician, required
Mr. Osborne’s particular attention.

This note was an awkward affair, indeed ; such a
thing as this had never occurred befiep i in the whole
forty years of Mr. Osborne’s practice. He started
up, and, with the note in his hand, went into the
back-room, which was appropriated to Mr. Isaacs
and the young men.

‘“‘ Who made up that prescription of Dr. Chawner’s,
yesterday 2?” asked he.

Mr. Isaacs considered for a moment, and then

replied that Williams had done it.

Williams was sitting there reading a volume of
Massinger’s plays, which he had borrowed from
Anderson, one of the actors; he started, and looked
frightened. “ Wily, what of the prescription ? ” he
asked.

“Did you make that up yesterday?” asked
Mr. Osborne, in an angry tone.

“T did, sir,” he returned, submissively.

* And how came you, then, to put in 40 drops
tinctura opii and 6 tinctura scille, instead of 6 drops
tinctura opii and 40 tinctura scille ?”

Williams could not tell, unless he had mistaken it.

Mr. Osborne swore—yes, actually on a Sunday
morning. Williams’s answer had provoked him to
it. ‘* Mistaken a physician’s prescription! What
the deuce did he mean by mistaking a physician's
prescription, or anything else! He would he poison-
ing people some of these days; what had he learnt
his business for,” &c., &c.

Never had Mr. Osborne, in all his forty years’
practice, been so angry as then. It was the first