“Oh, hell,” remarked Mr. Gastin.
“The dinner concert comes on at seven,” I suggested.
“Think I can stand this till then?” he asked, but left the plug in. “Can you bring me a—er—blanket or two, nurse? Somehow this room seems sort of—I don’t know—cold, I guess. You might turn on that light up there—yes, and the one over the dresser, too.”
The light over the bed was already glowing, but I did as he asked. Which only goes to prove that Room 18 was already getting in its work. I left the door open and remember that I spoke very earnestly when I told him to turn on the signal light if he wanted anything.
He did not have to listen to the bunny story after all, however, for I met Miss Jones coming along with a truck and she told me that she was taking Mr. Gastin to Dr. Letheny’s—that is, Dr. Balman’s office for an examination.
“He hasn’t had his supper tray yet, has he?” she asked anxiously.
Meeting O’Leary in the hall I told him that Room 18 was vacant for a few minutes; I went on downstairs to eat, however, and did not accompany him. But when I sat down to glance at the charts of the south wing an hour later, O’Leary stopped beside me.
“No luck?” I said.
“Not a thing,” he replied.
There was a distinctly puzzled look in his face.