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the bed while Potbury took his first look at the unconscious woman. How is she? Will she be all right?
Tell me, doctor
Potbury straightened up a little, grunting as he did so, and said, If you will kindly stand away from the
bed and quit crowding me, perhaps we will find out.
Oh, sorry! Randall retreated to the doorway. Potbury took his stethoscope from his bag, listened for a
while with an inscrutable expression on his face which Randall tried vainly to read, shifted the instrument
around, and listened again. Presently he put the stethoscope back in the bag, and Randall stepped
forward eagerly.
But Potbury ignored him. He peeled up an eyelid with his thumb and examined her pupil, lifted an arm so
that it swung free over the side of the bed and tapped it near the elbow, then straightened himself up and
just looked at her for several minutes.
Randall wanted to scream.
Potbury performed several more of the strange, almost ritualistic things physicians do, some of which
Randall thought he understood, others which he definitely did not. At last he said suddenly, What did
she do yesterday after you left my office?
Randall told him; Potbury nodded sagely. That s what I expected it all dates back to the shock she
had in the morning. All your fault, if I may say so!
My fault, doctor?
You were warned. Should never have let her get close to a man like that.
But . . . but . . . you didn t warn me untilafter he had frightened her.
Potbury seemed a little vexed at this. Perhaps not, perhaps not. Thought you told me someone had
warned you before I did. Should know better, anyhow, with a creature like that.
Randall dropped the matter. But how is she, doctor? Will she get well? She will, won t she?
You ve got a very sick woman on your hands, Mr. Randall.
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Yes, I know she is but what s the matter with her?
Lethargica gravis,brought on by psychic trauma.
Is that serious?
Quite serious enough. If you take proper care of her, I expect she will pull through.
Anything, doctor, anything. Money s no object. What do we do now? Take her to a hospital?
Potbury brushed the suggestion aside. Worst thing in the world for her. If she wakes up in strange
surroundings, she may go off again. Keep her here. Can you arrange your affairs so as to watch her
yourself?
You bet I can.
Then do so. Stay with her night and day. If she wakes up, the most favorable condition will be for her
to find herself in her own bed with you awake and near her.
Oughtn t she to have a nurse?
I wouldn t say so. There isn t much that can be done for her, except to keep her covered up warm.
You might keep her feet a little higher than her head. Put a couple of books under each of the lower feet
of the bed.
Right away.
If this condition persists for more than a week or so, we ll have to see about glucose injections, or
something of the sort. Potbury stooped over, closed his bag and picked it up. Telephone me if there is
any change in her condition.
I will. I Randall stopped suddenly; the doctor s last remark reminded him of something he had
forgotten. Doctor how did you find your way over here?
Potbury looked startled. What do you mean? This place isn t hard to find.
But I didn t give you the address.
Eh? Nonsense.
But I didn t. I remembered the oversight just a few minutes later and called your office back, but you
had already left.
I didn t say you gave it to me today, Potbury said testily; you gave it to me yesterday.
Randall thought it over. Hehad offered Potbury his credentials the day before, but they contained only
his business address. True, his home telephone was listed, but it was listed simply as a night business
number, without address, both in his credentials and in the phone book. Perhaps Cynthia
But he could not ask Cynthia and the thought of her drove minor considerations out of his mind. Are
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