“Don’t come any later, please,” he said as he opened the door, “for every minute of my time is taken and I must be through with you ten minutes before the next patient arrives so that I may re-charge the battery. A case of blindness, you may not be aware, consumes as much fluid as would otherwise be used in a day.”
And smiling blandly, he bowed them out.
CHAPTER XXII
TOMMY had told Betty of a cross road which avoided Paulding and saved half a mile. As soon as the girls were out of the dirty village and facing home, Betty turned eagerly to Rose.
“How do you feel, Rose?” she asked anxiously.
“Slick!” returned the other promptly. “After I got over being scared and got used to it, I sort of liked it. It was kind of soothing. But my goodness! I was scared blue to take hold of those handles. I suppose I couldn’t have let go if I had tried until he shut off the electricity. And lightning is electricity, you know, and I kept remembering that was what I had my hands on. Could you hear my heart beat?”
“No, Rose, I was scared myself. And anyhow, mine was beating so loud I was ashamed. I was afraid Dr. Vandegrift would think I didn’t trust him. Couldn’t you hear it?”
“Nix.” And Rose laughed gaily.
“I kept thinking of Tommy,” observed Betty rather mournfully. “Wouldn’t it all have interested him—reversing the handles for the left eye, and all that?”
“Yes, and about taking so much liquid—fluid I mean—for me, and—O, Betty, I am so happy now that I shall probably just bust when I am cured, and what then?” Rose rattled on excitedly.