England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
"Why should the fever have come to _me_?" she rejoined, her tone
rebellious.
"Why was I thrown from my horse last year, and broke my arm?" returned
Mr. Snow. "These things come to all of us."
"To break an arm is nothing--people always recover from that," irritably
answered Sarah Anne.
"And you will recover from the fever, if you will be quiet and
reasonable."
"I am so hot! My head is so heavy!"
Mr. Snow, who had called for water and a glass, was mixing a white
powder which he had produced from his pocket. She took it without
opposition, and then he lessened the weight of bed-clothes, and
afterwards turned his attention to the chamber. It was close and hot;
the sun, which had just burst forth brightly from the grey skies, shone
full upon it.
"You have that chimney stuffed up!" he exclaimed.
"Sarah Anne will not allow it to be open," said Lady Sarah. "She is
sensitive to cold, dear child, and feels the slightest draught."
Mr. Snow walked to the chimney, turned up his coat cuff and wristband,
and pulled down a bag filled with shavings. Soot came with it, and
covered his hand; but he did not mind that. He was as little given to
ceremony as Lady Sarah to caution, and he went leisurely up to the
wash-hand-stand to remove it.
"Now, if I catch that bag, or any other bag up there again, obstructing
the air, I shall attack the bricks next time, and make a good big hole
that the sky can be seen through. Of that I give you notice, my lady."
He next pulled down the window at the top, behind the blind; but the
room, at its best, did not find favour with him. "It is not airy; it is
not cool," he said. "Is there not a better ventilated room in the house?
If so, she should be moved into it."
"My room is cool," interposed Ethel eagerly. "The sun never shines into
it, Mr. Snow."
It would appear that Ethel's thus speaking must have reminded Mr. Snow
that she was present. In the unceremonious manner that he had laid hands
upon the chimney bag, he now laid them upon her shoulders, and
marshalled her outside the door.
"You go downstairs, Miss Ethel. And do not come within a mile of this
chamber again, until I give you leave to do so."
"I will not be moved into Ethel's room!" interposed Sarah Anne,
imperiously and fretfully. "It is not furnished with half the comforts
of mine. And it has only a bit of bedside carpet! I will not go there,
Mr. Snow."
"Now look you here, Miss Sarah Anne!" said the surgeon firmly. "I am
responsible for bringing you well out of this illness; and I shall take
my own way to do it. If not; if I am to be contradicted at every
suggestion; Lady Sarah may summon some one else to attend you: I will
not undertake it."
"My darling, you shall not be moved to Ethel's room," cried my lady
coaxingly: "you shall be moved into mine. It is larger than this, you
know, Mr. Snow, with a thorough draught through it, if you choose to put
the windows and door open."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account