She nearly leaped from her bath as a bell began its maniacal yelling not a dozen yards from where she lay. That settled it. She sat up and soaped herself. Not a minute later than the 2.41 from Larborough, not one minute later.
As the bell-presumably a five-minute warning before the gong at eight o'clock-died into silence, there was a wild rush in the corridor, the two doors to her left were flung open, and as the water cascaded into the baths a high familiar voice was heard shrieking: "Oh, darling, I'm going to be so late for breakfast, but I'm in a muck sweat, my dear. I know I should have sat down quietly and done the composition of plasma, of which I know ab solutely noth -ing, my dear, and Final Phys. is on Tuesday. But it is such a lovely morning-Now what have I done with my soap?"
Lucy's jaw slowly dropped as it was borne in upon her that in a community which began the day at half-past five and ended it at eight in the evening, there were still individuals who had the vitality to work themselves into a muck sweat when they need not.
"Oh, Donnie, darling, I've left my soap behind. Do throw me over yours!"
"You'll have to wait till I've soaped myself," said a placid voice that was in marked contrast to Dakers' high emphasis.
"Well, my angel, do be quick. I've been late twice this week, and Miss Hodge looked dis tinct ly odd the last time. I say, Donnie, you couldn't by any chance take my 'adipose' patient at twelve o'clock clinic, could you?"
"No, I couldn't."
"She really isn't so heavy as she looks, you know. You have only to-"
"I have a patient of my own."
"Yes, but only the little boy with the ankle. Lucas could take him along with her 'tortis colli' girl-"