Washingtone Square — Henry James

For a man whose trade was to keep people alive he had certainly done poorly in his own family and a bright doc tor who within three years loses his wife and his little boy should perhaps be prepared to see either his skill or his affection impugned Our friend however escaped criti cism that is he escaped all criticism but his own which was much the most competent and most formidable He walked under the weight of this very private censure for the rest of his days and bore for ever the scars of a cas tigation to which the strongest hand he knew had treat ed him on the night that followed his wife s death

For a man whose trade was to keep people alive he had certainly done poorly in his own family and a bright doc tor who within three years loses his wife and his little boy should perhaps be prepared to see either his skill or his affection impugned Our friend however escaped criti cism that is he escaped all criticism but his own which was much the most competent and most formidable He walked under the weight of this very private censure for the rest of his days and bore for ever the scars of a cas tigation to which the strongest hand he knew had treat ed him on the night that followed his wife s death

For a man whose trade was to keep people alive he had certainly done poorly in his own family and a bright doc tor who within three years loses his wife and his little boy should perhaps be prepared to see either his skill or his affection impugned Our friend however escaped criti cism that is he escaped all criticism but his own which was much the most competent and most formidable He walked under the weight of this very private censure for the rest of his days and bore for ever the scars of a cas tigation to which the strongest hand he knew had treat ed him on the night that followed his wife s death