Page:Carroll - Sylvie and Bruno Concluded.djvu/353

XX] he said, turning to the children, "the success I've had in curing Diseases! Here are some of my memoranda." He took down from the shelf a heap of little bits of paper, pinned together in twos and threes. "Just look at this set, now. Under-Cook Number Thirteen recovered from Common Fever—Febris Communis.' And now see what's pinned to it. Gave Under-Cook Number Thirteen Double Dose of Medicine! That's something to be proud of, isn't it?"

"But which happened first? said Sylvie, looking very much puzzled.

The Professor examined the papers carefully. "They are not dated, I find," he said with a slightly dejected air: "so I fear I ca'n't tell you. But they both happened: there's no doubt of that. The Medicine's the great thing, you know. The Diseases are much less important. You can keep a Medicine, for years and years: but nobody ever wants to keep a Disease! By the way, come and look at the platform. The Gardener asked me to come and see if it would do. We may as well go before it gets dark."