I am as
regular in my habits as when a boy in my father's house in England."
"Oh! Ah! You are an Englishman. From what part of England are you?"
"The north of England," was the short reply.
"Mr. Edwards, excuse me, but have you any great trouble upon your
heart? _That_ sometimes causes trouble, an actual physical disturbance,
you know."
The young man, who up to this time had evinced no particular interest in
the conversation, now hesitated, so much so, in fact, that the doctor
repeated his question, adding: "There is but little prospect of helping
the body, if there is a secret enemy affecting the heart and mind. This
will always create trouble in the digestive organs."
To these words Carl replied somewhat nervously: "I suppose that, like
most young men, I have regrets concerning my earlier life. There are some
things that I am sorry for having done, and other duties that I have
neglected, for which delinquencies I am sorry."
So entirely informal had been the discussion that Carl still did not
suspect that he had been under examination. And the sagacious doctor
having gained some information, quite as much, indeed, as he had expected
in the first interview, abstained from pushing the matter for the
present, and adroitly changed the subject; but while he continued to
converse easily with the young man, he felt assured that he was on the
right track. And when, later, he was telling the bishop about it, he
declared that he felt sure it was a disturbed mind and uneasy conscience,
more than any particular functional disorder, that was robbing the young
man of his vitality.
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