TWO DOCTORS
It is a very common thing, in my experience, to find papers shut up inold books; but one of the rarest things to come across any such thatare at all interesting. Still it does happen, and one should neverdestroy them unlooked at. Now it was a practice of mine before the waroccasionally to buy old ledgers of which the paper was good, and whichpossessed a good many blank leaves, and to extract these and use themfor my own notes and writings. One such I purchased for a small sum in1911. It was tightly clasped, and its boards were warped by having foryears been obliged to embrace a number of extraneous sheets.Three-quarters of this inserted matter had lost all vestige ofimportance for any living human being: one bundle had not. That itbelonged to a lawyer is certain, for it is endorsed: _The strangestcase I have yet met_, and bears initials, and an address in Gray'sInn. It is only materials for a case, and consists of statements bypossible witnesses. The man who would have been the defendant orprisoner seems never to have appeared. The _dossier_ is not complete,but, such as it is, it furnishes a riddle in which the supernaturalappears to play a part. You must see what you can make of it.
The following is the setting and the tale as I elicit it.
Dr. Abell was walking in his garden one afternoon waiting for hishorse to be brought round that he might set out on his visits for theday. As the place was Islington, the month June, and the year 1718, weconceive the surroundings as being countrified and pleasant. To himentered his confidential servant, Luke Jennett, who had been with himtwenty years.
"I said I wished to speak to him, and what I had to say might takesome quarter of an hour. He accordingly bade me go into his study,which was a room opening on the terrace path where he was walking, andcame in himself and sat down. I told him that, much against my will, Imust look out for another place. He inquired what was my reason, inconsideration I had been so long with him. I said if he would excuseme he would do me a great kindness, because (this appears to havebeen common form even in 1718) I was one that always liked to haveeverything pleasant about me. As well as I can remember, he said thatwas his case likewise, but he would wish to know why I should changemy mind after so many years, and, says he, 'you know there can be notalk of a remembrance of you in my will if you leave my service now.'I said I had made my reckoning of that.
"'Then,' says he, 'you must have some complaint to make, and if Icould I would willingly set it right.' And at that I told him, notseeing how I could keep it back, the matter of my former affidavit andof the bedstaff in the dispensing-room, and said that a house wheresuch things happened was no place for me. At which he, looking veryblack upon me, said no more, but called me fool, and said he would paywhat was owing me in the morning; and so, his horse being waiting,went out. So for that night I lodged with my sister's husband nearBattle Bridge and came early next morning to my late master, who thenmade a great matter that I had not lain in his house and stopped acrown out of my wages owing.
"After that I took service here and there, not for long at a time,and saw no more of him till I came to be Dr. Quinn's man at Dodds Hallin Islington."
There is one very obscure part in this statement, namely, thereference to the former affidavit and the matter of the bedstaff. Theformer affidavit is not in the bundle of papers. It is to be fearedthat it was taken out to be read because of its special oddity, andnot put back. Of what nature the story was may be guessed later, butas yet no clue has been put into our hands.
The Rector of Islington, Jonathan Pratt, is the next to step forward.He furnishes particulars of the standing and reputation of Dr. Abelland Dr. Quinn, both of whom lived and practised in his parish.
"It is not to be supposed," he says, "that a physician should be aregular attendant at morning and evening prayers, or at the Wednesdaylectures, but within the measure of their ability I would say thatboth these persons fulfilled their obligations as loyal members of theChurch of England. At the same time (as you desire my private mind) Imust say, in the language of the schools, _distinguo_. Dr. A. was tome a source of perplexity, Dr. Q. to my eye a plain, honest believer,not inquiring over closely into points of belief, but squaring hispractice to what lights he had. The other interested himself inquestions to which Providence, as I hold, designs no answer to begiven us in this state: he would ask me, for example, what place Ibelieved those beings now to hold in the scheme of creation which bysome are thought neither to have stood fast when the rebel angelsfell, nor to have joined with them to the full pitch of theirtransgression.
"As was suitable, my first answer to him was a question, What warranthe had for supposing any such beings to exist? for that there was nonein Scripture I took it he was aware. It appeared--for as I am on thesubject, the whole tale may be given--that he grounded himself on suchpassages as that of the satyr which Jerome tells us conversed withAntony; but thought too that some parts of Scripture might be cited insupport. 'And besides,' said he, 'you know 'tis the universal beliefamong those that spend their days and nights abroad, and I would addthat if your calling took you so continuously as it does me about thecountry lanes by night, you might not be so surprised as I see you tobe by my suggestion.' 'You are then of John Milton's mind,' I said,'and hold that
Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep.'
"'I do not know,' he said, 'why Milton should take upon himself to say"unseen"; though to be sure he was blind when he wrote that. But forthe rest, why, yes, I think he was in the right.' 'Well,' I said,'though not so often as you, I am not seldom called abroad prettylate; but I have no mind of meeting a satyr in our Islington lanes inall the years I have been here; and if you have had the better luck, Iam sure the Royal Society would be glad to know of it.'
"I am reminded of these trifling expressions because Dr. A. took themso ill, stamping out of the room in a huff with some such word as thatthese high and dry parsons had no eyes but for a prayerbook or a pintof wine.
"But this was not the only time that our conversation took aremarkable turn. There was an evening when he came in, at firstseeming gay and in good spirits, but afterwards as he sat and smokedby the fire falling into a musing way; out of which to rouse him Isaid pleasantly that I supposed he had had no meetings of late withhis odd friends. A question which did effectually arouse him, for helooked most wildly, and as if scared, upon me, and said, '_You_ werenever there? I did not see you. Who brought you?' And then in a morecollected tone, 'What was this about a meeting? I believe I must havebeen in a doze.' To which I answered that I was thinking of fauns andcentaurs in the dark lane, and not of a witches' Sabbath; but itseemed he took it differently.
"'Well,' said he, 'I can plead guilty to neither; but I find you verymuch more of a sceptic than becomes your cloth. If you care to knowabout the dark lane you might do worse than ask my housekeeper thatlived at the other end of it when she was a child.' 'Yes,' said I,'and the old women in the almshouse and the children in the kennel. IfI were you, I would send to your brother Quinn for a bolus to clearyour brain.' 'Damn Quinn,' says he; 'talk no more of him: he hasembezzled four of my best patients this month; I believe it is thatcursed man of his, Jennett, that used to be with me, his tongue isnever still; it should be nailed to the pillory if he had hisdeserts.' This, I may say, was the only time of his showing me that hehad any grudge against either Dr. Quinn or Jennett, and as was mybusiness, I did my best to persuade him he was mistaken in them. Yetit could not be denied that some respectable families in the parishhad given him the cold shoulder, and for no reason that they werewilling to allege. The end was that he said he had not done so ill atIslington but that he could afford to live at ease elsewhere when hechose, and anyhow he bore Dr. Quinn no malice. I think I now rememberwhat observation of mine drew him into the train of thought which henext pursued. It was, I believe, my mentioning some juggling trickswhich my brother in the East Indies had seen at the court of the Rajahof Mysore. 'A convenient thing enough,' said Dr. Abell to me, 'if bysome arrangement a man could get the power of communic
ating motion andenergy to inanimate objects.' 'As if the axe should move itselfagainst him that lifts it; something of that kind?' 'Well, I don'tknow that that was in my mind so much; but if you could summon such avolume from your shelf or even order it to open at the right page.'
"He was sitting by the fire--it was a cold evening--and stretched outhis hand that way, and just then the fire-irons, or at least thepoker, fell over towards him with a great clatter, and I did not hearwhat else he said. But I told him that I could not easily conceive ofan arrangement, as he called it, of such a kind that would not includeas one of its conditions a heavier payment than any Christian wouldcare to make; to which he assented. 'But,' he said, 'I have no doubtthese bargains can be made very tempting, very persuasive. Still, youwould not favour them, eh, Doctor? No, I suppose not.'
"This is as much as I know of Dr. Abell's mind, and the feelingbetween these men. Dr. Quinn, as I said, was a plain, honest creature,and a man to whom I would have gone--indeed I have before now gone tohim for advice on matters of business. He was, however, every now andagain, and particularly of late, not exempt from troublesome fancies.There was certainly a time when he was so much harassed by his dreamsthat he could not keep them to himself, but would tell them to hisacquaintances and among them to me. I was at supper at his house, andhe was not inclined to let me leave him at my usual time. 'If yougo,' he said, 'there will be nothing for it but I must go to bed anddream of the chrysalis.' 'You might be worse off,' said I. 'I do notthink it,' he said, and he shook himself like a man who is displeasedwith the complexion of his thoughts. 'I only meant,' said I, 'that achrysalis is an innocent thing.' 'This one is not,' he said, 'and I donot care to think of it.'
"However, sooner than lose my company he was fain to tell me (for Ipressed him) that this was a dream which had come to him several timesof late, and even more than once in a night. It was to this effect,that he seemed to himself to wake under an extreme compulsion to riseand go out of doors. So he would dress himself and go down to hisgarden door. By the door there stood a spade which he must take, andgo out into the garden, and at a particular place in the shrubberysomewhat clear and upon which the moon shone, for there was always inhis dream a full moon, he would feel himself forced to dig. And aftersome time the spade would uncover something light-coloured, which hewould perceive to be a stuff, linen or woollen, and this he must clearwith his hands. It was always the same: of the size of a man andshaped like the chrysalis of a moth, with the folds showing a promiseof an opening at one end.
"He could not describe how gladly he would have left all at this stageand run to the house, but he must not escape so easily. So with manygroans, and knowing only too well what to expect, he parted thesefolds of stuff, or, as it sometimes seemed to be, membrane, anddisclosed a head covered with a smooth pink skin, which breaking asthe creature stirred, showed him his own face in a state of death. Thetelling of this so much disturbed him that I was forced out of merecompassion to sit with him the greater part of the night and talk withhim upon indifferent subjects. He said that upon every recurrence ofthis dream he woke and found himself, as it were, fighting for hisbreath."
Another extract from Luke Jennett's long continuous statement comes inat this point.
"I never told tales of my master, Dr. Abell, to anybody in theneighbourhood. When I was in another service I remember to have spokento my fellow-servants about the matter of the bedstaff, but I am sureI never said either I or he were the persons concerned, and it metwith so little credit that I was affronted and thought best to keep itto myself. And when I came back to Islington and found Dr. Abell stillthere, who I was told had left the parish, I was clear that it behovedme to use great discretion, for indeed I was afraid of the man, and itis certain I was no party to spreading any ill report of him. Mymaster, Dr. Quinn, was a very just, honest man, and no maker ofmischief. I am sure he never stirred a finger nor said a word by wayof inducement to a soul to make them leave going to Dr. Abell and cometo him; nay, he would hardly be persuaded to attend them that came,until he was convinced that if he did not they would send into thetown for a physician rather than do as they had hitherto done.
"I believe it may be proved that Dr. Abell came into my master's housemore than once. We had a new chambermaid out of Hertfordshire, and sheasked me who was the gentleman that was looking after the master, thatis Dr. Quinn, when he was out, and seemed so disappointed that he wasout. She said whoever he was he knew the way of the house well,running at once into the study and then into the dispensing-room, andlast into the bed-chamber. I made her tell me what he was like, andwhat she said was suitable enough to Dr. Abell; but besides she toldme she saw the same man at church and some one told her that was theDoctor.
"It was just after this that my master began to have his bad nights,and complained to me and other persons, and in particular whatdiscomfort he suffered from his pillow and bedclothes. He said he mustbuy some to suit him, and should do his own marketing. And accordinglybrought home a parcel which he said was of the right quality, butwhere he bought it we had then no knowledge, only they were marked inthread with a coronet and a bird. The women said they were of a sortnot commonly met with and very fine, and my master said they were thecomfortablest he ever used, and he slept now both soft and deep. Alsothe feather pillows were the best sorted and his head would sink intothem as if they were a cloud: which I have myself remarked severaltimes when I came to wake him of a morning, his face being almost hidby the pillow closing over it.
"I had never any communication with Dr. Abell after I came back toIslington, but one day when he passed me in the street and asked mewhether I was not looking for another service, to which I answered Iwas very well suited where I was, but he said I was a tickle-mindedfellow and he doubted not he should soon hear I was on the worldagain, which indeed proved true."
Dr. Pratt is next taken up where he left off.
"On the 16th I was called up out of my bed soon after it waslight--that is about five--with a message that Dr. Quinn was dead ordying. Making my way to his house I found there was no doubt which wasthe truth. All the persons in the house except the one that let me inwere already in his chamber and standing about his bed, but nonetouching him. He was stretched in the midst of the bed, on his back,without any disorder, and indeed had the appearance of one ready laidout for burial. His hands, I think, were even crossed on his breast.The only thing not usual was that nothing was to be seen of his face,the two ends of the pillow or bolster appearing to be closed quiteover it. These I immediately pulled apart, at the same time rebukingthose present, and especially the man, for not at once coming to theassistance of his master. He, however, only looked at me and shookhis head, having evidently no more hope than myself that there wasanything but a corpse before us.
"Indeed it was plain to any one possessed of the least experience thathe was not only dead, but had died of suffocation. Nor could it beconceived that his death was accidentally caused by the mere foldingof the pillow over his face. How should he not, feeling theoppression, have lifted his hands to put it away? whereas not a foldof the sheet which was closely gathered about him, as I now observed,was disordered. The next thing was to procure a physician. I hadbethought me of this on leaving my house, and sent on the messengerwho had come to me to Dr. Abell; but I now heard that he was away fromhome, and the nearest surgeon was got, who however could tell no more,at least without opening the body, than we already knew.
"As to any person entering the room with evil purpose (which was thenext point to be cleared), it was visible that the bolts of the doorwere burst from their stanchions, and the stanchions broken away fromthe door-post by main force; and there was a sufficient body ofwitness, the smith among them, to testify that this had been done buta few minutes before I came. The chamber being moreover at the top ofthe house, the window was neither easy of access nor did it show anysign of an exit made that way, either by marks upon the sill orfootprints below upon soft mould."
The surgeon's evidence forms of course p
art of the report of theinquest, but since it has nothing but remarks upon the healthy stateof the larger organs and the coagulation of blood in various parts ofthe body, it need not be reproduced. The verdict was "Death by thevisitation of God."
Annexed to the other papers is one which I was at first inclined tosuppose had made its way among them by mistake. Upon furtherconsideration I think I can divine a reason for its presence.
It relates to the rifling of a mausoleum in Middlesex which stood in apark (now broken up), the property of a noble family which I will notname. The outrage was not that of an ordinary resurrection man. Theobject, it seemed likely, was theft. The account is blunt andterrible. I shall not quote it. A dealer in the North of Londonsuffered heavy penalties as a receiver of stolen goods in connexionwith the affair.
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_Printed in Great Britain by_UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON
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