It is useless to take precautions after something has happened that could have
been foreseen and guarded against. The French version is, ‘After the death,
the doctor.’

> ‘When his father gave Tommy an air-gun as a birthday present, Miss Watson,
who lived next door, suggested that a small boy should not have so dangerous a
toy. After Tommy had shot Miss Watson’s cat, his father took the air-gun away
from him. We do not know what Miss Watson said about this, but a very suitable
remark would have been, ‘It is too late to lock the door when the horse has
been stolen.’