IN the 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 war time. 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 like Brandon 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be superseded in favor of Birdwood Thompson for this course to be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.