"On the contrary, neat and quiet."

"You've made a mistake," said Sally decidedly. "She can't have been
like that. I shall have to look into this. It does seem hard that I
can't go away for a few weeks without all my friends taking to beds of
sickness and all my brothers getting ensnared by vampires."

A knock at the door interrupted her complaint. Mrs. Meecher entered,
ushering in a pleasant little man with spectacles and black bag.

"The doctor to see you, Mr. Faucitt." Mrs. Meecher cast an appraising
eye at the invalid, as if to detect symptoms of approaching
discoloration. "I've been telling him that what I think you've gotten is
this here new Spanish influenza. Two more deaths there were in the paper
this morning, if you can believe what you see..."

"I wonder," said the doctor, "if you would mind going and bringing me a
small glass of water?"

"Why, sure."

"Not a large glass--a small glass. Just let the tap run for a few
moments and take care not to spill any as you come up the stairs. I
always ask ladies, like our friend who has just gone," he added as the
door closed, "to bring me a glass of water. It keeps them amused and
interested and gets them out of the way, and they think I am going to do
a conjuring trick with it. As a matter of fact, I'm going to drink it.
Now let's have a look at you."

The examination did not take long. At the end of it the doctor seemed