Page:The Death-Doctor.djvu/355

Rh, on examination with a high power objective, is observed to be a filament which turns upon itself.

Yes, my dear fellow, as you know by experience, bacteriology is a beautiful study. You discover fresh forms of life every day.

The bacillus anthracis is extremely interesting. In bouillon, after twenty-four hours' incubation at 37° C., there are shown irregularly spiral threads suspended in the liquid.

And these, on being examined, are seen to be made up of bundles of parallel chains of bacilli. Later growth is more abundant and forms a flocculent mass at the bottom of the fluid. But I wanted it at once, and the delay necessary for cultivation was by this happy chance avoided.

I did no more fishing on that day. I had two miles to walk back to the domicile.

I strolled along the bank, smoking and thinking deeply—so deeply that I almost ran into a very pretty and well-dressed nurse who was going in the opposite direction.

I note with a strange, cynical amusement how the present impasse has arisen through a number of things happening which were, not merely one or two, but the whole of them, most unlikely and extraordinary.