Page:Pratt portraits - sketched in a New England suburb (IA prattportraitssk00full).pdf/154

 "There's a neighbor woman in there with Mrs. Ellery."

They walked down the little path and back again.

"I thought I should like to know what your treatment of pneumonia is."

"Pneumonia!" exclaimed Anson, involuntarily.

"Yes, pneumonia. I assume that you concealed the nature of the disease out of consideration for Mrs. Ellery. You did not, of course, blunder in the diagnosis of so plain a case."

Anson made no reply.

"How long has your patient been ill?"

There was a sarcastic emphasis on the words "your patient" as often as the doctor spoke them.

"I was first called last Monday."

"H'm! Did he seem pretty sick then?"

"No. He only seemed to have a violent cold. He was feverish and coughed a good deal, and he complained of a pain in his side. But that went off after three days."

"How was his pulse?"

"Rapid, but pretty strong."

"And his respiration?"

"He seemed to breathe easily."

The elder man's lip curled scornfully. They were still pacing up and down the path to the front door.

"Let us step outside the gate," said Anson, "where we sha'n't have to turn so often."