House-Surgeon

Exceeding tall, but built so well his heightHalf-disappears in flow of chest and limb;Moustache and whisker trooper-like in trim;Frank-faced, frank-eyed, frank-hearted; always brightAnd always punctual—morning, noon, and night;Bland. as a Jesuit, sober as a hymn;Humorous, and yet without a touch of whim;Gentle and amiable, yet full of fight.His piety, though fresh and true in strain,Has not yet whitewashed up his common moodTo the dead blank of his particular Schism.Sweet, unaggressive, tolerant, most humane,Wild artists like his kindly elderhood,And cultivate his mild Philistinism.