But he wasn't.
There is a bit of sound tactics which says, "Never let the enemy surprise you." But how is one to keep him from doing it if he insists?
The surer you are that the enemy is going to do a certain thing, the more surprised you are when he doesn't.

Now I felt sure that when Dr.
Farr heard the news he would have a fit.

I expected him to use language and even his umbrella.

But nothing of this kind happened.

He simply sat there like a slightly faded and vague old gentleman and said "So ?"--just like that.
I assured him, as delicately as possible that it was so.
Then, without warning, he began to weep.