"
But the morning's telegrams were baffling. None came in answer to
Sir Harry, though he had bidden his daughter to telegraph back
instantly; and two hospitals replied that they had no nurses to
spare! This was the first thing Julius heard when he came to the
committee-room. The second was that the only parish nurse had been
found asleep under the influence of the port-wine intended for her
patients, the third that there were five more deaths, one being Mrs.
Gadley, of the 'Three Pigeons,' from diphtheria, and fourteen more
cases of fever were reported. Julius had already been with the
schoolmistress, who was not expected to live through the day. He
had found that Mrs. Duncombe had been up all night with one of the
most miserable families, and only when her unpractised hands had
cared for a little corpse, had been forced home by good Miss Slater
for a little rest. He had also seen poor Mr. Fuller, who was too
weak and wretched to say anything more than 'God help us, Charnock:
you will do what you can;' and when Julius asked for his sanction to
sending for Sisters, he answered, "Anything, anything.
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