that the crisis would soon pass, and raised her head to listen whether the carriage did not yet return with Blusterberg and the doctor who, surely, could be depended upon for salvation.
At last he came, the doctor, with cheerful words of encouragement
°tt his lips to inspire confidence, but grave apprehension in his eyes when conducted to the bedside. After having observed his patient a few seconds and having asked several questions without meantime drawing too near, he prescribed something as he was expected to do.
bo the carriage rolled away on a second errand, Blusterberg taking
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t h e prescription t o t h e nearest apothecary, and t o t h e m o t h e r , anxious to be comforted in her distress, the doctor said, avoiding to pro-nounce t h e dreaded word, he knew his world, t h a t he could not deny it being a very grave case indeed and t h a t t h e y ought to have availed themselves of his skill a t a m u c h earlier stage of t h e attack, but t h a t t h e indications left room for h o p e : i n fact there was hope as long as there was life. H i s further instructions, however, bore less relation t o t h e girl t h a n t o those about her, with the evident purpose of reducing t h e possibilities of infection.
I n his m i n d t h e fate of P a u l i n e Blusterberg was settled and, r e m e m b e r i n g his duties as a h u s b a n d and a father, he declined t o expose himself more t h a n he could help. If a physician h a s everlast-ingly t o p u t up with m a n y u n p l e a s a n t calls, during a cholera epidemic his profession is t h e worst imaginable, people pulling him out of his bed a t t h e m o s t extraordinary hours, early and late, when he w a n t s his dinner or in t h e middle of the night, and w h a t for? J u s t for t h e fun of endangering his person and his family by making h i m a t t e n d t h e death of strangers s m i t t e n with a highly contagious disease, whom nothing short of a miracle can save !
P l u n g e d in such meditations but keeping his conclusions t o himself, m o r e oracular yet in his silence t h a n in his speech, t h e doctor looked exceedingly serious and i m p o r t a n t and wise.
Once more t h e wheels of the carriage crunched the gravel of t h e driveway. Blusterberg hurried in and h a n d e d t h e apothecary's con-coction t o his wife, b u t she found it impossible to m a k e Non swallow the stuff. Non was now lying unconscious, which m a d e her father and m o t h e r almost rejoice as t h e y imagined t h a t t h e y saw t h e tide of life setting i n again with wholesome rest.
The doctor knew b e t t e r : this m u c h he knew, t h o u g h he considered i t unnecessary to disturb t h e p a r e n t s , agreeable fancy for t h e short space i t would last. H e had taken an easy chair i n t h e backgailery ; his night being spoiled anyway, he was going t o see it out, d e t e r m i n e d to uphold his reputation of u t m o s t solicitude for his patients, a paying reputation.
M a r y a m , the cook, had w a r m e d milk and coffee was offered to t h e doctor by Sidin. B u t t h e doctor refused. None of their coffee for h i m . H e took precious good care not to touch m e a t or drink in a cholera-house.
As t o P a u l i n e B l u s t e r b e r g ' s case being a. case of cholera at all, M a B e o , whose suspicions were aroused by discovering t h a t her cop-per pot had been t a m p e r e d with, could have enlightened h i m . B u t she did not. I t goes against t h e n a t i v e s ' grain to p u t their m a s t e r s on t h e scent of their hidden resources. And even if she h a d t h r o w n
•out a hint of a s y m p t o m a t i c a l l y similar b u t f u n d a m e n t a l s different
disorder which she m i g h t be able to cure, t h e clever doctor would have scorned t h e idea. A m o m e n t ' s observation always amply sufficed h i m for t h e diagnosis of any ailment, in casu for gaining t h e conviction t h a t he stood in t h e presence of cholera,, cholera, being t h e watchword of t h e season. And when Mrs. Blusterberg, alarmed by a very telling change for t h e worse, spoke of trying a native medicine, loyally r e c o m m e n d e d by Nurse Mina, who also began to entertain doubts after consulting M a B e o , t h e dukoon, on t h e condition of their young mistress, — w h e n Mrs. Blusterberg, growing desperate, approa-ched t h e doctor with a h u m b l e request t h a t he would allow her to use t h e native medicine as a. l a s t resort, since his medicine failed, she said it with trembling, committing t h e sacrilege only for her child's sake, t h e paragon of science declared t h a t t h e m o m e n t they began t o work with native rubbish, his mission was ended.
Mrs. Blusterberg bowed her head and Nurse Mina, rebuffed, did not venture t o insist, inwardly deriding the stupidity of t h e conceited white people, and making a vow of some sacrifice at L u a r B a t a n g it, against all h u m a n reason, Non should recover. She m i g h t — we are in Allah's h a n d .
B u t N o n ' s fate was sealed as the s m a r t doctor had already m a d e out beforehand; settled indeed by his peremptory refusal t o ad-minister t h e native medicine, M a B e o ' s counter-poison.
The end came toward morning, before d a w n heralded t h e s u n in tiis flaming robes, the mysteries of another burning day about to follow the mysteries of night, both darkness and light baffling m a n ' s questions a n e n t the eternal why and wherefore of life and d e a t h .
w a d of his release, t h e doctor gave t o u n d e r s t a n d , with m a n y words of commiseration, b u t emphasizing t h e fact, t h a t , from t h e n i s t a n t of his entering t h e sickroom, he had known by indubitable indications how it was t o be. W h a t e v e r lay in his power, t o t h e u t m o s t possibilities of his art, he had done, b u t w h o could oppose the decree's of God A l m i g h t y ? Probably though, if only they had called h i m at the very first manifestations of languor and prostration — b u t he would not reproach t h e m And with sorrowful mien he stepped into B l u s t e r b e r g ' s carriage to drive h o m e , drowsy, soothed to pleasant dreams by t h e t h o u g h t of t h e nice little bill he i n t e n d e d to present next m o n t h t o solace h i m for having been kept awake a whole night as if any of his prescriptions could h a v e helped the girl !
Nurse Mina carried t h e sad news to those of t h e servants who h a d not been i m m e d i a t e l y w a n t e d and s a t huddled together near t h e
'itchen. They received her a n n o u n c e m e n t w i t h o u t surprise. M a B e o ,
"With B e o slumbering in her lap, said: I t is a p i t y ! Sidin and I s a solaced themselves with fresh quids of betel. Mioon, the gardener, emarked t h a t t h e y h a d b e t t e r prepare for lots of extra exertion
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