He tapped at his chin.
''For you,'' he said, ''are Susan Smith, or Trinder.''
I quivered again. ''Sir, I am!''
He was silent. I thought, That''s it! and almost swooned, with relief. Then he turned to Dr Graves and shook his head.
''Quite complete,'' he said. ''Isn''t it? I don''t believe I ever saw a case so pure. The delusion extending even to the exercise of the motor faculties. It''s there we will break her. We must study on this,
until our course of treatment is decided. Mrs Rivers, my pencil if you please. Ladies, good-day.''
He plucked the pencil from between my fingers, and turned, and left us. Dr Graves and Nurse Spiller went with him, and Nurse Bacon locked the door at their backs. I saw her turn the key, and it was just as if she had struck me or knocked me down: I fell upon my bed and broke out crying. She gave a tut—but they were too used to tears in that house, it was nothing to see a woman sitting at dinner, weeping into her soup, or walking about the garden crying her head off. Her tut turned into a yawn. She looked me over, then looked away. She sat in her chair and rubbed her hands, and winced. ''You think you''ve torments,'' she said, to me or to all of us. ''Have these knuckles for an hour—have these thumbs. Here''s torments, with mustard on. Here''s torments, with whips. Oh! Oh! God bless me, I think I shall die! Come, Betty, be a good girl to your poor old nurse. Fetch out my ointment, will you?''░本░作░品░由░思░兔░在░線░閱░讀░網░友░整░理░上░傳░