"I took a look about the room. The partitions on two sides were temporary. On one side of the apartment stood an old mahogany secretary. Through the dingy glass doors I took a peep. The shelves contained several volumes of 'Patent Office Reports,' odd numbers of an old London magazine, and such like useless works. On the walls were a few soiled cheap anatomical plates, such as you will see in 'galleries' or 'museums' fitted up by quack doctors, to intimidate the beholder. I could look no farther, as the door opened, and a man entered, who, looking nervously around, at once asked my business. "'Are you Dr. A.?' I asked. "'I am. Please be seated. You are sick--very sick,' he said hurriedly, and in a manner intended to frighten me. "Five minutes' conversation satisfied us both--him that I had no money, and me that he had no skill. After vainly endeavoring to extort from me my present address, he unceremoniously showed me out. "As I closed the door I looked to the name and number, and, as I had anticipated, found myself at Dr. B.'s entrance. "Turning up my coat collar, and tying a large colored silk handkerchief over the lower part of my face, I knocked at the third door, Dr C.'s. "The same Irishman thrust out his uncombed head and unwashed face; the same words in the same vernacular language followed. "'I wish to see Dr. C.,' I replied, changing my voice slightly. "'He's in, jist. It never rains but it pours. Himself it is that has a bully crowd of patients the day; but coome in.' "He did not recognize me--that was certain; so I followed, and was led through a labyrinth of rooms and halls, as before, and ushered into a small room, where the polite and loquacious Pat offered me a chair, and giving the right earlock a pull and his left foot a slip back, he said, with his broadest grin and most murderous English,-- "'I'll be shpaking the doctor to come to yeze at once intirely.' "'But he has others with whom he is engaged, you said but a moment ago.' "'Ah, yeze niver mind. Theyze ben't gintlemen like yerself, if yeze do come disguised;' and with a '_whist_' he tip-toed across the room, applied his ear to the keyhole of the door a moment, and returned in the same manner. "'It's all right; now I'll go for the doctor;' but still he lingered. "'Well, why the d----l don't you go?' I said, impatiently. "'Ah, gintlemen always come disguised to see Dr. A.--no--Dr. B., I mean.' "''Tis Dr. C. I asked for,' I interrupted. "'Yis, yis,' he replied, collecting his muddled senses. 'Yis, sure, you did, an' gintlemen always swear--two signs yeze a gintleman. Could yeze spare a quarter for a poor divil? By the howly mither, I git narry a cint, bating what sich gintlemen as yeze gives me. I have a big family to ate at home. There's Bridget' (counting his fingers by the way of a reminder), 'she's sick with the baby; then there's the twins,--two of thim, as I'm a sinner,--and little lame Mike, what's got the rackabites, the doctor says--'