Fear and despair
“They were new patients” to the doctor, all he had “was the name, Olson.” They begged him to come “as soon as possible,” for their daughter was “very sick.” When he arrived, the doctor was met by “a big startled looking woman, very clean and apologetic.” They had the child “in the kitchen” where it was “warm” enough for her. The doctor found the child sitting “on her father’s lap near the table.” She was “fully dressed.” This imagery is supposed to evoke a feeling of worry, nervousness, and even fear. It is clear that something is wrong with the child but we don’t know yet what it is exactly.
A child’s secret
Unlike her parents, the little girl seemed to be rather calm. She “did not move” and seemed, “inwardly, quiet.” She was “an unusually attractive little thing.” Her face was “flushed,” and she was “breathing rapidly.” That was the moment when the doctor realized that she had “a high fever.” Her wonderful hair was “magnificent” and “blond.” The child was “one of those picture children often reproduced in advertising leaflets.” The imagery makes readers feel sorry for this poor child. So little, so beautiful, and so sick, she is an embodiment of absolute innocence.
Resolute
The child wasn’t going to give up without a fight. She didn’t want the doctor to look at her throat, for it was her secret. Even when the doctor threatened to open her mouth for her, her expression didn’t “change.” However, her breaths were coming “faster and faster.” Then “the battle began.” The doctor had to get “a throat culture for her own protection.” It was “entirely” up to parents what was going to happen next. The doctor “explained the danger” but he couldn’t make them. The imagery evokes a feeling of nervous anticipation.
