difficult for him to judge of it, even when wide awake, and almost impossible that he should form any right notion of it when half asleep. Labouring, partly under both of these difficulties, I rubbed my eyes, and, fixing them on my patient, began seriously to consider what it was that she expected me to prescribe for her.
There are certain moments and situations in which the gravest man can scarcely refrain from lending his feelings to the excitement of whimsicality: his moodiness is taken by surprise, as a sudden ray of light invades a closed apartment; and he becomes abruptly cheerful, in spite of himself. I said I was much puzzled to guess what could possibly be the matter with the girl: she had the appearance of any thing but an invalid, and I was concerned to believe, as I was far from skilful in phlebotomy, that she was plethorick, and wanted bleeding: I was glad to find this was not the case, and that she had only the tooth-ache;—I say only, because I
