matter, just as he had in all the others over the past thirty years. But it was not up to Mather Grouse. His wife had insisted. Mrs. Grouse had great faith in physicians in general—Dr. Walters in particular—and she often argued their omniscience with blasphemers like her daughter Anne, who refused to accord them the reverence they deserved. Mrs. Grouse believed that physicians spoke concentrated wisdom, like Jesus in the parables, and one’s duty was to be alive to possible levels of meaning. So, when Dr. Walters intimated that a series of tests might be beneficial, Mrs. Grouse saw to it.
She was convinced, for one thing, that Dr. Walters was concealing the real reason for the tests. He claimed that Mather’s blood pressure had been high during his recent stay in the hospital, explaining that people with pulmonary disorders were especially susceptible to heart attacks. The effort they expended in breathing was greater than the human heart was designed to accommodate. Mrs. Grouse nodded politely when all this wasexplained to her, though, of course, she knew better. What Dr. Walters was really concerned about, she knew, was the damage to her husband’s lungs resulting from her daughter’s negligent use of the inhaler. It said, right there on the label, that frequent use damaged the inner lung. Dr. Walters was too kind to make an issue of Anne’s carelessness. Mrs. Grouse had suggested a mild dressing down, but the doctor had just smiled like an old imbecile and said he didn’t think the damage was permanent. But Mrs. Grouse took as a vindication of her own view his decision to admit Mather Grouse for further tests.
Over the years, Mrs. Grouse’s only complaint with the family physician, who attended their church and was middle-aisle usher, was that he lacked sufficient sternness. Another doctor might have frightened her husband into quitting smoking sooner, whereas Dr. Walters, she suspected, secretly sympathized with her husband’s backsliding. As a result, the entire burden had fallen on her. He never smoked in the house, but she suspected Mather Grouse of lighting up whenever he went outside to work in the garden or walk around the block “for exercise.” Mrs. Grouse faithfully reported her husband’s cheating, hoping that Dr. Walters could be induced to deliver a stiff lecture, but the more she detailed the lengths her husband would go to to sneak a cigarette, the more the old fool would smile and nod at her. And so Mrs. Grouse gradually took to sharing her husband’s previously solitary walks through Choir Park and to poking her head outside every few minutes when he was gardening, to make sure he was all right. Insuring that he was never alone was no easy task, because Mather Grouse was slippery where smoking was concerned, and Mrs. Grouse estimated thatdespite her vigilance, he probably managed at least four cigarettes a day.
All along it was Mrs. Grouse who had looked after her husband’s health, and for that reason she had no intention of allowing her daughter to claim credit for saving his life. They’d exchanged no words on the subject, but clearly Anne felt not even a twinge of remorse. And while her daughter would never dare say so, it was equally clear to Mrs. Grouse that Anne was critical of Mrs. Grouse’s calm, responsible posture in waiting patiently for the ambulance, just as she had been instructed to do. Actually, Mrs. Grouse was a little foggy about what she was told on the telephone when she had called the emergency number. But she was pretty certain that she had not been instructed to do anything and, as anyone could see, that was practically the same as being instructed to do nothing. She was assured that the ambulance would be right there and imagined the vehicle rounding the corner onto their street even as she hung up the phone. And while it took longer than she had anticipated, the white-jacketed medics who threw the oxygen mask over Mather Grouse’s mouth were responsible for
She was convinced, for one thing, that Dr. Walters was concealing the real reason for the tests. He claimed that Mather’s blood pressure had been high during his recent stay in the hospital, explaining that people with pulmonary disorders were especially susceptible to heart attacks. The effort they expended in breathing was greater than the human heart was designed to accommodate. Mrs. Grouse nodded politely when all this wasexplained to her, though, of course, she knew better. What Dr. Walters was really concerned about, she knew, was the damage to her husband’s lungs resulting from her daughter’s negligent use of the inhaler. It said, right there on the label, that frequent use damaged the inner lung. Dr. Walters was too kind to make an issue of Anne’s carelessness. Mrs. Grouse had suggested a mild dressing down, but the doctor had just smiled like an old imbecile and said he didn’t think the damage was permanent. But Mrs. Grouse took as a vindication of her own view his decision to admit Mather Grouse for further tests.
Over the years, Mrs. Grouse’s only complaint with the family physician, who attended their church and was middle-aisle usher, was that he lacked sufficient sternness. Another doctor might have frightened her husband into quitting smoking sooner, whereas Dr. Walters, she suspected, secretly sympathized with her husband’s backsliding. As a result, the entire burden had fallen on her. He never smoked in the house, but she suspected Mather Grouse of lighting up whenever he went outside to work in the garden or walk around the block “for exercise.” Mrs. Grouse faithfully reported her husband’s cheating, hoping that Dr. Walters could be induced to deliver a stiff lecture, but the more she detailed the lengths her husband would go to to sneak a cigarette, the more the old fool would smile and nod at her. And so Mrs. Grouse gradually took to sharing her husband’s previously solitary walks through Choir Park and to poking her head outside every few minutes when he was gardening, to make sure he was all right. Insuring that he was never alone was no easy task, because Mather Grouse was slippery where smoking was concerned, and Mrs. Grouse estimated thatdespite her vigilance, he probably managed at least four cigarettes a day.
All along it was Mrs. Grouse who had looked after her husband’s health, and for that reason she had no intention of allowing her daughter to claim credit for saving his life. They’d exchanged no words on the subject, but clearly Anne felt not even a twinge of remorse. And while her daughter would never dare say so, it was equally clear to Mrs. Grouse that Anne was critical of Mrs. Grouse’s calm, responsible posture in waiting patiently for the ambulance, just as she had been instructed to do. Actually, Mrs. Grouse was a little foggy about what she was told on the telephone when she had called the emergency number. But she was pretty certain that she had not been instructed to do anything and, as anyone could see, that was practically the same as being instructed to do nothing. She was assured that the ambulance would be right there and imagined the vehicle rounding the corner onto their street even as she hung up the phone. And while it took longer than she had anticipated, the white-jacketed medics who threw the oxygen mask over Mather Grouse’s mouth were responsible for
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