Tristan stayed quiet while his patient seemed to think for a long time. He knew that often silence was a better tool to come to understand a patient's mind than asking on. People would fill the silence eventually. But when Mr. Carrington spoke at last, it shocked him. The man had already indicated that his family didn't care for him, but he went further. Surely poor Mrs. Carrington had to be excluded from this?

"No. Not yet anyway," Tristan answered slowly. "It would appear that your melancholia is linked to your life and the way you view it, your situation. If I were to give you drugs to alter your state of mind, but not address the underlying issues, it would do no more to fix the problem than your beloved wine does."