She settled a pillow under my head and told me
to lie quiet.
I meant to lie quiet; I did not have to be told. I wanted to lie
quiet and hurt. I was hurty from head to toe and back again, and
crosswise and cater-cornered. I hurt diagonally and lengthwise
and on the bias. I had a taste in my mouth like a bird-and-animal
store. And empty! It seemed to me those doctors had not left
anything inside of me except the acoustics. Well, there was a
mite of consolation there. If the overhauling had been as thorough
as I had reason to believe it was from my present sensations, I
need never fear catching anything again so long as I lived, except
possibly dandruff.
I waved the nurse away. I craved solitude. I desired only to
lie there in that bed and hurt--which I did.
I had said beforehand I meant to stay in St. Germicide's for two
or three days only. It is when I look back on that resolution I
emit the hollow laugh elsewhere referred to. For exactly four
weeks I was flat on my back.
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