Rose accepted her uncle's offer, as Aunt Myra discovered two orthree days later. Coming in for an early call, and hearing voices inthe study, she opened the door, gave a cry and shut it quickly,looking a good deal startled. The Doctor appeared in a moment,and begged to know what the matter was.
"How can you ask when that long box looks so like a coffin Ithought it was one, and that dreadful thing stared me in the face asI opened the door," answered Mrs. Myra, pointing to the skeletonthat hung from the chandelier cheerfully grinning at all beholders.
"This is a medical college where women are freely admitted, sowalk in, madam, and join the class if you'll do me the honour,"said the Doctor, waving her forward with his politest bow.
"Do, auntie, it's perfectly splendid," cried Rose's voice, and Rose'sblooming face was seen behind the ribs of the skeleton, smilingand nodding in the gayest possible manner.
"What are you doing, child?" demanded Aunt Myra, dropping intoa chair and staring about her.
"Oh, I'm learning bones to-day, and I like it so much. There aretwelve ribs, you know, and the two lower ones are called floatingribs, because they are not fastened to the breastbone. That's whythey go in so easily if you lace tight and squeeze the lungs andheart in the let me see, what was that big word oh, I know thoraciccavity," and Rose beamed with pride as she aired her little bit ofknowledge.
"Do you think that is a good sort of thing for her to be pokingover? She is a nervous child, and I'm afraid it will be bad for her,"said Aunt Myra, watching Rose as she counted vertebr‘, andwaggled a hip-joint in its socket with an inquiring expression.
"An excellent study, for she enjoys it, and I mean to teach her howto manage her nerves so that they won't be a curse to her, as manya woman's become through ignorance or want of thought. To makea mystery or terror of these things is a mistake, and I mean Roseshall understand and respect her body so well that she won't dareto trifle with it as most women do.""And she really likes it?""Very much, auntie! It's all so wonderful, and so nicely planned,you can hardly believe what you see. Just think, there are600,000,000 air cells in one pair of lungs, and 2,000 pores to asquare inch of surface; so you see what quantities of air we musthave, and what care we should take of our skin so all the littledoors will open and shut right. And brains, auntie, you've no ideahow curious they are; I haven't got to them yet, but I long to, anduncle is going to show me a manikin that you can take to pieces.
Just think how nice it will be to see all the organs in their places; Ionly wish they could be made to work as ours do."It was funny to see Aunt Myra's face as Rose stood before hertalking rapidly with one hand laid in the friendliest manner on theskeleton's shoulder. Every word both the Doctor and Rose utteredhit the good lady in her weakest spot, and as she looked andlistened a long array of bottles and pill-boxes rose up before her,reproaching her with the "ignorance and want of thought" thatmade her what she was, a nervous, dyspeptic, unhappy old woman.
"Well, I don't know but you may be right, Alec, only I wouldn'tcarry it too far. Women don't need much of this sort of knowledge,and are not fit for it. I couldn't bear to touch that ugly thing, and itgives me the creeps to hear about 'organs,' " said Aunt Myra, with asigh and her hand on her side.
"Wouldn't it be a comfort to know that your liver was on the rightside, auntie, and not on the left!" asked Rose with a naughty laughin her eyes, for she had lately learnt that Aunt Myra's livercomplaint was not in the proper place.
"It's a dying world, child, and it don't much matter where the painis, for sooner or later we all drop off and are seen no more," wasAunt Myra's cheerful reply.
"Well, I intend to know what kills me if I can, and meantime, I'mgoing to enjoy myself in spite of a dying world. I wish you'd do sotoo, and come and study with uncle, it would do you good, I'msure," and Rose went back to counting vertebr‘ with such a happyface, that Aunt Myra had not the heart to say a word to dampen herardour.
"Perhaps it's as well to let her do what she likes the little while sheis with us. But pray be careful of her, Alec, and not allow her tooverwork," she whispered as she went out.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to do, ma'am, and rather a hard jobI find it," he added, as he shut the door, for the dear aunts weredreadfully in his way sometimes.
Half an hour later came another interruption in the shape of Mac,who announced his arrival by the brief but elegant remark"Hullo! what new game is this?"Rose explained, Mac gave a long whistle of surprise, and then tooka promenade round the skeleton, observing gravely"Brother Bones looks very jolly, but I can't say much for hisbeauty.""You mustn't make fun of him, for he's a good old fellow, andyou'd be just as ugly if your flesh was off," said Rose, defendingher new friend with warmth.
"I dare say, so I'll keep my flesh on, thank you. You are so busyyou can't read to a fellow, I suppose?" asked Mac, whose eyeswere better, but still too weak for books.
"Don't you want to come and join my class? Uncle explains it all tous, and you can take a look at the plates as they come along. We'llgive up bones today and have eyes instead; that will be moreinteresting to you," added Rose, seeing no ardent thirst forphysiological information in his face.
"Rose, we must not fly about from one thing to another in thisway," began Dr. Alec, but she whispered quickly, with a nodtowards Mac, whose goggles were turned wistfully in the directionof the forbidden books"He's blue to-day, and we must amuse him; give a little lecture oneyes, and it will do him good. No matter about me, uncle.""Very well; the class will please be seated," and the Doctor gave asounding rap on the table.
"Come, sit by me, dear, then we can both see the pictures; and ifyour head gets tired you can lie down," said Rose, generouslyopening her little college to a brother, and kindly providing for theweaknesses that all humanity is subject to.
Side by side they sat and listened to a very simple explanation ofthe mechanism of the eye, finding it as wonderful as a fairy tale,for fine plates illustrated it, and a very willing teacher did his bestto make the lesson pleasant.
"Jove! if I'd known what mischief I was doing to that mightydelicate machine of mine, you wouldn't have caught me reading byfirelight, or studying with a glare of sunshine on my book," saidMac, peering solemnly at a magnified eye-ball; then, pushing itaway, he added indignantly, "Why isn't a fellow taught all abouthis works, and how to manage 'em, and not left to go blunderinginto all sorts of worries? Telling him after he's down isn't muchuse, for then he's found it out himself and won't thank you.""Ah, Mac, that's just what I keep lecturing about, and people won'tlisten. You lads need that sort of knowledge so much, and fathersand mothers ought to be able to give it to you. Few of them areable, and so we all go bl............