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CHAPTER 13
SUMMARY
No Doctor to Examine Henry
When Henry arrived at the hospital in Milan, he found that the doctor expected to examine him was not available but the nurses took good care of his wounds. He asked one of the nurses, Mrs. Walker, if Miss Barkley had arrived, but he was informed that by that name there was no one. Henry learned that Miss Van Campen was the hospital superintendent. Another nurse, by the name of Miss Gage, attended upon Henry. She chatted with him asking him his name, how he was wounded etc. and he told her that his legs were full of old iron, that they were full of trench mortar fragments, old screws and bedsprings etc. Later, Miss Van Campen comes in and it is immediately apparent that they dislike each other. He enquires about the Doctor and is rude to her, and she in her turn gives reply in a dry manner, saying that the doctors was not available but that they had telephoned for him in Lake Como. And he was coming soon. Henry is forbidden to drink but he sends for a bottle of wine through a porter and takes a few drinks secretly. He sleeps but wakes up sweating and scared. He can’t fall asleep again. He falls asleep again only after it was really light.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
More Realistic Details
This chapter is merely description of the new surroundings Henry has been put into and apart from the introduction of some new characters, there is hardly any plot development.
However, as before, the details regarding the hospital, the manner in which he is received, the way the nurses care for him and even the way in which Henry bribes the porter to get him some wine are realis. tic. The manner in which he falls asleep, wakes up sweating and scared is also indicative of the troubled mind of sick man.