He climbed out of bed and searched the room. In his impatience he bumped his wounded head, and blood flowed afresh from under the bandages, and with a movement of his arm he smeared it over his face. The giant Swede was working himself into a fury. Every few moments he rang the bell, and a few moments before three o'clock the nurse, calm and appearing as if nothing unusual was happening, came in.
"Did you ring?" she inquired.
Swanson started to explode, but stood looking at her in helpless fury.
"Get me my clothes," he ordered in tones that frightened the girl, trained as she was to the outbursts of patients.
"Get me my clothes," he repeated.
"It is against orders," she said hesitatingly. "You cannot go until the doctor"——
"Get me my clothes," he half screamed. "If my clothes aren't here in five minutes I'm going this way."
The nurse, thoroughly alarmed by the fury of the big man, ran from the room, and, within five minutes she returned with another nurse to support her.
"Where are my clothes?" he demanded in an awful voice.
"It's against orders," said the older nurse firmly. "You cannot leave without permission from the doctor in charge."