u! You can take the shawl off, nurse."

The woman lay back upon the water-proofed pillow, and her murderous
tumour lay revealed. In itself it was a pretty thing--ivory white,
with a mesh of blue veins, and curving gently from jaw to chest. But
the lean, yellow face and the stringy throat were in horrible contrast
with the plumpness and sleekness of this monstrous growth. The surgeon
placed a hand on each side of it and pressed it slowly backwards and
forwards.

"Adherent at one place, gentlemen," he cried. "The growth involves the
carotids and jugulars, and passes behind the ramus of the jaw, whither
we must be prepared to follow it. It is impossible to say how deep our
dissection may carry us. Carbolic tray. Thank you! Dressings of
carbolic gauze, if you please! Push the chloroform, Mr. Johnson. Have
the small saw ready in case it is necessary to remove the jaw."

The patient was moaning gently under the towel which had been placed
over her face. She tried to raise her arms and to draw up her knees,
but two dressers restrained her. The heavy air was full of the
penetrating smells of carbolic acid and of chloroform. A muffled cry
came from under the towel, and then a snatch of a song, sung in a high,
quavering, monotonous voice:

"He says, says he,
If you fly with me
You'll be mistress of the ice-cream van.
You'll be mistress of the----"

It mumbled off into a drone and stopped. The surgeon came across,
still rubbing his hands, and spoke to an elderly man in front of the
novice.

"Narrow squeak for the Government," he said.

"Oh, ten is enough."

"They won't have ten long. They'd do better to resign before they are
driven to it."

"Oh, I should fight it out."

"What's the use. They can't get past the committee even if they got a
vote in the House. I was talking to----"

"Patient's ready, sir," said the dresser.

"Talking to McDonald--but I'll tell you about it presently." He walked
back to the patient, who was breathing in long, heavy gasps. "I
propose," said he, passing his hand over the tumour in an almost
caressing fashion, "to make a free incision over the posterior border,
and to take another forward at right angles to the lower end of it.
Might I trouble you for a medium knife, Mr. Johnson?"

The novice, with eyes which were dilating with horror, saw the surgeon
pick up the long, gleaming knife, dip it into a tin basin, and balance
it in his fingers as an artist might