It was the old story--days and days of heavy use of stimulants, till the fevered madness that generally comes in its wake had seized upon an already too excited brain; and it was only by the use of the strongest measures that the medical men were able to restrain their patient's violence, as he rambled on wildly hour after hour, the burden of his incoherent mutterings being, "My wife! my wife!" Volume 2, Chapter VIII. DICK MILLET FEELS GROWN UP. "Bad?" said Dr Stonor, when he was left alone to attend his patient at Sir Humphrey's. "Yes, of course he is bad--very bad. But I don't call this illness. He must suffer. Men who drink always do." "But her ladyship, Stonor?" said Sir Humphrey; "will you come and see her now?" "No," said the doctor roughly. "What for? Nothing the matter. She can cure herself whenever she likes. What are you going to do about your sister, soldier boy?" "I--I don't know," replied Dick. "Ought I to fetch her back?" "Yes--no--can't say," said the doctor. "Hang this man, how strong he is! Look here, Dick, my boy: here's a lesson for you. You will be a man some day. When you are, don't go and poison yourself with drink till your brain revolts and sets up a government of its own. Look at this: the man's as mad as a hatter, and I shall have to nearly poison him with strong drugs to calm him down. A wild revolutionary government, with death and destruction running riot. Think your sister has gone with John Huish?" "I'm afraid so," said Dick, for Sir Humphrey seemed utterly unnerved. "Don't see anything to be afraid of, boy. John Huish is a gentleman." "I'm afraid not," said Dick hotly; "and it isn't gentlemanly to act as he has done about my sister." "I shall have to get a strait-waistcoat for this fellow. About your sister. Bah! Human nature. Wait till you get old enough to fall in love, and some lady--mamma, say--wants to marry your pretty little Psyche to an old man. How then, my young Cupid?" Dick changed colour like a girl. "I hold to John Huish being a thorough gentleman, my boy. He's all right. I wish Renee's husband was as good a man. Yes, I mean you--you drunken, mad idiot I'm going to bring you round, and when I've done so, I hope, Dick, if he ever dares to say a word again about your sister Renee--" "You've heard then?" "Heard? Of course. Doctors hear and know everything. Parson's nowhere beside a doctor. People don't tell the parson all the truth: they always keep a little bit back. They tell the doctor all because they know he can see right through them. Lie still, stupid. Ha! he's calming down." "Isn't he worse, Stonor?" asked Sir Humphrey. "No; not a bit. And as I was saying, if, when he gets on his legs again, he dares to say a word against his wife, knock him down. I'll make him so weak it will be quite easy." "Well, he deserves it," said Dick.