XX
Inthe meantime in Dr. Joliffe’s summerhouse the pipe of peace was being smoked. Dr. Joliffe’s cigars had a virtue of their own, and Dr. Parker, who was no mean judge of such things, had rather weakly allowed the flesh to conquer. Joliffe was a perverse fellow, but even he, apparently, was not quite impossible. His cigars somehow just saved him.
The third whiff of an excellent Corona suddenly transformed Dr. Parker into a man of the world.
“The fact is,” said he, “our friend here, like all country parsons who have been too long in one place, is a bit too dogmatic.”
An answering twinkle came into the eye of Dr. Joliffe. Somehow the admission seemed to clear the air considerably.
“He wants humoring.”
“No doubt. But this poor chap is as harmless as I am.”
“A good deal more harmless than you are Joliffe. But you know the sort of man we have to deal with. And after all old Henny-Penny’s quite right—in wartime. You see this chap is not pulling his weight in the boat. He’s a bad example. Our parson is rather down on him no doubt; still, in the circumstances, he’s quite right to bring him under control.”
“You think so?”
“It can do no harm at any rate.”
“But, you see, it’s going to upset the squire. And he’s such a good chap that it seems a pity.”
“Well, it’s no use trying to please everyone.”
“Quite so.”
“Why not certify the fellow and have done with it?”
“I can’t, after what I said to Brandon.”
“Tell me, Joliffe, why does Brandon take such an interest in him?”
“Nay,” said Joliffe, “that’s more than I can fathom.”
“Do you think his mind has been affected by Gallipoli?”
“They seem to think so.”
“Do you?”
“I seem to notice a change coming over him. But it’s so very gradual that one can hardly say what it may be.”
“At any rate it is not a good sign for a man likeBrandon to be wrapped up in such a fellow as John Smith.”
“There I entirely agree,” said Joliffe. “And to my mind that is the worst feature of the whole affair.”
The two doctors exchanged their views at considerable length. And when the vicar returned from Hart’s Ghyll, after an absence of more than an hour, he found the moral temperature much more equable. In fact the lion and the lamb were lying down together. Moreover, he had only to make known his own proposal that Murfin and Moriarty should be superseded in favor of Birdwood Thompson for this course to be acceptable to both. Dr. Joliffe at once led his visitors to his study, in order that a letter might be drawn up for the purpose of summoning the eminent specialist.
It took some little time for this task to be performed. There were niceties of professional phrasing to consider; also the nature of the case called for a certain amount of discreet description. At last the letter was written, and then Dr. Parker was reminded by the sight of his car, which had come round from the vicarage, that he was urgently due elsewhere.