Nevertheless  I  was  elected.  The  secretary  of  our  branch
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Woodmen,  accompanied  by  a
member  or  two,  came  to  announce  to  me,  in  a  dignified
way,  the  cheering  fact.  I  accepted  office  wnth  none  the  less
dignity,  because  I  knew  the  messenger  to  have  been  one  of
my  opponents.  Parkinson  attended  the  secretary's  family,
and  if  I  were  to  behave  too  cordially  towards  the  head  of
that  family,  it  might  be  inferred  that  I  desired  to  take  away
some  part  of  Parkinson's  practice.  I  desired  very  much
that  it  should  come  to  me,  but  had  no  right  or  wish  to  take
it ;  therefore  I  w^as  in  constant  dread  lest  some  good-
humoured  word  or  bit  of  cheerful  gossip  might,  by  some
possibility,  be  interpreted  into  an  atttempt  at  theft.
Since  it  is  necessary  that  the  surgeon  to  the  Woodmen
should  himself  be  initiated  as  a  member  of  that  ancient
Order,  my  first  duty  to  my  Club  was  to  become  a  Woodman
on  the  next  evening  of  meeting.  On  that  evening  I  went
down  for  the  first  time  to  my  club-house,  the  "  Thistle'',  a


264  Papers  from  ^^ Household  Words''.
