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Back The Art of Dying Save as PDF
Chapters (90)
  1. PROLOGUE
  2. 1849
  3. ONE
  4. TWO
  5. EDINBURGH
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. SEVENTY-SEVEN
  81. SEVENTY-EIGHT
  82. SEVENTY-NINE
  83. EIGHTY
  84. EIGHTY-ONE
  85. EPILOGUE
  86. HISTORICAL NOTE
  87. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  88. Extract from A Corruption of Blood
  89. 1850
  90. ONE

logo missinginner that evening was initially a quiet affair: just Raven, the doctor and Mrs Simpson. Raven hoped that now he would be able to discuss his recent experiences and impress upon the professor how much he had progressed. During the afternoon’s consultation, he had become conscious of their adopting familiar roles, of the master and his apprentice. He knew he still had much to learn from Dr Simpson, but nonetheless felt a need to establish his credentials as a medical practitioner in his own right.

He would have to wait, however. As soon as they were seated, discussion immediately turned to household matters. The nursery nurse had sought advice on how best to treat young Jamie’s skin complaint, which had flared up again. Jamie was almost three years old. When last Raven saw him, he was barely weaned.

‘I have asked that his bed be stripped, the sheets boiled, and the mattress aired,’ Mrs Simpson said.

‘Is she still rubbing the skin with olive oil? That should help,’ Dr Simpson suggested. Raven imagined this would primarily make the child more difficult to apprehend if he was wont to run about the house as his older brothers did.

Jarvis entered bearing a decanter and two glasses on a silver tray. Raven, who had been hoping for a drop of the doctor’s claret, was disappointed to see that the liquid in the decanter was translucent.

‘Ah,’ said Dr Simpson, rubbing his hands as Jarvis poured. ‘My special champagne.’

Raven was now intrigued as he accepted a glass of the effervescent beverage. He noticed that Mrs Simpson was not partaking and briefly wondered why.

‘What is special about it?’ Raven asked as he took a sip.

‘It is carbonated water with some chloroform added to it,’ Simpson said.

If Raven had not already swallowed his mouthful of ‘special champagne’ it would have been sprayed across the table. He put his glass down and looked at Simpson hoping this was some kind of joke.

‘Chloroform?’ he asked.

‘Yes. It livens up the dreariest of dinner parties – not that this should be interpreted as a comment on present company.’

Raven dabbed his mouth with a napkin and pushed his glass further from him. ‘If it’s all the same, I think I’ll stick to wine. I have learned altogether too much respect for your special champagne’s active ingredient.’