Middletown transcript., 1911-08-05

She looked at the doctors
inquiringly almost fiercely
whilst she repeated her question.
How impenetrable their faces
were, impenetrable- e-and-sne
was looking at the younger OF
the two men, the great Harley
street physician whom her own
doctor had brought her to see'
The fine, ascetic face was ex-
pressionless-at least SO 1t ap'
reared to her-and she did not
notice how the long, supple
fingers clenched or unclencheo
themselves.
DR.. Wayncliff advises an op,
Grafton, Mrs. .Vessioker, inter-
posed the other doctor, . country
practitioner, whose manner oe,
came unusually pompous anu
nervous in the presence OF MS
great compeer. You will re-
member that told you that i
But the woman-so evidently
not a lady, for all the smartness
Of her fashionable clothing
interrupted him. | didn't ask
YOU, she retorted, and looked
eagerly toward the physician
A pair of keen gray eyes me'
hers-and the defiance died from
the face Of the woman under thai
glance.
Exactly so, said Paul Wayn
Cliff, coldly. It is the only way
in which your life can be saved
an immediate operation. DR.
Haughton will explain every
thing if you wish; briefly, ny
advice is that you 60 straight tt
a nursing home in Weloecl
street, and the sooner the opera
ton is performed this Afternoon
or tomorrow morning at latest
the more chance you will have.
The woman-she was young
scarcely thirty-turned pal
under her rouge. Yet tn
brusque words only confrme'
her own conviction. AS she hat
herself said, she knew it wa
something bad. And SO it was
That man, with the cold, har'
eyes had told her so with
callousness which reused he
indignation. Yet he did not CIV
her time to express her feelings
did not wait for any Mysteries
outburst of grief or fear. A
ready he had turned away, an
the door of his consulting rooE
closed sharply behind him.
Mrs. vessicker had though
better of her intention to wee
in wordy and noisy bewailmer
of fate. Instead a dogged loo
of anger crept into her face.
If that's your fine doctor
don't-don't t think much OF hir
she snarled, turning viciously
her companion. Much sympath
in him! Talks of an operation {
ifI was a pig or a sheep to
cut up. If it weren't as |
afraid II wouldn't have it don
DR.. Haughton looked worrlt
and perplexed.
Certainly Wayncliff's mann'
had been most unusually cold,
almost brutal. And, as a rul
he was famed for his sympathet
manner. Strange-exceeding
strange. But, as he explain'
to his patient as they drove in
taxi to Welbeck street, she "
in the safest hands possible. Z
operation which was high
dangerous for any other surge
to perform was comparative
slight if performed by Pa
Wayncliff-indeed, he mig
venture to say he was the on
man who could perform it.
If that 'adn't been so Id !
gone to some one eli
she snapped. Nasty, unWeel
beast. And she began to sni'
in a broken, helpless fashion.
She was certainly afra
though she had known what
meant before she came to TOW
-
Paul Wayncliff sat alone in
consulting room. The !
patient for that day had b.
prescribed for and bowed 9
Thanh heaven! It was over, 9
he could think.
Yet the thoughts were
pleasant ones, judging from
mans ghastly face and clencf
hands as he leaned back in
chair.
What evil trickery Of fate
1t that had sent Lena VessicI
to him Of all men to be trea
for her deadly malady?
He shuddered as a suggest
waited itself across his mind.