trembling with mortification, the celebrated physician carefully washed his hands, and returned to the drawing-room, and gave his report to the prince.
The prince, with a little cough, listened to what he had to say, and frowned. He was a man of experience and brains, was in good health, and he had no faith in medicine. He was all the more angry at this comedy, because possibly he alone understood what ailed his daughter.
"A regular humbug,"[1] thought the old prince, as he listened to the doctor's loquacity concerning the symptoms of his daughter's illness, mentally applying to the celebrated doctor a term from the vocabulary of hunting.
The doctor, on his part, with difficulty disguised his disdain, with difficulty stooped to the low level of his intelligence, for this old gentleman. It seemed to him scarcely necessary to speak to the old man, since, in his eyes, the head of the house was the princess. He was ready to pour out before her all the floods of his eloquence. At this moment she came in with the family doctor. The prince left the room, so as not to show too clearly how ridiculous this whole comedy seemed to him. The princess was troubled, and did not know what course to take. She felt a little guilty in regard to Kitty.
"Well! Doctor, decide on our fate," said the princess; "tell me all."
She wanted to say, "Is there any hope?" but her lips trembled, and she could not put this question to him. "Well, doctor?"
"In a moment, princess, I shall be at your service, after I have conferred with my colleague. I shall then have the honor of giving you my opinion."
"Do you wish to be alone?"
"Just as you please."
The princess sighed, and left the room.
When the doctors were left alone, the family physician began timidly to express his opinion about her
- ↑ Pustobrekh, empty barker, signifying one who has had no luck, but comes home with large stories.—Tr.
