"What are you doing up here?" he asked, when she brought his meal. "Aren't you cashier downstairs any longer?"
"Oh, yes," she said, "I should just think I was. But the girl that waits in this room, Miss Pratt, has her half-holiday on Wednesdays, and I come here, and the governor takes my place downstairs. I do it to oblige him. He's a gentleman, he is. That polite! I have my half-holiday on Fridays."
"Well, if you've nothing else to do, what do you say to pouring out my tea for me?"
"Can't you pour it out yourself? Poor thing!" She smiled pityingly, and began to pour out the tea.
"Sit down," Richard suggested.
"No, thank you," she said. "There! If it isn't sweet enough, you can put another lump in yourself;" and she disappeared behind the screen which hid the food-lift.
Presently he summoned her to make out his check. He was debating whether to tell her that Mr. Aked was ill. Perhaps if he did so she might request to be informed how the fact concerned herself. He decided5 to say nothing, and was the more astonished when she began:
"Did you know Mr. Aked was very ill?"
"Yes. Who told you?"
"Why, I live near him, a few doors away—didn't I tell you once?—and their servant told ours."
"Told your servant?"
"Yes," said Miss Roberts, reddening a little, and with an inflection which meant, "I suppose you thought my family wouldn't have a servant!"
"Oh!" He stopped a moment, and then an idea came to him. "It must have been you who called last night to inquire!" He wondered why Adeline had been so curt6 with her.
"Were you there then?"
"Oh, yes. I know the Akeds pretty well."
"The doctor says he'll not get better. What do you think?"
"Very sad for poor Miss Aked, isn't it?" she said, and something in the tone made Richard look up at her.
"Yes," he agreed.
"Of course you like her?"
"I scarcely know her—it's the old man I know," he replied guardedly.
"Well, if you ask me, I think she's a bit stand-offish."
"Perhaps that's only her manner."
"You've noticed it too, have you?"
"Not a bit. I've really seen very little of her."
"Going down again to-night?"
"I may do."
Nothing had passed between Adeline and himself as to his calling that day, but when he got to Carteret Street she evidently accepted his presence as a matter of course, and he felt glad. There was noting in her demeanour to recall the scene of the previous night. He did not stay long. Mr. Aked's condition was unchanged. Adeline had watched by him all day, while the nurse slept, and now she confessed to an indisposition.
"My bones ache," she said, with an attempt to laugh, "and I feel miserable8, though under the circumstances there's nothing strange in that."
He feared she might be sickening towards influenza9, caught from her uncle, but said nothing, lest he should alarm her without cause. The next day, however, his apprehension10 was justified11. On his way to the house in the evening he met the doctor at the top of Carteret Street and stopped him.
"You're a friend of Mr. Aked's, eh?" the doctor said, examining Richard through his gold-rimmed spectacles. "Well, go and do what you can. Miss Aked is down with the influenza now, but I don't think it will be a severe attack if she takes care. The old fellow's state is serious. You see, he has no constitution, though perhaps that's scarcely a disadvantage in these cases; but when it comes to double basic pneumonia12, with fever, and cardiac complications, pulse 140, respiration13 40, temperature 103 to 104, there's not a great deal of chance. I've got a magnificent nurse, though, and she'll have her hands full. We ought really to send for another one, especially as Miss Aked wants looking after too.... Bless you," he went on, in answer to a question from Richard, "I can't say. I injected strychnia this morning, and that has given relief, but he may die during the night. On the other hand he may recover. By the way, they seem to have no relations, except a cousin of Mr. Aked's who lives in the north. I've wired to her. Good evening. See what you can do. I'm due in my surgery in two minutes."
Richard introduced himself to the nurse, explained that he had seen the doctor, and asked if he could render assistance. She was a slender girl of about twenty-three, with dark, twinkling eyes and astonishingly small white ears; her blue uniform, made of the same print as a servant's morning-dress, fitted without a crease14, and her immense apron15 was snowy. On one linen16 cuff17 was a stain; she noticed this while talking to Richard, and adroitly18 reversed the wristband under his very gaze.
"I suppose you know the Akeds pretty well?" she questioned.
"Well, pretty well," he answered.
"Do you know any friends of theirs, women, who happen to live near?"
"I feel fairly sure they have practically no acquaintances. I have never met any people here."
"It is very awkward, now that Miss Aked is taken ill."
The mention of Adeline gave him an opportunity to make more particular inquiries19 as to her condition.
"There is nothing to be afraid of," the nurse said, "only she must stay in bed and keep quite quiet."
"You were here last night?"
"Yes, and the night before."
"Oh! I wasn't aware—" The nurse stopped a moment. "Pardon me, if I am indiscreet, but are you engaged to Miss Aked?"
"No," said Richard shortly, uncertain whether or not he was blushing. The nurse's eyes twinkled, but otherwise her impassive gravity suffered no diminishment. "Not at all," he added. "I am merely a friend, anxious to do anything I can."
"I will get you to do some marketing21 for me," she decided suddenly. "The maid is sitting with Mr. Aked—he's a little easier for the moment—and Miss Aked, I think, is asleep. If I give you a list, can you discover the shops? I am quite ignorant of this neighbourhood."
Richard thought he could discover the shops.
"In the meantime I will have a bath. I have had no rest worth mentioning for twenty-four hours, and I want freshening up. Don't come back for twenty minutes, or there will be no one to let you in. Stay, I will give you the latch-key." It was attached to her chatelaine.
Equipped with written orders and a sovereign, he went out. Though he was away barely a quarter of an hour, she was dressed and downstairs again when he came in, her face as radiant as if she had just risen. She counted the change, and checked the different purchases with the list. Richard had made no mistakes.
"Thank you," she said very formally. He had expected a little praise.
"Is there anything else I can do?" he asked, determined22 not to weary in good works, however coldly his efforts were received.
"I think you might sit with Mr. Aked for a while," she said; "I must positively23 give some attention to Miss Aked, and half an hour's rest would not harm me. See, there are some slippers24; would you mind taking off your boots and putting those on instead? Thank you. You may talk to Mr. Aked if he talks to you, and let him hold your hand—he'll probably want to. Let him have just a sip25 of the brandy and milk I will give you, whenever he asks for it. Don't mind if he grumbles26 at everything you do. Try to soothe27 him. Remember he is very seriously ill. Shall I take you upstairs?"
She looked at Richard and then at the door; and Richard, hesitating for a fraction of a second, stepped past her to open it. He managed it awkwardly because he had never done such a thing for a lady in his life, nor could he quite understand what mysterious prompting had led him to be so punctilious28 now. The nurse bowed acknowledgment and preceded him to the sick-room. He felt as a student feels just before the examination papers are handed round.
A smell of linseed escaped from the bedroom as the nurse pushed open the door.
"Stay outside a moment," she said to Richard. He could see the grate, on which a kettle was singing over a small fire. In front of the fire was a board, with a large bowl and spoon, and some pieces of linen. Then he was conscious of nothing but a loud sound of rapid, painful breathing, accompanied by moans and a strange rattling29 which came to his ears with perturbing30 distinctness. He knew nothing of sickness beyond what people had told him, and these phenomena31 inspired him with physical dread32. He wished to run away.
"A friend of yours is coming to sit with you, Mr. Aked—you know Mr. Larch," he heard the nurse say; she was evidently busy about the bed. "You can go now, Lottie," she went on to the servant. "Wash up the things I have put in the sink, and then off to bed."
Richard waited with painful expectancy33 for the voice of Mr. Aked.
"Larch—did you say—why—didn't he come—before?" The tones were less unnatural34 than he had anticipated, but it seemed that only by the exercise of a desperate ingenuity35 could the speaker interject the fragments of a sentence here and there between his hurrying gasps36.
Then the servant went downstairs.
"Come in, Mr. Larch," the nurse called pleasantly.
The patient, supported by pillows, was sitting upright in bed, and as Richard entered he looked towards the door with the expression of an unarmed man on the watch for an assassin. His face was drawn37 and duskily pale, but on each cheek burned a red flush; at every cruel inspiration the nostrils38 dilated39 widely, and the shoulders were raised in a frenzied40 effort to fill the embarrassed lungs.
"Well, Mr. Aked," Richard greeted him, "here I am, you see."
He made no reply beyond a weak nod, and signed to the nurse for the feeding-cup of brandy and milk, which she held to his mouth. Richard was afraid he might not be able to stay in the room, and marvelled41 that the nurse could be unmoved and cheerful in the midst of this piteous altercation42 with death. Was she blind to the terror in the man's eyes?
"You had better sit here, Mr. Larch," she said quietly, pointing to a chair by the bedside. "Here is the drink; hold the cup—so. Ring this bell if you want me for anything." Then she noiselessly disappeared.
No sooner had he sat down than Mr. Aked seized his shoulder for support, and each movement of the struggling frame communicated itself to Richard's body. Richard suddenly conceived a boundless43 respect for the nurse, who had watched whole nights by this tortured organism on the bed. Somehow existence began to assume for him a new and larger aspect; he felt that till that moment he had been going through the world with his eyes closed; life was sublimer44, more terrible, than he had thought. He abased45 himself before all doctors and nurses and soldiers in battle; they alone tasted the true savour of life.
Art was a very little thing.
Presently Mr. Aked breathed with slightly less exertion46, and he appeared to doze47 for a few moments now and then, though Richard could scarcely believe that any semblance48 of sleep was possible to a man in his condition.
"Adeline?" he questioned once.
"She's getting on fine," Richard said soothingly49. "Would you like a sip?"
He put his grey lips clumsily round the lip of the cup, drank, and then pushed the vessel50 away with a gesture of irritation51.
The windows were open, but the air was perfectly52 still, and the gas burnt without a tremor53 between the windows and the door.
"I'm stifled," the patient gasped54. "Are they—doing—all they can—for me?"—Richard tried to reassure55 him.
"It's all over—with me—Larch—I can't—keep it up long—I'm going—going—they'll have to try—something else."
"I'm frightened—I thought I shouldn't be—but I am. Doctor suggested parson—it's not that—I said no.... Do you think—I'm dying?"
"Not a bit," said Richard.
"That's a lie—I'm off.... It's a big thing,—death—everyone's afraid—of it—at last.... Instinct!... Shows there's something—awful behind it."
If Richard had been murdering the man, he could not have had a sharper sense of guilt57 than at that moment oppressed him.
Mr. Aked continued to talk, but with a growing incoherence which gradually passed into delirium58. Richard looked at his watch. Only thirty minutes had slipped by, and yet he felt as if his shoulder had suffered the clutch of that hot hand since before the beginning of time! Again he experienced the disconcerting sensation of emotional horizons suddenly widened.
People were walking down the street; they talked and laughed. How incongruously mirthful and careless their voices sounded! Perhaps they had never watched by a sick-bed, never listened to the agonised breathing of a pneumonia patient. That incessant59 frantic60 intake61 of air! It exasperated62 him. If it did not stop soon, he should go mad. He stared at the gas-flame, and the gas-flame grew larger, larger, till he could see nothing else.... Then, after a long while, surely the breathing was more difficult! There was a reverberating63 turmoil64 in the man's chest which shook the bed. Could Richard have been asleep, or what? He started up; but Mr. Aked clung desperately65 to him, raising his shoulders higher and higher in the struggle to inhale66, and leaning forward till he was bent67 almost double. Richard hesitated, and then struck the bell. It seemed as if the nurse would never come. The door opened softly.
"I'm afraid he is much worse," Richard said to the nurse, striving to cover his agitation68. She looked at Mr. Aked.
"Perhaps you had better fetch the doctor."
When he returned, Mr. Aked was lying back unconscious.
"Of course the doctor can do nothing now," said the nurse, calmly answering the question in his eyes. "He'll never speak any more."
"But Miss Aked?"
"It can't be helped. I shall say nothing to her till morning."
"Then she won't see him?"
"Certainly not. It would be madness for her to leave her bed."
The doctor arrived, and the three talked quietly together about the alarming prevalence of influenza at that time of the year, and the fatal results of carelessness.
"I tell you honestly," the doctor said, "I'm so overworked that I should be quite satisfied to step into my coffin69 and not wake again. I've had three 3 A. M. midwifery cases this week—forceps, chloroform, and the whole bag of tricks—on the top of all this influenza, and I'm about sick of it. That's the worst of our trade; it comes in lumps. What do you say, nurse?"
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1
charing
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| n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣 | |
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cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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fictitious
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| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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rusticity
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| n.乡村的特点、风格或气息 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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8
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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influenza
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| n.流行性感冒，流感 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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pneumonia
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| n.肺炎 | |
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respiration
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| n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用 | |
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crease
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| n.折缝，褶痕，皱褶；v.(使)起皱 | |
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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17
cuff
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| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
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18
adroitly
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| adv.熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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19
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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sagely
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| adv. 贤能地，贤明地 | |
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marketing
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| n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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26
grumbles
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| 抱怨( grumble的第三人称单数 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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27
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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28
punctilious
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| adj.谨慎的，谨小慎微的 | |
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29
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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30
perturbing
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| v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的现在分词 ) | |
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phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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32
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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33
expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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36
gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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37
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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38
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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39
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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41
marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
altercation
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| n.争吵，争论 | |
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43
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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44
sublimer
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| 使高尚者，纯化器 | |
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45
abased
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| 使谦卑( abase的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到羞耻； 使降低（地位、身份等）； 降下 | |
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46
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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48
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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49
soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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50
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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51
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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52
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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53
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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54
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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55
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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56
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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57
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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58
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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59
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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61
intake
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| n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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63
reverberating
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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inhale
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| v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟) | |
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67
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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68
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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69
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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