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Why
the
founders
of
St
.
Merryn
’
s
Hospital
chose
to
erect
their
institution
at
a
main
-
road
crossing
upon
avaluable
office
site
,
and
thus
expose
their
patients
’
nerves
to
constant
laceration
,
is
a
foible
that
I
neverproperly
understood
.
But
for
those
fortunate
enough
to
be
suffering
from
complaints
unaffected
by
thewear
and
tear
of
continuous
traffic
,
it
did
have
the
advantage
that
one
could
lie
abed
and
still
not
be
outof
touch
,
so
to
speak
,
with
the
flow
of
life
.
Customarily
the
west
-
bound
busses
thundered
along
trying
tobeat
the
lights
at
the
corner
;
as
often
as
not
a
pig
-
squeal
of
brakes
and
a
salvo
of
shots
from
the
silencerwould
tell
that
they
hadn
’
t
.
Then
the
released
cross
traffic
would
rev
and
roar
as
it
started
up
the
incline
.
And
every
now
and
then
there
would
be
an
interlude
:
a
good
grinding
bump
,
followed
by
a
generalstoppage
-
exceedingly
tantalizing
to
one
in
my
condition
,
where
the
extent
of
the
contretemps
had
to
bejudged
entirely
by
the
degree
of
profanity
resulting
.
Certainly
,
neither
by
day
nor
during
most
of
the
night
,
was
there
any
chance
of
a
St
.
Merryn
patient
being
under
the
impression
that
the
common
round
hadstopped
just
because
he
,
personally
,
was
on
the
shelf
for
the
moment
.
But
this
morning
was
different
.
Disturbingly
,
because
mysteriously
,
different
.
No
wheels
rumbled
,
no
busses
roared
,
no
sound
of
a
car
of
any
kind
,
in
fact
,
was
to
be
heard
;
no
brakes
,
no
horns
,
not
even
the
clopping
of
the
few
rare
horses
that
still
occasionallypassed
;
nor
,
as
there
should
be
at
such
an
hour
,
the
composite
tramp
of
work
-
bound
feet
.
The
more
I
listened
,
the
queerer
it
seemed
-
and
the
less
I
cared
for
it
.
In
what
I
reckoned
to
be
tenminutes
of
careful
listening
I
heard
five
sets
of
shuffling
,
hesitating
footsteps
,
three
voices
bawlingunintelligibly
in
the
distance
,
and
the
hysterical
sobs
of
a
woman
.
There
was
not
the
cooing
of
a
pigeon
,
not
the
chirp
of
a
sparrow
.
Nothing
but
the
humming
of
wires
in
the
wind
.
A
nasty
,
empty
feeling
began
to
crawl
up
inside
me
.
It
was
the
same
sensation
I
used
to
have
sometimesas
a
child
when
I
got
to
fancying
that
horrors
were
lurking
in
the
shadowy
corners
of
the
bedroom
;
whenI
daren
’
t
put
a
foot
out
for
fear
that
something
should
reach
from
under
the
bed
and
grab
my
ankle
;
daren
’
t
even
reach
for
the
switch
lest
the
movement
should
cause
something
to
leap
at
me
.
I
had
to
fightdown
the
feeling
,
just
as
I
had
had
to
when
I
was
a
kid
in
the
dark
.
And
it
was
no
easier
.
It
’
s
surprisinghow
much
you
don
’
t
grow
out
of
when
it
comes
to
the
test
.
The
elemental
fears
were
still
marching
alongwith
me
,
waiting
their
chance
,
and
pretty
nearly
getting
it
-
just
because
my
eyes
were
bandaged
and
thetraffic
had
stopped
.
When
I
had
pulled
myself
together
a
bit
,
I
tried
the
reasonable
approach
.
Why
does
traffic
stop
?
Well
,
usually
because
the
road
is
closed
for
repairs
.
Perfectly
simple
.
Any
time
now
they
’
d
be
along
withpneumatic
drills
as
another
touch
of
aural
variety
for
the
long
-
suffering
patients
.
But
the
trouble
with
thereasonable
line
was
that
it
went
further
.
It
pointed
out
that
there
was
not
even
the
distant
hum
of
traffic
,
not
the
whistle
of
a
train
,
not
the
hoot
of
a
tugboat
.
Just
nothing
-
until
the
clocks
began
chiming
aquarterpast
eight
.
The
temptation
to
take
a
peep
-
not
more
than
a
peep
,
of
course
;
just
enough
to
get
some
idea
of
what
onearth
could
be
happening
-
was
immense
.
But
I
restrained
it
.
For
one
thing
,
a
peep
was
a
far
less
simplematter
than
it
sounded
.
It
wasn
’
t
just
a
case
of
lifting
a
blindfold
:
there
were
a
lot
of
pads
and
bandages
.
But
,
more
important
,
I
was
scared
to
try
.
Over
a
week
’
s
complete
blindness
can
do
a
lot
to
frighten
youout
of
taking
chances
with
your
sight
.
It
was
true
that
they
intended
to
remove
the
bandages
today
,
butthat
would
be
done
in
a
special
dim
light
,
and
they
would
allow
them
to
stay
off
only
if
the
inspection
ofmy
eyes
were
satisfactory
.
I
did
not
know
whether
it
would
be
.
It
might
be
that
my
sight
was
permanently
impaired
.
Or
that
I
wouldnot
be
able
to
see
at
all
.
I
did
not
know
yet
.
I
swore
and
laid
hold
of
the
bell
push
again
.
It
helped
to
relieve
my
feelings
a
bit
.
