The lady
seeming tired and exhausted, I recommended her to divest herself of
her clothing and retire to bed, which she accordingly did, and soon
fell into a deep sleep. In the afternoon the gentleman returned, and,
having settled the bills, went upstairs to see his wife who was just
then partaking of some light refreshment. He expressed himself well
pleased with our arrangements, and said he would call regularly to
see how his wife progressed.
That night as the nurse was about to retire, she was surprised to
find, under the coverlet of her bed, an enormous rag baby, as large
as a child of two years old, dressed completely, with shoes, bonnet
and veil. Her astonishment can easily be imagined as she held it up
to the light and carefully examined it; then, laughing heartily, she
turned to Mrs. Roberts (my patient) and said:
"My! who could have put this baby in my bed?" On which that lady
replied with evident embarrassment that the baby was a doll
belonging to her niece, and that, imagining the bed to be unoccupied,
she had, in unpacking her trunk, placed it there for the sake of
convenience, and apologized for being so careless. The nurse made no
reply, but, being of a jovial disposition, danced with it into the
other rooms, exclaiming, much to the chagrin of the lady, that she
had found a beautiful baby in her bed.
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