From the way my heart and other organs jumped inside of me at
that statement I knew at once that, no matter what he may have
thought, the premises were not unoccupied. Naturally I inquired
how soon he meant to operate. Personally I trusted there was no
hurry about it. I was perfectly willing to wait for several
years, if necessary. He smiled at my ignorance.
"I never operate," he said; "operating is entirely out of my line.
I am a diagnostician."
He was, too--I give him full credit for that. He was a good,
keen, close diagnostician. How did he know I had only fifteen
dollars on me? You did not have to tell this man what you had,
or how much. He knew without being told.
I asked whether he was acquainted with Doctor Y--Y being a person
whom I had met casually at a club to which I belong. Oh, yes, he
said, he knew Doctor Y. Y was a clever man, X said--very, very
clever; but Y specialized in the eyes, the ears, the nose and the
throat. I gathered from what Doctor X said that any time Doctor Y
ventured below the thorax he was out of bounds and liable to be
penalized; and that if by any chance he strayed down as far as the
lungs he would call for help and back out as rapidly as possible.
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