A doctor in the next street. He comes down once in three days and gives him medicine.

THE DOCTORS WORD 19 What is his name ?

He had never heard of him.

Someone I dont know, but I wish he had had the goodness to tell me about it. Why, why, couldnt you have sent me word earlier ?

We thought you would be busy and did not wish to trouble you unnecessarily. They were apologetic and miserable. There was hardly any time to be lost.

He took off his coat and opened his bag. He took out an injection tube, the needle sizzled over the stove.

The sick mans wife whimpered in a corner and essayed to ask questions.

Please dont ask questions, snapped the doctor.

He looked at the children who were watching the sterilizer, and said, Send them all away somewhere, except the eldest.

He shot in the drug, sat back in his chair, and gazed on the patients face for over an hour. The patient still remained motionless. The doctors face gleamed with perspiration, and his eyelids drooped with fatigue. The sick mans wife stood in a corner and watched silently. She asked timidly, Doctor, shall I make some coffee for you ?

No, he replied, although he felt famished, having missed his midday meal. He got up and said,

I will be back in a few minutes. Dont disturb him on any account.

He picked up his bag and went to his car. In a quarter of an hour he was back, followed by an a.s.sistant and a nurse. The doctor told the lady of the house, I have to perform an operation.

Why, why ? Why ?

she asked faintly.

I will tell you all that soon. Will you leave your son here to help us, and go over to the next house and stay there till I call you ?

The lady felt giddy and sank down on the floor, ao THE DOCTORS WORD unable to bear the strain. The nurse attended to her and led her out.

At about eight in the evening the patient opened his eyes and stirred slightly in bed. The a.s.sistant was overjoyed. He exclaimed enthusiastically, Sir, he will pull through. The doctor looked at him coldly and whispered :

I would give anything to see him through but, but the heart The pulse has improved, Sir.

Well, well, replied the doctor.

Dont trust it.

It is only a false flash-up, very common in these cases. He ruminated for a while and added, If the pulse will keep up till eight in the morning, it will go on for the next forty years, but I doubt very much if we shall see anything of it at all after two tonight.

He sent away the a.s.sistant and sat beside the patient.

At about eleven the patient opened his eyes and smiled at his friend. He showed a slight improvement, he was able to take in a little food. A great feeling of relief and joy went through the household. They swarmed around the doctor and poured out their grat.i.tude. He sat in his seat beside the bed, gazing sternly at the patients face, hardly showing any signs of hearing what they were saying to him. The sick mans wife asked,

Is he now out of danger ?

Without turning his head the doctor said, Give glucose and brandy every forty minutes ; just a couple ofspoons will do. The lady went away to the kitchen.

She felt restless. She felt she must know the truth whatever it was. Why was the great man so evasive ?

The suspense was unbearable. Perhaps he could not speak so near the patients bed. She beckoned to him from the kitchen doorway. The doctor rose and went THE DOCTORS WORD 21 over. She asked, What about him now ? How is he ?

The doctor bit his lips and replied, looking at the floor, Dont get excited. Unless you must know about it, dont ask now. Her eyes opened wide in terror. She clasped her hands together and implored :

Tell me the truth. The doctor replied, I would rather not talk to you now. He turned round and went back to his chair. A terrible wailing shot through the still house ; the patient stirred and looked about in bewilderment. The doctor got up again, went over to the kitchen door, drew it in securely and shut off the wail.

When the doctor resumed his seat the patient asked in the faintest whisper possible, Is that someone crying ?

The doctor advised,

Dont exert your*

self. You mustnt talk. He felt the pulse. It was already agitated by the exertion. The patient asked, Am I going ? Dont hide it from me. The doctor made a deprecating noise and sat back in his chair.

He had never faced a situation like this. It was not in his nature to whitewash. People attached great value to his word because of that. He stole a look at the other. The patient motioned a finger to draw him nearer and whispered,

I must know how long I am going to last. I must sign the will. It is all ready.

Ask my wife for the despatch box. You must sign as a witness.

Oh !

the doctor exclaimed.

You are exerting yourself too much. You must be quieter. He felt idiotic to be repeating it.

How fine it would be, he reflected,

to drop the whole business and run away somewhere without answering anybody any question !

The patient clutched the doctors wrist with his weak fingers and said,

Ramu, it is my good M THE DOCTORS WORD fortune that you are here at this moment. I can trust your word. I cant leave my property unsettled.

That will mean endless misery for my wife and children.

You know all about Subbiah and his gang. Let me sign before it is too late. Tell me .

Yes, presently, replied the doctor. He walked off to his car, sat in the back seat and reflected. He looked at his watch. Midnight. If the will was to be signed, it must be done within the next two hours, or never. He could not be responsible for a mess there ; he knew too well the family affairs and about those wolves, Subbiah and his gang But what could he do ? If he asked him to sign the Will, it would virtually mean a death sentence and destroy the thousandth part of a chance that the patient had of survival. He got down from the car and went in.

He resumed his seat in the chair. The patient was staring at him appealingly. The doctor said to himself, If my word can save his life, he shall not die.

The will be d.a.m.ned. He called,

Gopal, listen.

This was the first time he was going to do a piece of acting before a patient, simulate a feeling, and conceal his judgment. He stooped over the patient and said with deliberate emphasis, Dont worry about the will now. You are going to live. Your heart is absolutely sound. A new glow suffused the patients face as he heard it. He asked in a tone of relief, Do you say so ? If it comes from your lips it must be true The doctor said,

Qjuite right. You are improving every second. Sleep in peace. You must not exert yourselfon any account. You must sleep very soundly.

I will sec you in the morning. The patient looked at him gratefully for a moment and then dosed his eyes.

THE DOCTORS WORD 23 The doctor picked up his bag and went out shutting the door softly behind him.

On his way home he stopped for a moment at his hospital, called out his a.s.sistant, and said, That Lawley Extension case. You might expect the collapse any second now. Go there with a tube of in hand, and give it in case the struggle is too hard at the end. Hurry up/ Next morning he was back at Lawley Extension at ten. From his car he made a dash for the sick bed.

The patient was awake and looked very well. The a.s.sistant reported satisfactory pulse. The doctor put his tube at his heart, listened for a while, and told the sick mans wife, Dont look so unhappy, lady. Your husband will live to be ninety. When they were going back to the hospital, the a.s.sistant sitting beside him in the car asked,

Is he going to live, sir ?

I will bet on it. He will live to be ninety. He has turned the corner. How he has survived this attack will be a puzzle to me all my life, replied the doctor.

4.

GATEMANS GIFT 1IA7HEN a dozen persons question openly or slyly VV a mans sanity, he begins to entertain serious doubts himself. This is what happened to ex-gateman Govind Singh. And you could not blame the public either. What could you do with a man who carried about in his hand a registered postal cover and asked : Please tell me what there is inside ?

The obvious answer was :

Open it and see He seemed horrified at this suggestion.

Oh, no, no, cant do it, he declared and moved off to another friend and acquaintance. Everywhere the suggestion was the same till he thought everyone had turned mad. And then somebody said :

If you dont like to open it and yet want to know what is inside you must take it to the X-ray Inst.i.tute. This was suggested by an ex-compounder who lived in the next street.

What is it? asked Govind Singh. It was explained to him. Where is it ?

He was directed to the City X-ray Inst.i.tute.

But before saying anything further about his progress, it would be usefiil to go back to an earlier chapter in his history. After war service in 1914-18, he came to be recommended for a gatekeepers post at Engladias. He liked the job very much. He was given a khaki uniform, a resplendent band across his shoulder and a short stick. He gripped the stick and 24 GATEMANS GIFT 25 sat down on a stool at the entrance to the office. And when his chiefs car pulled up at the gate he stood at attention and gave a military salute. The office consisted of a staff numbering over a hundred and as they trooped in and out every day he kept an eye on them. At the end of the day he awaited the footsteps of the General Manager coining down the stairs and rose stiffly and stood at attention, and after he left the hundreds of staff poured out. The doors were shut ; Singh carried his stool in, placed it under the staircase, and placed his stick across it. Then he came out and the main door was locked and sealed. In this way he had spent twentyfive years of service, and then he begged to be pensioned off. He would not have thought of retirement yet, but for the fact that he found his sight and hearing playing tricks on him ; he could not catch the Managers footsteps on the stairs, and it was hard to recognize him even at ten yards. He was ushered into the presence of the chief, who looked up for a moment from his papers and muttered : We are very pleased with your work for us, and the company will give you a pension of twelve rupees for your life Singh clicked his heels, saluted, turned on his heel and went out of the room, with his heart br.i.m.m.i.n.g with grat.i.tude and pride.

This was the second occasion when the great man had spoken to him, the first being on the first day of his service. As he had stood at his post, the chief, entering the office just then, looked up for a moment and asked Who are you ?