His directions were all but too well obeyed. The bathing tub was quickly brought into the chamber and filled with water as hot as the nurse could bear her hand in, then the invalid was hastily invested in a slight bathing gown and lifted by two servants and laid in the hot bath. "Now, bring quickly, water boiling," said the little, old woman, imperatively. And when a large copper kettleful was forthcoming, she took it and began to pour a stream of hissing, bubbling water in at the foot of the bath. The skin of the torpid patient had been reddening for a few seconds, so as to prove that its sensibility was returning, and now when the stream from the kettle began to mix with the already very hot bath, and to raise its temperature almost to boiling, suddenly there was heard a cry from the bath, and the patient, with the agility of youth and health, skipped out of the tub and into his bed, kicking vigorously and exclaiming: "Brigands! Assassins! You have scalded my legs to death!" "Glory be to the Lord, he's saved!" cried one of the waiters, a devout Irishman. "Ciel! he speaks! he moves! he lives! mon frere!" cried the little Frenchwoman, going to him. "Ah, murderers! bandits! you've scalded me to death! I'll have you all before the commissaire!" "He scolds! he threatens! he swears! he gets well! mon frere!" cried the old woman, busying herself to change his clothes and put on his flannel nightgown. They then tucked him up warmly in bed and put bottles of hot water all around, to keep up this newly stimulated circulation. At that moment Dr. Rocke came in, put his hand into the bath-tub and could scarcely repress a cry of pain and of horror--the water scalded his fingers! What must it have done to the sick man? "Good heavens, madam! I did not tell you to parboil your patient!" exclaimed Traverse, speaking to the old woman. Traverse was shocked to find how perilously his orders had been exceeded. "Eh bien, Monsieur! he lives! he does well! voila mon frere!" exclaimed the little old woman. It was true: the accidental "boiling bath," as it might almost be called, had effected what perhaps no other means in the world could--a restored circulation. The disease was broken up, and the convalescence of the patient was rapid. And as Traverse kept his own secret concerning the accidental high temperature of that bath, which every one considered a fearful and successful experiment, the fame of Dr. Rocke spread over the whole city and country. He would soon have made a fortune in New Orleans, had not the hand of destiny beckoned him elsewhere. It happened thus: The old Frenchman whose life Traverse had, partly by accident and partly by design, succeeded in saving, comprehended perfectly well how narrow his escape from death had been, and attributed his restoration solely to the genius, skill and boldness of his young physician, and was grateful accordingly with all a Frenchman's noisy demonstration.