THE HYPOCHONDRIAC.

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moment, again opened the door; and havingpeeped in and said " Friday;" shut it, this time,in a more gentle manner. " What a pity," saidI, " that the diamond has not passed through thehand of the lapidary! But what has become ofmy favourite, Doctor Palm ?" Here Tom informedme, that he and the doctor had gone on very welltogether for a week; but at length, coming to astand still, he thought he would try Mr. Mybook,whose work he had perused, and under whom,although he had been only four days, he reallythought he was improved. " He relies little uponmedicine," said Tom, " of which, he says, I havetaken too much, but greatly upon diet and regi-men. I ride out twice a day, dine at an earlyhour, and eat a certain quantity only of food ateach meal; after which I lie down on the carpetfor an hour, and then crawl, on my belly, to thecorner of the room for my tumbler of water, whichis all the liquid he allows me.—You smile, Dick!but, trust me, all this is done upon principles,which experience has verified." I smiled at the gra-vity with which my friend had gone through thesedetails: telling him, at the same time, that I ap-