CHAPTER III

 Aunt Jane was thinking, as she went along the wide corridor to Room 15, that the new patient was not unlike Miss Enderby.

 

It was an hour since the operation and Aunt Jane had been in to see the patient two or three times; as she had stood looking down at her, the resemblance to Miss Enderby had come to her mind. There was the same inflexible¹ tightening² of the lips and the same contracted look of the high, level brows.

 

A nurse coming down the corridor stopped respectfully.

 

"Dr. Carmon has finished his visits," she said. "He asks me to say he is in your office—when you are ready."

 

Aunt Jane nodded absently. She went on to Room 15 and looked in at the door. The patient lay with closed eyes, a half-querulous expression on the high brows, and the corners of her lips sharply drawn³. Aunt Jane crossed the floor lightly and bent⁴ to listen to the breathing from the tense lips.

 

[Pg 13]

 

The eyes opened slowly. "It's you!" said the woman.

 

"Comfortable?" asked Aunt Jane. She ran her hand along the querulous forehead and straightened the clothes a little. "You'll feel better pretty soon now."

 

"Stay with me," said the woman sharply.

 

Aunt Jane shook her head: "I'll be back by and by. You lie still and be good. That's the way to get well."

 

She drifted from the room and the woman's eyes closed slowly. Something of the fretted⁵ look had left her face.

 

Aunt Jane stepped out into the wide, sun-lit corridor and moved serenely⁶ on. Her tall figure and plump back had a comfortable look as she went.

 

One of the men in the ward⁷ had said that Aunt Jane went on casters; and it was the Irishman in the bed next him who had retorted: "It's wings that you mean—two little wings to the feet of her—or however could she get along, at all, without putting foot to the floor!"

 

However she managed it, Aunt Jane came and went noiselessly; and when she chose,[Pg 14] she could move from one end of the corridor to the other as swiftly as if indeed there had been "two little wings to the feet of her."

 

She was not hurrying now. She stopped at one or two doors for a glance, gave directions to a nurse who passed with a tray, and went leisurely⁸ on to the office.

 

Over by the window, Dr. Carmon, his gloves in his hand, was standing⁹ with his back to the room, waiting.

 

Aunt Jane glanced at the back and sat down. "Did you want to see me?" she inquired pleasantly.

 

He wheeled about. "I have been waiting five minutes to see you," he said stiffly.

 

"The man in Number 20 is coming along first-rate," replied Aunt Jane. "I never saw a better first intention."

 

The doctor glared at her. His face cleared a little. "He is doing well."

 

"I want you to put Miss Wildman on the case," he added.

 

"She's put down to go on at eleven," responded Aunt Jane.

 

"Humph!" He drew out his note-book[Pg 15] and looked at it. "I suppose you knew I'd want her."

 

"I thought she'd better go on," said Aunt Jane serenely.

 

"And Miss Canfield needs to go off—for a good rest. I shall need her on Tuesday. There are two cases"—he consulted his notes—"a Mrs. Pelton—she'll go into the ward—after a few days."

 

"Poor," said Aunt Jane.

 

"Yes. And Herman G. Medfield——"

 

"He's not poor," interposed Aunt Jane. "He could give us a new wing for contagion¹⁰ when he gets well."

 

The doctor scowled¹¹ a little. Perhaps it was the unconscious "us." Perhaps he was thinking that Herman G. Medfield had scant¹² chance to give the new wing for contagion.... And a sudden sense that a great deal depended on him and that he was very tired had perhaps come over the surgeon.

 

Aunt Jane touched the bell by her table. "You sit down, Dr. Carmon," she said quietly.

 

Dr. Carmon picked up his hat. "I have to go," he replied brusquely.

 

[Pg 16]

 

"You sit down," said Aunt Jane.

 

He seated himself with a half smile. When Aunt Jane chose to make you like what she was doing...!

 

The white-coated boy who came, took an order for meat broth¹³ and sandwiches and returned with them promptly¹⁴.

 

"You're tired out," said Aunt Jane, as she arranged the dishes on the swing-leaf to the desk. "Up all night, I suppose?"

 

"No." The doctor nibbled¹⁵ at a sandwich. Then he broke off a generous piece and swallowed it and drank a little of the hot broth.

 

She watched him placidly¹⁶.

 

He was a short, dark man with a dark mustache that managed, somehow, at once to bristle¹⁷ and to droop¹⁸. His clothes were shabby and creased¹⁹ with little folds and wrinkles across the ample front, and he sat well forward in his chair to eat the sandwiches.

 

There was something a little grotesque²⁰ about him perhaps.

 

But to Aunt Jane's absent-minded gaze, it may be, there was nothing grotesque in the short, stout²¹ figure, eating its sandwiches....[Pg 17] She had seen it too many times roused to fierce struggle, holding death at arm's length and fighting, inch by inch, for a life that was slipping away. To her Dr. Carmon was not so much a man, as a mighty²² gripping force that did things when you needed him.

 

"I suppose I was hungry," he said.

 

He picked up the last crumb²³ of sandwich and smiled at her.

 

Aunt Jane nodded. "You needed something to eat."

 

"And some one to tell me to eat it," he replied. And with the words he was gone.

 

The next minute Aunt Jane, sitting in the office, heard the warning toot of his motor as it turned the corner of the next street and was off for the day's work.

 

1 inflexible   

adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的

参考例句：

• Charles was a man of settled habits and inflexible routine.查尔斯是一个恪守习惯、生活规律不容打乱的人。
• The new plastic is completely inflexible.这种新塑料是完全不可弯曲的。

2 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

5 fretted   

焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的

参考例句：

• The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝，有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学
• The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。

6 serenely   

adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地

参考例句：

• The boat sailed serenely on towards the horizon.小船平稳地向着天水交接处驶去。
• It was a serenely beautiful night.那是一个宁静美丽的夜晚。

7 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

8 leisurely   

adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的

参考例句：

• We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
• He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 contagion   

n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延

参考例句：

• A contagion of fear swept through the crowd.一种恐惧感在人群中迅速蔓延开。
• The product contagion effect has numerous implications for marketing managers and retailers.产品传染效应对市场营销管理者和零售商都有很多的启示。

11 scowled   

怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
• The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。

12 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

13 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。

14 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

15 nibbled   

v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的过去式和过去分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬

参考例句：

• She nibbled daintily at her cake. 她优雅地一点一点地吃着自己的蛋糕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Several companies have nibbled at our offer. 若干公司表示对我们的出价有兴趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 placidly   

adv.平稳地，平静地

参考例句：

• Hurstwood stood placidly by, while the car rolled back into the yard. 当车子开回场地时，赫斯渥沉着地站在一边。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• The water chestnut floated placidly there, where it would grow. 那棵菱角就又安安稳稳浮在水面上生长去了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

17 bristle   

v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发

参考例句：

• It has a short stumpy tail covered with bristles.它粗短的尾巴上鬃毛浓密。
• He bristled with indignation at the suggestion that he was racist.有人暗示他是个种族主义者，他对此十分恼火。

18 droop   

v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡

参考例句：

• The heavy snow made the branches droop.大雪使树枝垂下来。
• Don't let your spirits droop.不要萎靡不振。

19 creased   

（使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴

参考例句：

• You've creased my newspaper. 你把我的报纸弄皱了。
• The bullet merely creased his shoulder. 子弹只不过擦破了他肩部的皮肤。

20 grotesque   

adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物）

参考例句：

• His face has a grotesque appearance.他的面部表情十分怪。
• Her account of the incident was a grotesque distortion of the truth.她对这件事的陈述是荒诞地歪曲了事实。

21   

参考例句：

22 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

23 crumb   

n.饼屑，面包屑，小量

参考例句：

• It was the only crumb of comfort he could salvage from the ordeal.这是他从这场磨难里能找到的唯一的少许安慰。
• Ruth nearly choked on the last crumb of her pastry.鲁斯几乎被糕点的最后一块碎屑所噎住。