Volume VI Part 33 (1/2)

Tadini was vexed with my incredulity, and shewed ht possibly have read, if the first which met ular that M Tadini had cured her of ahed in his face and told him to leavewith him at the house of the lady with the cataract She had almost made up her mind to submit to the operation, but as the rascal had mentioned my name, she wanted me to be present at a dispute between Tadini and the other oculist who came in with the dessert

I disposed uments of the two rival professors with considerable pleasure The Warsaw oculist was a German, but spoke French very well; however, he attacked Tadini in Latin The Italian checked hiuage intelligible to the lady, and I agreed with him It was plain that Tadini did not knoord of Latin

The Ger that after the operation for cataract there was no chance of the disease returning, but that there was a considerable risk of the crystalline hu left in a state of total blindness

Tadini, instead of denying this statement (which was inaccurate), had the folly to take a little box out of his pocket It contained a number of minute round crystals

”What's that?” said the old professor

”A substance which I can place in the cornea to supply the loss of the crystalline hter so long and loud that the lady could not help laughing I should have liked to join thenorant fellow, so I preserved a gloomy silence

Tadini no doubt interpreted hter, and thought to better ive my opinion

”As you want to hear it,” said I, ”here it is”

”There's a great difference between a tooth and the crystalline hu an artificial tooth into a gum, this treatment will not do with the eye”

”Sir, I am not a dentist”

”No, nor an oculist either”

At this the ignorant rascal got up and left the roo he could do

We laughed over this new treat more to do with him The professor was not content to despise his opponent in silence He had him cited before the Faculty of Medicine to be exae of the eye, and procured the insertion of a satiric article in the news on the new operation for replacing the crystalline hu to the wonderful artist then in Warsaho could perform this operation as easily as a dentist could put in a false tooth

This made Tadini furious, and he set upon the old professor in the street and forced hie in a house

After this he no doubt left the town on foot, for he was seen no more

Now the reader is in a position to understand my surprise and a in un in hand But he at all events evinced no aain with laughter for the two hours his duty lasted

I gave hiood meal and a sufficiency ofthat he should have the same treatment every time he returned to the post But I only saw hierly coveted and intrigued for by the other soldiers

He amused me by the story of his misadventures since he had left Warsaw

He had travelled far and ithouta fortune, and at last arrived in Barcelona, where he failed to meet with any courtesy or consideration He had no introduction, no diploma; he had refused to subue, because (as he said) there was no connection between the learned languages and the diseases of the eye; and the result was that, instead of the co ordered to leave the country, he was made into a soldier He told me in confidence that he intended to desert, but he said he should take care to avoid the galleys

”What have you done with your crystals?”

”I have renounced theh I aain

On Deceuard came to my cell and told ?”