He had a shake of the hand and a fashionable greeting from stout, dandified Captain Cluffe, who was by no means so young as he would be supposed, and made up industriously and braced what he called his waist, with great fortitude, and indeed sometimes looked half-stifled, in spite of his smile and his swagger.

Sturk, leaning at the window with his shoulders to the wall, beckoned Puddock gruffly, and cross-examined him in an undertone as to the issue of O'Flaherty's case.

Of course he knew all about the duel, but the corps also knew that Sturk would not attend on the ground in any affair where the Royal Irish Artillery were concerned, and therefore they could bring what doctor they pleased to the field without an affront.
'And see, my buck,' said Sturk, winding up rather savagely with a sneer; 'you've got out of that scrape, you and your _patient_, by a piece of good luck that's not like to happen twice over; so take my advice, and cut that leaf out of your--your--grandmother's cookery book, and light your pipe with it.' This slight way of treating both his book and his ancestors nettled little Puddock--who never himself took a liberty, and expected similar treatment--but he knew Sturk, the nature of the beast, and he only bowed grandly, and went to pay his respects to cowed, kindly, querulous little Mrs.Sturk, at the other end of the room.

An elderly gentleman, with a rather white face, a high forehead and grim look, was chatting briskly with her; and Puddock, the moment his eye lighted on the stranger, felt that there was something remarkable about him.

Taken in detail, indeed, he was insignificant.