In a New York boarding house ruled by the practical Mrs. Gray, Dr. Fenwick tries to build a city practice while navigating a household full of vanity, wit, and quiet surprises. At the center stands the mysterious "Disagreeable Woman," Miss Blagden: tall, blunt, self-possessed, and feared for puncturing pretension, yet capable of hidden kindness, secrecy, and an intelligence that draws Fenwick's curiosity. Around her swirl the flirtatious Mrs. Wyman, the shy and capable Ruth Canby, the pompous but endearing Professor Poppendorf, and a newly arrived Count, each adding to the comic social tangle. As Fenwick contends with stingy patients, awkward courtship, and professional insecurity, the boarding house becomes a stage for social duels, philosophical absurdity, and romantic competition. Poppendorf's lecture on "The Material and the Immaterial" collapses into pompous nonsense, while his memories, his earnest interest in Ruth, and his rivalry with a rustic admirer named Stephen Higgins reveal unexpected warmth beneath the comedy. Fenwick's walks, conversations, and observations gradually suggest that behind the household's jokes and judgments lies a richer mystery of character, ambition, and affection. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.