| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, Valence, to her relatives, wishing a happy birthday to her mother; hoping to be able to write more frequently now that she has a little more spare time; good weather; decreasing numbers mean that she has been able to go to church and have a rest afterwards; she wonders if it will lead to the annexe closing, or still being held open; Captain Fonsagrive and others are to leave soon, perhaps including Captain Dobinson; summary of the condition of his foot; Captain Fonsagrive was in a Delbet plaster on his leg 'which permits of walking a few days after the fracture takes place. The Paris surgeon (Delbet) has made the system popular, but it needs to be under the care of those who know how to watch over the limb'; full description of the plaster; it was suitable for his fracture because the crack was so near the ankle and if immobilised, the ankle would have stiffened: in other cases full plaster of Paris is better; his interest in his own treatment; he has travelled in Africa and Indo-China and she has enjoyed their conversations; he has missed promotions through wounds; he has read widely in Darwin and Wells and is a convinced sceptic; his conflict of faith; she has given him a Testament brought from Rome and he has been reading with enthusiasm and putting questions to her; questions of belief and prayer; he has been watching her attitude to her work and conditions and wants to know her reasoning behind it; the atmosphere in the annexe is still strange and Mme. Soureillat is still barely speaking to her; Mme. Soureillat has taken on a delicate massage case which she is not qualified to tackle; the patient is Jaussaud, a 'fragile type of clerk' who needs general massage at present, his leg not being fit yet to be treated with anything more than very delicate work; the administration, she hears, has a high regard for her. |