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than yesterday Signor Cornacchia, the
undertaker, had confided to him almost with tears in
his eyes that I had embalmed the wife of the
Swedish parson for a hundred lire, a most
deplorable breach of loyalty to all my colleagues. He
felt sure I would realize the advantages to myself
of becoming a member of their Society for Mutual
Protection and would be glad to welcome me
amongst them at their next meeting to-morrow.
I answered I was sorry I could not see the
advantage either for me or for them of my
becoming a member, that anyhow I was willing to
discuss with them the fixing of a maximum fee
but not of a minimum fee. As to the injections
of sublimate they called embalmment, its cost
did not exceed fifty francs. Adding another fifty
for the loss of time, the sum I had charged for
embalming the parson’s wife was correct. I
intended to earn from the living, not from the
dead. I was a doctor, not a hyæna.
He rose from his seat at the word hyæna with
a request not to disturb myself in case I ever
wished to call him in consultation, he was not
available.
I said it was a blow both to myself and to
my patients, but that we would have to try to
do without him.
I was sorry I had lost my temper, and I told
him so at our next meeting, this time in his
own house in Via Quattro Fontane. Poor Doctor
Pilkington had had a slight stroke the very day
after our interview and had sent for me to
attend him. He told me the Society for Mutual
Protection had broken down, they were all at
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