The Doctor’s Dilemma

epub:type="z3998:name-title">Mrs. Dubedat Shocked at the falsehood. Oh! Ridgeon Continuing. Don’t look so bewildered: there’s nobody dying. Mrs. Dubedat My husband is. Ridgeon Pulling himself together. Ah, yes: I had forgotten your husband. Mrs. Dubedat: you are asking me to do a very serious thing. Mrs. Dubedat I am asking you to save the life of a great man. Ridgeon You are asking me to kill another man for his sake; for as surely as I undertake another case, I shall have to hand back one of the old ones to the ordinary treatment. Well, I don’t shrink from that. I have had to do it before; and I will do it again if you can convince me that his life is more important than the worst life I am now saving. But you must convince me first. Mrs. Dubedat He made those drawings; and they are not the best⁠—nothing like the best; only I did not bring the really best: so few people like them. He is twenty-three: his whole life is before him. Won’t you let me bring him to you? won’t you speak to him? won’t you see for yourself? Ridgeon Is he well enough to come to a dinner at the Star and Garter at Richmond? Mrs. Dubedat Oh yes. Why? Ridgeon I’ll tell you. I am inviting all my old friends to a dinner to celebrate my knighthood⁠—you’ve seen about it in the papers, haven’t you? Mrs. Dubedat Yes, oh yes. That was how I found out about you. Ridgeon It will be a doctors’ dinner; and it was to have been a bachelors’ dinner. I’m a bachelor. Now if you will entertain for me, and bring your husband, he will meet me; and he will meet some of the most eminent men in my profession: Sir Patrick Cullen, Sir Ralph Bloomfield Bonington, Cutler Walpole, and others. I can put the case to them; and your husband will have to stand or fall by what we think of him. Will you come? Mrs. Dubedat Yes, of course I will come. Oh, thank you, thank you. And may I bring some of his drawings⁠—the really good ones? Ridgeon Yes. I will let you know the date in the course of tomorrow. Leave me your address. Mrs. Dubedat Thank you again and again. You have made me so happy: I know you will admire him and like him. This is my address. She gives him her card. Ridgeon Thank you. He rings. Mrs. Dubedat Embarrassed. May I⁠—is there⁠—should I⁠—I mean⁠—she blushes and stops in confusion. Ridgeon What’s the matter? Mrs. Dubedat Your fee for this consultation? Ridgeon Oh, I forgot that. Shall we say a beautiful drawing of his favorite model for the whole treatment, including the cure? Mrs. Dubedat You are very generous. Thank you. I know you will cure him. Goodbye. Ridgeon I will. Goodbye. They shake hands. By the way, you know, don’t you, that tuberculosis is catching. You take every precaution, I hope. Mrs. Dubedat I am not likely to forget it. They treat us like lepers at the hotels. Emmy At the door. Well, deary: have you got round him? Ridgeon Yes. Attend to the door and hold your tongue. Emmy That’s a good boy. She goes out with Mrs. Dubedat. Ridgeon Alone. Consultation free. Cure guaranteed. He heaves a great sigh.

Act II

After dinner on the terrace at the Star and Garter, Richmond. Cloudless summer night; nothing disturbs the stillness except from time to time the long trajectory of a distant train and the measured clucking of oars coming up from the Thames in the valley below. The dinner is over; and three of the eight chairs are empty. Sir Patrick, with his back to the view, is at the head of the square table with Ridgeon. The two chairs opposite them are empty. On their right come, first, a vacant chair, and then one very fully occupied by B.B., who basks blissfully in the moonbeams. On their left, Schutzmacher and Walpole. The entrance to the hotel is on their right, behind B.B. The five men are silently enjoying their coffee and cigarettes, full of food, and not altogether void of wine.

Mrs. Dubedat, wrapped up for departure, comes in. They rise, except Sir Patrick; but she takes one of the vacant places at the foot of the table, next B.B.; and they sit down again.

Mrs. Dubedat	As she enters. Louis will be here presently. He is showing Dr. Blenkinsop how to work the telephone. She sits. Oh, I am so sorry we have to go. It seems such a shame, this beautiful night. And we have enjoyed ourselves so much.
Ridgeon	I don’t believe another half-hour would do Mr. Dubedat a bit of harm.
Sir Patrick	Come now, Colly, come! come! none of that. You take your man home, Mrs. Dubedat; and get him to bed before eleven.
B.B.	Yes, yes. Bed before eleven. Quite right, quite right. Sorry to lose you, my dear lady; but Sir Patrick’s orders are the laws of⁠—er⁠—of Tyre and Sidon.
Walpole	Let me take you home in my motor.
Sir Patrick	No. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Walpole. Your motor will take Mr. and Mrs. Dubedat to the station, and quite far enough too for an open carriage at night.
Mrs. Dubedat	Oh, I am sure the train is best.
Ridgeon	Well, Mrs. Dubedat, we have had a most enjoyable evening.
Walpole	Most enjoyable.
B.B.	Delightful. Charming. Unforgettable.
Mrs. Dubedat	With a touch of shy anxiety. What did you think of Louis? Or am I wrong to ask?
Ridgeon	Wrong! Why, we are all charmed with him.
Walpole	Delighted.
B.B.	Most happy to have met him. A privilege, a real privilege.
Sir Patrick	Grunts. !
Mrs. Dubedat	Quickly. Sir Patrick: are you uneasy about him?
Sir Patrick	Discreetly. I admire his drawings greatly, ma’am.
Mrs. Dubedat	Yes; but I meant⁠—
Ridgeon	You shall go away quite happy. He’s worth saving. He must and shall be saved.