“I can’t tell. These cases vary so much. I shall probably be obliged to remain at the village all night.” “But this is absurd! You are throwing away your health. What does this woman signify to you?” “It is my professional duty to attend any one who summons me,” said Georgia, giving him an indignant glance; “even if there were no special reasons connected with this case.” [image: images/img_02.jpg caption: “It is my professional duty to attend any one who summons me,” said Georgia, giving him an indignant glance.] “Well, if you will do these ridiculous things, I can’t help it!” said Dick, angrily. “I suppose you will have your own way.” “I think it extremely probable that I shall,” retorted Georgia. “No, thank you, I won’t trouble you--I can mount alone.” With an intensity that would have seemed laughable to himself under any other circumstances, Dick longed that she might find the feat impracticable; but she beckoned to the groom to bring the horse to the verandah steps, and, mounting with great agility, rode away with Miss Guest, who had been staring with round eyes at the “horrid sneering officer,” as, after this day’s experience, she persisted in denominating Dick. As for Dick himself, he shrugged his shoulders as he looked after the two ladies, and went away to Stratford’s room to relieve his mind. Stratford, who was lying on his bed reading, looked up in surprise as he entered. “I thought I had left you comfortably established on the verandah?” he remarked. “I was driven away by an invasion of the Amazons,” said Dick, gloomily, taking a seat on the table, where he smoked in silence for a few minutes. “If there is one kind of creature I bar and detest above all others”--he burst out suddenly--“it’s the New Woman!” “Have you met one?” inquired Stratford, with deep interest. “I always thought it was a case of ‘much oftener prated of than seen?’” “There’s no need to go about looking for specimens,” returned Dick. “We’ve got one with us, worse luck!” “You have been getting the worst of it in an argument again, haven’t you?” asked Stratford, genially. “What in the world has that to do with it? I don’t want any of your chaff. It ought to be made penal for any woman to enter any trade or profession practised by men.” “Good gracious! would you add the attraction of forbidden fruit? Still, I don’t say that your plan isn’t worth considering. The penalty would be death, I suppose, and it might redress the inequality of the sexes a little.” “Oh, hang it all, Stratford!” cried Dick, flinging away his cigar, “I’m serious. It makes me perfectly sick to see these women parading their independence of men, and glorying in what they know, and ought never to have learnt. It’s bad enough when they are strangers, and you don’t care a scrap about them, but when it comes to a girl you’ve known----” “Better not go on, old man,” said Stratford. “You may say more than you mean, and be sorry for it when you are cooler.”