The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-22
a doctor has no hours. Come in, " he

hoarse tone and then the young woman's
eager pleading "Oh, Alfred dear, for
my sake
Come in, whoever it is" said DR.
Rowland. with authority. "A doctor has
no hours but other people in the house
have and you mustn't stayoutside'
Then there was a little dragging on the
part of the wife, a little assistance on the
part of the husband, and finally Mrs.
Hesketh appeared, more flushed than
ever, grasping the sleeve of rather UNI
wholesOme-looking young man, very pink
all over and moist, with furtive eyes and
hair standing on end. He had a 1uttered,
clandestine look, as if afraid to be seen, as
he came into the fun light Of the lamp,
and looked suspiciously round him, as if to
find out whether anything dangerous was
there
1T is my 'usb and. sir, said Mrs. Hes
keith. ITS Alfred. He's been of his
food and off his sleep for l don't know
how long, and m not happy about him.
] thought perhaps you might give him a
something that would put him all
straight
ON his food and off his sleep? Perhaps
he hasn't been of his drink alsO?n said
the doctor, giving touch to the shade Of
the lamp.
Il knew" said the young man, in the
same partially hOarse voice, las that is
what would De said
And a gentleman like you ought to
know better" said the indignant wife.
Drink is what he never touches, if it
isn't a alf pint to his supper, and that
only to please me"
Then it's something else, and not
drink" said the doctor. sit down and
let me have a look at YOU He took into
his cool grasp a somewhat tremulOus
damp hand. which had been hanging
down by the patients side, limp yet agi-
tated, like thing he had no use for.
Tell me something about him said DR.
Roland In shop! BaXter's-yes, l
know the place. What you call shopman,
no. assistant, young gentleman at the
counter"
"Oh, no" said Mrs. Hesketh, with
pride ''boOk- keeper, sir-sits up in his
desk in the middle Of the costume depart
ment and"
"Ah, see" said the doctor, quickly.
He gave the limp wrist, in which the
pulse had suddenly given a great jump, a
grip with his cool hand. Control your
self" he said, quietly. NERVES all in a
whirl system breaking down-can you
take a holidayl'
"Oh, yes, said the young man in a sort
of braVadO, "Of course | can take a hOli-
day, and a express ticket for the work.
house after it. How are we to live if go
taking holidays? We can't afford no holt
days, he said in his gruH voice.
There are worse places than the work
house." said the doctor with meaning
Take the day tomorrow; I'll give you a
note to send to your master. The first
thing you want is a good nights sleep"
oh, that is the truth, however YOU
know it," cried Mrs. Hesketh. He
hasn't had a nights sleep, nor me neither,
not for a month back"
III see that he has one tonight" said
DR.. Roland, drawing back the curtain of
his surgery and opening the fOlding-doors.
Il won't take no Opiates, doctor" said
the young man, with dumb defiance in his
sleepy eyes.
You won't take any opiates2 And
why, if l may ask" the doctor said, Sc
lecting bottle from the shelf.
Not drop of your pasty sleepy stuff,
that makes fellows dream and talk non
sense in their sleep-oh, not for mel"
You are afraid, then, of talking non
sense in your sleep? We must get rid of
the nonsense, not of the Sleep" said the
doctor. 81 don't say that this is an
opiate, but you have to swallow it, my
fine fellow, whether or not"
No" said the young man, setting his
lips firmly together
Drink" cried DIR. Roland, fully
reused. Come, I'll have no childish,
wry faces. Why, you're man-with a
wite-and not a naughty boy"
Its not my doing coming here. She
brought me, and III see her far enough"
Hold your tongue, YOU young ass, and
take your physic She's a capital woman,
and has done exactly as she ought to
have done. No nonsense, / tell you!
Sleep tonight, and then tomorrow you'll
go and set yourself right with the shop"
"Slr!' cried the young man, with a
gasp. His pulse gave a jump under the
strong, cool grip in which DR.. Roland had
again taken it, and he fixed a frightened,
implOring gaze on the doctors face.
"Oh, doctor!" cried the poor wife,
there's nothing to set right with the
shop. They think all the world of Alfred
there"
They'll think all the more of him, ;"
said DR. Roland, after he has had
good nights sleep. There, take him OFF
to bed; and at 10 O'Clock tomorrow morn
ing | expect to see him here"
''Oh, doctor, is it anything badl Oh,
sir can't you make him all rightw she
cried, standing with clasped hands. lis
tening to the hurried yet wavering step
with which her husband went upstairs.
I'm tell you tomorrow morning" DR.
Roland said
When the door was closed, he went and
sat DOWN again by his fire, but the calm
of his mind, the pleasure of his cigar, the
excitement of his newspaper, had gone.
Truth to tell, the excitement of this new
question plGdSeu hin more IMAM all JleSe
things together. Has he done il, or is
he only going to do itl' he asked himself
Could the thing be set right. or could it
never be set right} He sat there for per-
haps an hour, working out the
question in both directions, considering
the case in every light. 1t was long
time since he had met with anything so
interesting. He only came to himself
when he became conscious that the fire
was burning very low, and the chill of
the night creeping into the air Then DR.
Roland rose again, compounded a drink
tor himself of a different quality from
that which he had given to his patient,
and selected out of his bookcase a yellow
novel. But after a while he pitched the
/ book from him, and pushed away the
glass, and resumed his meditation What
was grog, and what was Ga boriau, in
comparison with problem like this!
CHAPTER vi
The house in Bloomsbury was. how
/ ever, much more deeply troubled and ex-
cited than il would have been by anything
affecting Alfred Heskoth, when it was
J