had inflammation of the lungs,â Mrs. Lewis said. âWe sliced an onion in two and let sugar seep in, and then squeezed the juice for him to drink.â
âAn old-fashioned remedy,â the doctor said, âwhich will make the patient no worse. I advise letting Miss Stuart sit for a half hour with her feet and legs in warm water, and have her drink some warm sweating teas with bloodroot or sage added. Then, place a blanket about her shoulders, after removing her clothes, and boil a quantity of bitter herbs in a large pot or kettle. The blanket confines the steam rising from the herbs and hot water and allows it to come in contact with the body as high as the neck. Continue this treatment for another half hour, occasionally throwing into the vessel a hot brick or rock to raise the steam.â
âShould we use a mustard plaster?â Mrs. Lewis wanted to know.
âOnly if she shows no improvement. If you do, place the compress on her chest for as long as the young lady can bear it. And keep her warm with hot bricks about the body while sheâs in bed, or put boiled corn in her ears.â
The doctor snapped his bag shut. âThis is a mild case,â he said. âMiss Stuart, if she feels well enough, can get out of bed tomorrow. But in no case is she to travel during the next week.â
Kathleen sighed with relief. The doctor was prescribing exactly what Clarissa had hoped. Could Edward Allen have persuaded him? If so, how had he accomplished it?
âQuite an inconvenience to me, my coming here,â the doctor said to Mrs. Lewis. âIn these cases I charge double my usual fee. That will be one dollar,â he added in a low, apologetic voice. Mrs. Lewis brought forth a purse and handed him a bill.
âAnd,â the doctor said from the doorway, âif either of you charming ladies should chance upon the March 1869 issue of the Medical-Surgical Journal , pages thirty-eight through forty-five, you might be interested in perusing my article on the salubrious effects of railroad travel.â
âRailroad travel?â they asked almost in unison.
âYes. I point out that the velocity with which a train moves through the air is very refreshing where the run is for some miles. The vibratory, or rather oscillatory motion communicated to the human frame is very different from the swinging and jolting motions of the stagecoach, and is productive of more salutary effects. It equalizes the circulation, promotes digestion, tranquilizes the nerves, and often causes sound sleep during the succeeding night. In my humble opinion, the railroad bids fair to be a powerful remedial agent for many ailments to which metropolitan inhabitants are subject.â
Doctor Gunn was standing by the door with the open-mouthed Mrs. Lewis to one side. Did Kathleen see him wink at her? No, she must be mistaken. He held his hat aloft and bowed and was gone.
âMy,â Mrs. Lewis said, âhe seems a very learned gentleman. Iâll make sure his advice is followed.â
âHe reminds me of someone,â Kathleen said. âA picture in a book I once read, I think. An author, not a doctor, though. Someone else. I canât remember.â
Mrs. Lewis held the curtain aside and again Kathleen could see the giant elm. âAh, poor Mr. Charles,â Mrs. Lewis said, shaking her head. âWalking across the lawn, with your aunt, hands behind his back, head down, like a great sadness is upon him. If only I could help. If only heâd let me.â
Mrs. Lewisâs curls were like those of a young girl, Kathleen thought, yet when she turned from the window the harsh light of midday exposed the folds and wrinkles in her neck and the web of lines around her eyes. The contrast between the hair and the face made her seem even older than she was.
âIâm sorry,â Kathleen said, not sure whether she referred to the Captain or to Mrs. Lewis herself.
âSorry? Being sorry does