Arctic regions -- Discovery and exploration -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction
Lloyd nodded her head, removing her hat and gloves, making herself
ready. Pitts gave her some final directions, and left her alone in the
sick-room. For the moment there was nothing to do for the patient. Lloyd
put on her hospital slippers and moved silently about the room,
preparing for the night, and making some few changes in the matter of
light and ventilation. Then for a while the medicine occupied her
attention, and she was at some pains to carefully sort out the
antiseptic and disinfectants from the drugs themselves. These latter she
arranged on a table by themselves--studying the labels--assuring herself
of their uses. Quinine for the regular morning and evening doses,
sulphonal and trional for insomnia, ether for injections in case of
anemia after hemorrhage, morphine for delirium, citrite of caffeine for
weakness of the heart, tincture of valerian for the tympanites, bismuth
to relieve nausea and vomiting, and the crushed ice wrapped in flannel
cloths for the cold pack in the event of hyperpyrexia.
Later in the evening she took the temperature in the armpit, noted the
condition of the pulse, and managed to get Ferriss--still in his quiet,
muttering delirium--to drink a glass of peptonised milk. She
administered the quinine, reading the label, as was her custom, three
times, once as she took it up, again as she measured the dose, and a
last time as she returned the bottle to its place. Everything she did,
every minute change in Ferriss's condition, she entered upon a chart, so
that in the morning when Dr. Pitts should relieve her he could grasp the
situation at a glance.
The night passed without any but the expected variations of the pulse
and temperature, though toward daylight Lloyd could fancy that Ferriss,
for a few moments, came out of his delirium and was conscious of his
surroundings. For a few seconds his eyes seemed to regain something of
their intelligence, and his glance moved curiously about the room. But
Lloyd, sitting near the foot-board of the bed, turned her head from
him. It was not expedient that Ferriss should recognise her now.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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