She seemed harmless enough; but I looked at her, and at Betty, and at the other woman there—a woman who stood, gazing at nothing, pulling her hair before her face—and I thought that, for all I knew, they might be so many maniacs; and here was I, being obliged to make a bed among them. I went to the nurses. I said,
''I won''t stay here. You can''t make me.''
''Can''t we?'' said Nurse Spiller. ''I think we know the law. Your order''s been signed, ain''t it?''◆本◆作◆品◆由◆思◆兔◆網◆提◆供◆線◆上◆閱◆讀◆
''But this is all a mistake!''
Nurse Bacon yawned and rolled her eyes. The dark nurse sighed. ''Come, Maud,'' she said. ''That''s enough.''
''My name ain''t Maud,'' I answered. ''How many times do I have to tell you? It ain''t Maud Rivers!''
She caught Nurse Bacon''s eye. ''Hear that? She will speak like that, by the hour.''
Nurse Bacon put her knuckles to her hips and rubbed them.
''Don''t care to speak nicely?'' she said. Ain''t that a shame! Perhaps she''d like a situation as a nurse. See how she''d like that. Spoil her white little hands, though.''
Still rubbing her own hands against her skirt, she gazed at mine. I gazed with her. My fingers looked like Maud''s. I put them behind my back. I said,
''I only got hands so white through be