Herbert's face relaxed into a feeble smile.
"Very far from happy. I suppose I've been badly knocked about?"
"I've treated more serious cases, and you'll get over it. But you'll have to reconcile yourself to lying quiet for a long while."
Herbert made no reply to this, but his expression suggested that he was trying to think.
"Has the thing got into the papers?" he asked.
The doctor was a little surprised; it seemed a curious point for his patient to take an interest in, but he was willing to indulge him.
"It's early yet, but one of the Courier people stopped me as I was driving out and I gave him a few particulars. You can't hush the matter up."
"No," said Herbert. "You did quite right. Hadn't you better mention exactly what's the matter with me?"
"If I did, you wouldn't understand it," said the doctor, who generally adopted a cheerful, half-humorous tone. "In plain English, you have two ribs broken, besides a number of contusions, and I'm inclined to suspect your nervous system has received a nasty shock."
"And the cure?"