Philip Van Doren Stern (ed) (263 page)

"Is
it
a
boy
or
a
girl?"

"Here
now!"
cried
Doctor
Keene
in
a
perfect
passion
of
irritation, "I'll
ask
you
to
go
and
see
for
yourself.
Outrageous!"
He
snapped the
last
word
out
in
almost
one
syllable,
then
he
turned
away muttering:
"Do
you
imagine
a
case
like
this
will
help
my
professional reputation?
One
more
would
ruin
me—ruin
anybody."

"What's
the
matter?"
demanded
Mr.
Button,
appalled.
"Triplets?"

"No,
not
triplets!"
answered
the
doctor
cuttingly.
"What's
more, you
can
go
and
see
for
yourself.
And
get
another
doctor.
I
brought you
into
the
world,
young
man,
and
I've
been
physician
to
your family
for
forty
years,
but
I'm
through
with
you!
I
don't
want
to see
you
or
any
of
your
relatives
ever
again!
Good-by!"

Then
he
turned
sharply,
and
without
another
word
climbed
into his
phaeton,
which
was
waiting
at
the
curbstone,
and
drove
severely away.

Mr.
Button
stood
there
upon
the
sidewalk,
stupefied
and
trembling from
head
to
foot.
What
horrible
mishap
had
occurred?
He
had suddenly
lost
all
desire
to
go
into
the
Maryland
Private
Hospital for
Ladies
and
Gentlemen—it
was
with
the
greatest
difficulty
that, a
moment
later,
he
forced
himself
to
mount
the
steps
and
enter the
front
door.

A
nurse
was
sitting
behind
a
desk
in
the
opaque
gloom
of
the hall.
Swallowing
his
shame,
Mr.
Button
approached
her. "Good
morning,"
she
remarked,
looking
at
him
pleasantly. "Good
morning.
I—
I
am
Mr.
Button."

At
this
a
look
of
utter
terror
spread
itself
over
the
girl's
face.
She rose
to
her
feet
and
seemed
about
to
fly
from
the
hall,
restraining herself
only
with
the
most
apparent
difficulty.

"I
want
to
see
my
child,"
said
Mr.
Button.

The
nurse
gave
a
little
scream.
"Oh—of
course!"
she
cried
hysterically.
"Upstairs.
Right
upstairs.
Go—up.'"

She
pointed
the
direction,
and
Mr.
Button,
bathed
in
a
cool
perspiration,
turned
falteringly,
and
began
to
mount
to
the
second
floor.
In
the
upper
hall
he
addressed
another
nurse
who
approached
him,
basin
in
hand.
"I'm
Mr.
Button,"
he
managed
to
articulate.
"I
want
to
see
my
------
"

Clank!
The
basin
clattered
to
the
floor
and
rolled
in
the
direction of
the
stairs.
Clank!
Clank!
It
began
a
methodical
descent
as
if
sharing
in
the
general
terror
which
this
gentleman
provoked.

"I
want
to
see
my
child!"
Mr.
Button
almost
shrieked.
He
was on
the
verge
of
collapse.

Clank!
The
basin
had
reached
the
first
floor.
The
nurse
regained control
of
herself,
and
threw
Mr.
Button
a
look
of
hearty
contempt.

"All
right,
Mr.
Button,"
she
agreed
in
a
hushed
voice.
"Very
well.'
But
if
you
knew
what
state
it's
put
us
all
in
this
morning!
It's
perfectly
outrageous!
The
hospital
will
never
have
the
ghost
of
a
reputation
after
-----
"