"Mr. Ellis," said the Doctor, annoyed at his slip, "I am not on the witness stand."
"Dr. Surtaine," returned the other in the same tone, "when you undertake an investigation for the 'Clarion,' you are one of my reporters and I expect a full and frank report from you."
"Bull's-eye for you, my boy. You win. They did run those cases out. Before we're through with it they'll probably run more out. You see, the Health Bureau has got it in for O'Farrell, and if they knew there was anything up there, they'd raise a regular row and queer things generally."
"What is up?"
"Honestly, I don't know."
"Nor even suspect?"
"Well, it might be scarlet fever. Or, perhaps diphtheria. You see strange types sometimes."
"If it's either, failure to report is against the law."
"Technically, yes. But we've got it fixed to clean things up. The people will be looked after. There's no real danger of its spreading much. And you know how it is. The Rookeries have got a bad name, anyway. Anything starting there is sure to be exaggerated. Why, look at that chicken-pox epidemic a few years ago."
"I understand nobody who had been vaccinated got any of the chicken-pox, as you call it."