"Indeed, sir; then what is this you propose doing? Why do you want to go away for three days?" "Collecting, my dear." "Without Arthur? Now look here, Bolter, the very fact of your wanting to go collecting without Arthur, whom you always talk about as being a brother naturalist, looks suspicious." "Indeed, my dear, I do want to go collecting." "Collecting? Rubbish!" "No, my dear, it is not. I'm afraid you will never realise the value of my specimens." "You are going collecting, then?" said Mrs Doctor. "Yes, my dear." "Without Arthur?" "Yes; he does not get on very well in the jungle; and he is rather awkward in a boat." "Then I shall go with you myself," said the little lady, decidedly. "You--you go with me, Mary," he said, staring. "Yes, certainly." "But the thorns, and mud, and heat, and mosquitoes, my dear?" "If they will not hurt you, Henry, they will not hurt me," said the little lady. "But they would hurt you, my dear. Of course I should like to have you, but it would be impossible! I shall only be away three days." "But the place is full of old stones and skins that smell atrociously, and wretched flies and beetles with pins stuck through their bodies, and I'm sure I can't think why you want more." "For the learned societies in London, my dear. You forget that I am a corresponding member to several." "Oh, no, I don't," said Mrs Bolter. "I don't forget that you make it an excuse for sitting up all night smoking and drinking cold whiskey and water, sir, because you have writing to do instead of coming to bed." The doctor shrugged his shoulders. "My dear," he said, "you would be a perfect woman if you only cared for science." "You never said a word to me, sir, about caring for science when I consented to come out with you to this dreadful, hot, damp place, where everything that does not turn mouldy is eaten by ants." "The damp and the ants are great nuisances, my dear," said the doctor. "They have destroyed numbers of my best specimens." "They have destroyed my beautiful piano that I was foolish enough to bring out," said Mrs Bolter. "Grey Stuart opened it yesterday, and the damp has melted the glue, and the ants have eaten up all the leather of the hammers. The wires are rusty, and the instrument is totally spoiled." "Never mind, my dear, so long as the climate does not affect your constitution," said the doctor, cheerfully. "Oh, by the way," said Mrs Bolter, "that reminds me of two things. First of all, Bolter, I will not have you so fond of talking to the young ladies at the dinner parties to which we go. You remember what I said to you about your conduct with Miss Morrison?" "Yes, my dear, perfectly," said the doctor, with a sigh. "Secondly, about medicine. Now, it is of no use for you to deny it, for I feel as sure as can be that you have been giving me some medicine on the sly these last few days." "Why, my darling!" cried the doctor.