Chapter 40 Summary and Analysis

Tristan and Herriot are operating one morning on a swollen ear of Hamish, a Scottish Terrier, when Siegfried enters the clinic and upbraids his younger brother about keeping late hours, drinking and chasing women. Tristan nods in agreement as Siegfried tells him to stay home that evening, study his veterinary books and look after the recovering Hamish until his owner, the retired schoolteacher Miss Westerman, comes to pick him up.

As Herriot starts to leave the clinic, Tristan tells him he plans to bring his girlfriend Lydia into Skeldale House after making a quick read of his veterinary textbooks to keep him company while he watches the dog. Before Herriot can depart, he hears a horrific crashing and groaning sound. During a groping session on the couch, Lydia has fallen out of the window and into the bushes. Angry but unhurt...