Chapter XLII.

The "House."

Doctor Goring never cared to be more than twenty-four hours away from his patients at any one time; for in a country district a medical man's time can hardly be considered his own. At any moment an urgent message might compel him to take horse or buggy, and ride a score of miles, or more, across country. He had learnt, readily, to comply with such demands, and, if they only meant a journey of twenty miles, was well enough pleased; but when the demand came from a fifty mile radius, the old gentleman winced a little, especially if the day happened to be a wet one, and a cold south-easter happened to be blowing dead in his horse's face all the way. At such times he thought his lot in life an extremely hard one, and then usually expressed a firm resolve to his wife "to give up practice."

"Mind, Jemmy," he would say, "this is the last time I shall go down to Reynolds'," and Mrs. Goring would complete the buttoning of his overcoat, and fasten the flap across his throat properly, and after seeing that her liege lord was properly equipped, would say, "Yes, dear," and look over her spectacles at him, in order to see whether she had forgotten any thing, and perhaps privately to wonder what he was waiting for. The doctor had for so many years complained about the south-easters, that his wife naturally expected to hear him say that he would not go to Reynolds', or some other distant patient; but, as he usually went, after opening the front door once or twice, she had learnt to expect the remark.

When the Doctor actually did take a day's holiday to go as far as Hamilton, he usually had so much business to attend to, that he barely gave himself time to eat his dinner. In the present instance, after presenting himself at the levée, he repaired to his hotel, changed his bright uniform for more sober garments, and then attended to a heap of small commissions and wants of his family. When Philip called for him in the evening, he was busily discussing a chop and a cup of tea, in such a hasty manner that it was wonderful how the digestion of any human being could exist under such treatment.

Then the two walked to the Houses of Parliament, which were situated within a short distance of the Governor's residence. Philip followed the Doctor up the steps and through a long entrance passage, fairly well lighted, and covered with soft matting. As no one happened to be in the passage, the Doctor looked about for a time, and then knocked at one of the doors flanking the side. No person taking any notice, the Doctor turned the handle, opened the door, looked in, but found the room empty.

"I think there must be somebody in the next room, Manning," said he, as the noise of a great shout of laughter came in a subdued manner through the walls, and the Doctor knocked at the door.

"Come in," replied a voice in answer to the knock, but upon opening the door, the Doctor and Philip found the room full of young gentlemen and tobacco smoke, but whether there was more smoke than young gentlemen, or more young gentlemen than tobacco smoke, could not readily be determined. Through the dim haze, the Doctor perceived quite an abundant display of glasses of various kinds of liquor, to which some of those present were busily applying themselves, still laughing at the evidently well-told tale of one of the number.

Hastily begging pardon, the Doctor closed the door, and said to Philip that that was the Secretary's room, and that all those young gentlemen were assistant secretaries, in attendance upon the Under-Secretaries, who were in attendance upon the Ministers, who were in attendance upon the House.

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From the powerful smell of cooking, the doctor made his way across the passage to a door, which he rightly conjectured would lead to the kitchen premises, where he expected to find a messenger who would deliver a message to Mr. D'Arcey. From this it will appear that the House Committee of the New Zealand Commons conducted matters on a scale of greater latitude than is seen at Westminster, where all the smoking, and dining, and drinking is done below stairs, on a level with the grand old river balcony, and quite out of sight of the casual public gaze. The world does not expect to meet with a roast or a toast in halls of legislation; legislators being supposed to live upon air, which they do, principally in the form of words of a most vapoury and abundant character.

Perhaps the casual visitor has no right to poke his nose into all sorts of doorways, when he sees "Strangers' Room" staring him straight in the face; but then English people usually like to meet a servant of some kind at the hall door, even of a House of Parliament, from whom they can make enquiries before entering. Therefore, if the Doctor and Philip stumbled into the kitchen, it was clearly the fault of the Chairman of the House Committee.

Luckily a messenger was found, who took in the Doctor's card to Mr. D'Arcy, and that gentleman soon afterwards came into one of the lobbies and spoke to him.

Mr. D'Arcy, or rather the Honorable Mr. D'Arcy, for he had been a Cabinet Minister, was one of the best types of the colonial legislator. He was essentially a sound practical man, well acquainted with colonial matters, having in a manner grown with the colony. He had bought some land when the colony was first opened for settlement, but finding that farming, in those early days, did not exactly pay and beside was a most lonely sort of life, leased his small run, and accepted an appointment in the Civil Service. For many years he served Her Majesty as Commissioner of Forests and Harbours, and the early Governors, especially Sir George Grey, always relied upon obtaining a very great deal of useful information from him touching those departments. As the colony became settled and opened up, he had taken up more land, and put sheep upon it, and his wool return quickly gave him a very fair income. Thereupon he gave up the service, and entered Parliament, where his official experience was much valued. He was a sort of father to the House, all parties respecting him. He usually wore a shocking bad hat, the memory of man not running back to the time when it was new, and he was not particular about smoking his short clay pipe in the public streets, if the whim so seized him. His rugged form was well known by all the old colonists. He had seen the town of Hamilton grow from a little village into quite an important city, with great warehouses, many buildings, and much shipping, and he simply regarded the public walks as so much private ground, every foot of which he had almost seen paved, rammed or cemented. When new institutions were established, such as the hospital, the Hon. Mr. Darcy's name of course stood on the list of governors. He was, and had always been, quiet and reserved in his manner, and consequently rarely made enemies. It is simply astonishing how an easy-going disposition gets a person on in life. There was Lord North, one of our best-abused English Premiers. In private life he was universally esteemed, simply because he happened to be endowed with a quiet irrepressible good humour, which appeared impossible to ruffle. It is your bustling, energetic man, be he what he may, who constantly treads upon other people's corns, and causes trouble. The vivacious Continental Nations cannot understand the phlegmatic English, yet what a number of wars France would have escaped had her people only kept their vivacity in check a little.

English papers notice that the increase of emigration is mostly to North America, principally to the United States, and there is a marked decrease in the emigration to Australasia. The coincidence is also observed of a regular ebb and flow in emigration, according as trade is good or bad; but the maximum is in years of trade revival succeeding a great depression, and the minimum is in the years of depression itself.

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A Contract has been entered into between the Chinese government and the Great Northern Telegraph Company of Copenhagen for the establishment of a telegraph line between Shanghai and Tienstin, the harbor for Peking. The work has to be commenced in May, and the line will extend over about 1,000 English miles.

By the treaty of Nankin, Consuls were to correspond on terms of equality (chao hui) with Taoutais, but to address Viceroys and Futais in the more respectful language of a shen chen, in acknowledgment of their inferiority of rank. The German Consuls in China have received instructions from their Minister at Pekin, to drop the latter form altogether, and use only the former in their communications with Chinese authorities of all grades.