Sister MG tried (perhaps unwisely) to remove the bag, which split, sending the tangerines rolling onto the floor. M called her an awful name. Sister MG departed in high dudgeon, saying that M wouldn’t be able to peel them herself with her bandaged hands, and surely no one else would help her when she was so selfish, ungrateful and foul-mouthed.

The tangerines were still on the floor when Sister Phil came on duty, so she returned them to M’s bedside.

July 13

Overnight the tangerines have been eaten. G must have peeled them. I expect they shared them when the other two were asleep. Such an unlikely friendship.

M soiled herself—deliberately, no doubt—to punish Sister MG, who had to clean her up. Later, M complained that Sister MG had handled her roughly; the two are now sworn enemies. It is a bad business.

July 17

B has complained that she is kept awake at night by M and G whispering together. I suspect she feels excluded, poor thing. When I spoke to M and G separately about it, G immediately apologized. M denied it and accused B of making trouble. She would start a mutiny from her bed if she could.

B tried to enlist the support of K, but K, at the far end of the room, says she is not aware of any noise from the other beds. Perhaps the mechanical wheeze of the iron lung masks the noise, or perhaps she was just being diplomatic.

August 20

I have had to have stern words with Sister Phil. It has come to light that she has been less than vigilant in administering the evening doses of painkillers and sleeping tablets. M and G have apparently hoarded them for three days and then taken a triple dose.

When challenged, M explained that it was an attempt to guarantee a deep and painless sleep. On the pill-free nights they distracted each other by whispering through the night. It is a wretched story and my heart goes out to them in their pain, but M is a devil to take a risk like this. I don’t believe G is the author of this reckless scheme—she is led along by M.

September 28

G was discharged today. You would hardly recognize her as the same girl who was brought in all those months ago in a wheelchair, so pale and pinched with pain. She left on foot, walking with two sticks, and made a point of thanking all the sisters individually. She is a sweet girl and a favorite with everyone. Her mother had tears in her eyes when she saw how improved she is.

September 30

M has been inconsolable without her friend. B tries to engage her in conversation, now that G is out of the way and she is not outnumbered. But M stubbornly feigns sleep or shouts across her to K. It is a curious thing—I have often observed that the arrival of someone new or the departure of someone established disturbs the equilibrium on a ward, even when that person is herself unassuming and compliant.