That large low head
seemed to have been created for butting rather than for anything
else. There he stood, four-square and menacing in the doorway of
reform; and it remained to be seen whether, the bulky mass, upon
whose solid hide even the barbed arrows of Lord Raglan's scorn
had made no mark, would prove amenable to the pressure of Miss
Nightingale. Nor was he alone in the doorway. There loomed behind
him the whole phalanx of professional conservatism, the stubborn
supporters of the out-of-date, the worshippers and the victims of
War Office routine. Among these it was only natural that Dr.
Andrew Smith, the head of the Army Medical Department, should
have been pre-eminent--Dr. Andrew Smith, who had assured Miss
Nightingale before she left England that 'nothing was wanted at
Scutari'. Such were her opponents; but she too was not without
allies. She had gained the ear of Royalty--which was something;
at any moment that she pleased she could gain the ear of the
public--which was a great deal. She had a host of admirers and
friends; and--to say nothing of her personal qualities--her
knowledge, her tenacity, her tact--she possessed, too, one
advantage which then, far more even than now, carried an immense
weight-- she belonged to the highest circle of society. She moved
naturally among Peers and Cabinet Ministers--she was one of their
own set; and in those days their set was a very narrow one.
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