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"Immediately, princess. I will talk it over with my colleague,

and then I will have the honor of laying my opinion before you."

"So we had better leave you?"

"As you please."

The princess went out with a sigh.

When the doctors were left alone, the family doctor began timidly

explaining his opinion, that there was a commencement of

tuberculous trouble, but ... and so on. The celebrated doctor

listened to him, and in the middle of his sentence looked at his

big gold watch.

"Yes," said he. "But...."

The family doctor respectfully ceased in the middle of his

observations.

"The commencement of the tuberculous process we are not, as you

are aware, able to define; till there are cavities, there is

nothing definite. But we may suspect it. And there are

indications; malnutrition, nervous excitability, and so on. The

question stands thus: in presence of indications of tuberculous

process, what is to be done to maintain nutrition?"