Being detected and pointed out
by Julia, she said, with a little crow, "He means his wife. Yes,
certainly, bring your Emulcent"--pretending he had used that more elegant
word--"and then they will all see how well you can behave."
Accordingly he brought a lady, who was absurdly pretty to be the mother
of several grown young ladies and gentlemen, and two shades more quiet
and placid than Mrs. Dodd. She quietly had her chair placed by Dr.
Sampson's, and, whenever he got racy, she put a hand gently on his
shoulder, and by some mesmeric effect it moderated him as Neptune did the
waves in the AEneid. She was such a mistress of this mesmeric art, that
she carried on a perfect conversation with her other neighbour, yet
modulated her lion lord with a touch of that composing hand, in a
parenthetical manner, and even while looking another way.
This hand, soft as down, yet irresistible, suppressed the great art of
healing, vital chronometry, the wrongs of inventors, the collusions of
medicine, the Mad Ox, and all but drawing-room topics, at the very first
symptom, and only just allowed the doctor to be the life and soul of the
party.
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