Edith Wharton

The Fruit of the Tree Edith Wharton

IN the surgical ward of the Hope Hospital at Hanaford, a nurse was bending over ayoung man whose bandaged right hand and arm lay stretched along the bed. His head stirred uneasily, and slipping her arm behind him she effected aprofessional readjustment of the pillows. "Is that better?"As she leaned over, he lifted his anxious bewildered eyes, deep-sunk under ridgesof suffering. "I don't s'pose there's any kind of a show for me, is there?" he asked, pointing with his free hand-the stained seamed hand of the mechanic-to the inertbundle on the quilt. Her only immediate answer was to wipe the dampness from his forehead; then shesaid: "We'll talk about that to-morrow.""Why not now?""Because Dr. Disbrow can't tell till the inflammation goes down.""Will it go down by to-morrow?""It will begin to, if you don't excite yourself and keep up the fever.""Excite myself? I-there's four of 'em at home--""Well, then there are four reasons for keeping quiet," she rejoine