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ON HIS WAY THROUGH THE WORLD 209
perhaps invalidate Philip's legitimacy. The first marriage, almost
certainly, was null, but the scandal would be fatal to Firmin's
reputation and practice. And the quarrel with his son entailed
consequences not pleasant to think of. You see George Firmin,
Esquire, M.D., was a man with a great development of the back
head; when he willed a thing, he willed it so fiercely that he
must have it, never mind the consequences. And so he had
willed to make himself master of poor little Caroline : and so ho
had willed, as a young man, to have horses, splendid entertainments,
roulette and écarté, and so forth ; and the bill came at its
natural season, and George Firmin, Esquire, did not always like to
pay. But for a grand, prosperous, highly-bred gentleman in the
best society—with a polished forehead and manners, and universally
looked up to—to have to tell lies to a poor little timid uncomplaining
sick-room nurse, it was humiliating, wasn't it ? And I can feel
for Firmin.
To have to lie to Hunt was disgusting : but somehow not so
exquisitely mean and degrading as to have to cheat a little trusting,
humble, houseless creature, over the bloom of whose gentle young
life his accursed foot had already trampled. But then this Hunt
was such a cad and ruffian that there need be no scruple about
humbugging him; and if Firmin had had any humour he might
have had a grim sort of pleasure in leading the dirty clergyman a
dance thro' bush thro' briar. So, perhaps (of course I have no
means of ascertaining the fact), the Doctor did not altogether dislike
the duty which now devolved on him of hoodwinking his old
acquaintance and accomplice. I don't like to use such a vulgar
phrase regarding a man in Dr. Firmin's high social position, as to
say of him and the gaol chaplain that it was "thief catch thief;"
but at any rate Hunt is such a low, graceless, friendless vagabond,
that if he comes in for a few kicks, or is mystified, we need not be
very sorry. When Mr. Thurtell is hanged we don't put on mourning.
His is a painful position for the moment ; but, after all, he
has murdered Mr. William Weare.
Firmin was a bold and courageous man, hot in pursuit, fierce in
desire, but cool in danger, and rapid in action. Some of his great
successes as a physician arose from his daring and successful practice
in sudden emergency. While Hunt was only lurching about the
town an aimless miscreant, living from dirty hand to dirty mouth,
and as long as he could get drink, cards, and shelter, tolerably content,
or at least pretty easily appeased by a guinea-dose or two—
Firmin could adopt the palliative system ; soothe his patient with
an occasional bounty; set him to sleep with a composing draught
of claret or brandy; and let the day take care of itself. He might
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