Secret for a Nightingale (29 page)

“Something ought to be done. I think it would do the patients a lot of good. My criticism of Kaiserwald is that there is not enough jollity.”

“You’d better try telling that to H.D.,” said Henrietta.

H.

D.

was the Head Deaconess.

“I might well do that.”

“Have a care. You’ll be sent off with a flea in your ear,”

I asked for a meeting with the Head Deaconess an audience, Henrietta called it. It was granted to me with a show of graciousness. I did detect in the lady’s manner a certain respect for me which Henrietta had failed to arouse in her.

I was told to sit, which I did. She herself was seated at a desk with papers before her which from time to time she touched, as though to remind me that the time she could give me was limited.

I came straight to the point.

“It will soon be Christmas. I was wondering what arrangements there were for Christmas Day.”

“We shall sing Christmas hymns and have special prayers.”

“Will there be no celebrations?”

“I don’t understand you. Miss Pleydell.”

“Well, a Christmas tree, for instance.”

She stared at me disbelievingly and I went on: “I thought we might have two … one at each end of the ward, and the curtain which divides the men from the women could be drawn back so that we are all together in one big room. I thought we should have a little gift for everyone. It wouldn’t be much, of course … just a trifle. They could be on the trees and we could distribute them.”

She had let me go on for so long because she was stunned into silence.

I realized that my temerity was unheard of. No one talked like that to the Head Deaconess. No one dared to attempt to introduce new methods into the Kaiserwald.

She lifted her finger to stop me.

“Miss Pleydell, I think you have not been here long enough to know our ways. These people are sick … some of them very sick …”

“I think it would do those good who are well enough to have a little light entertainment, a little relief. Their days must seem long and they are bored, which makes them listless without any great desire to live. If they could be amused, entertained, their spirits would rise.”

“We are not here to deal with their spirits. Miss Pleydell. We are here to heal their bodies.”

“Sometimes one is dependent on the other.”

“Are you telling me that you know how to run a hospital better than

I?

”

“No. I am not. But I am saying that outsiders can sometimes put up useful suggestions.”

“There is no sense in this idea. We need all the money we can get.

There are many sensible things we could do with it. “

“This is sensible. I believe that to lighten the spirits helps to heal the body.”

“And suppose I agreed to your preposterous suggestion?

Where should we find the money to buy these er trifles. There are about a hundred patients, you know. “

“I do know it. I am sure that we should be presented with the trees.

The people here think highly of the hospital. “

“And how do you know that?”

“Because I have talked to them. I know some of them well enough to be sure that they would do what they could for a cause like this.”

“And the trifles?”

“I shall buy those. Miss Marlington will want to help. There is a pedlar here who could get them for us. Little things … handkerchiefs ornaments … something for them to have to make it a special day.”

“It is a special day. It celebrates the birth of Christ. We shall sing the Christmas hymns. I shall make sure that they are reminded of the significance of Christmas.”

“But the birth of Christ should be a matter for rejoicing. It should be a happy day. I believe we should see an improvement in our patients. There would be the anticipation … and the day itself. I think that making people happy, making them laugh, making them enjoy life is also good for their health.”

“And I think. Miss Pleydell, that you are wasting my time and yours.”

That was dismissal.

There was nothing I could do but retire.

A few days later the Head Deaconess sent for me.

“Sit down. Miss Pleydell,” she said.

I did so, wondering whether she was going to ask me to leave. I believed my suggestion had shocked her. She was a deeply religious woman of strong and noble character but entirely without humour. I was well aware that often such people are lacking in human understanding.

I think she believed that everyone should accept her own high moral code, and that did not include the sort of frivolity which I had proposed to introduce into her hospital.

Her next words astonished me.

“I have been thinking about your ideas, Miss Pleydell. You have a certain talent for nursing. I have noticed this. But you do not always adhere to our methods.”

Oh dear, I thought. It is coming.

“You have the making of a good nurse. You believe, of course, that your proposed entertainment will be good for the patients. You would be ready to uphold this with financial support. You are fortunate to be in a position to be able to do that.” A faint smile turned up the corners other mouth. I was amazed. It was the first time I had seen her face contorted into anything like a smile.

“Your friend Miss Marlington does not have your skills in this profession, I’m afraid.

But she is cheerful, and willing. I believe the patients like her. I have spoken to Dr. Bruckner and Dr. Kratz and they think that your proposed action would have no ill effects on the patients. Miss Pleydell, I am going to allow you to try your experiment. We shall see how many of the patients are better for your Christmas Day arrangements; and also we shall see if it affects any of them adversely. “

“I cannot believe it will do that.”

“We shall see. I shall have nothing to do with this. It will be entirely your affair. You will get the trees … and the trifles from your own pocket. You will set it all up and you may recruit help from the other nurses if they agree. It is entirely in your hands. It will be to your credit or blame.”

“Oh, thank you,” I cried.

She waved her hand and again I saw that contortion of her features. I fancied she looked at me with something near affection. I was elated.

I went to find Henrietta who was wildly excited by the scheme. We planned how we would do it. We would seek out the pedlar. The fair was still in progress and he had a stall there. We would go and see him the next day, and we would tell the woodcutter to get us two trees the biggest and best he could find. He could cut them a week before Christmas so that they would be fine and fresh.

“Now,” I said, ‘we have to find Klaus the Pedlar. Tomorrow we will go to the fair. “

We were amazed at the response from our fellow nurses. Most of them wanted to help and it was only a few of the older ones who thought there was something sinful about enjoyment. There were always some ready to take over our dudes so that we could have a little time now and then to throw ourselves into preparations.

The patients had been told that there was to be a Christmas tree on the great day and I was elated to see that many of them were excited by the prospect and there was no doubt that they were looking forward to Christmas Day. Those who were well enough talked to each other about it; it was only the very sick who were indifferent.

I was sure that we should find the pedlar at the fair. It was to be over on November 30th so we had to find him quickly.

The fair was held in a field close to the little town. As Henrietta and I walked over there we heard the sound of fiddles. The booths with their garish blues and reds made a splash of colour against the green of the trees. As we approached we saw young girls in local costume with pointed caps and a great many petticoats under skirts which flared out and showed the frothy whiteness underneath. The men had leather breeches and three-cornered hats decorated with feathers. I thought they looked very merry. In the square a group of young people were dancing to the tune of two fiddles. I wished I could have taken them to the hospital to amuse the patients. We stood and watched for a while and threw some coins into the box which had been put on the paving stones that passers-by might express their appreciation.

We wended our way through the stalls which were laden with goods for sale; there were saddlery, articles of clothing shoes, boots, dresses vegetables, eggs and cheese, fairings, cloth and jewellery of all kinds.

I asked if Klaus the pedlar was here and we were directed to his stall.

There he was, perched on a wooden box, haranguing passers-by, flattering the women one moment and the next telling them how foolish they were not to recognize the out standing value of the goods he was offering for sale.

“Chances of a lifetime!” he was shouting.

“Come on, ladies. What are you thinking oP Are you going to let an opportunity like this slip by?

Now you, my pretty, a nice piece of velvet for a gown . soft and clinging. With a figure like yours, you owe it to it. Yes, you do, lady. “

The woman was beguiled. She was fingering the velvet. Then he caught sight of us.

“Welcome, ladies. Come a-buying! English ladies. They know a good thing when they see it.”

“See to that lady, Klaus,” I said.

“Then we want to talk.”

He sold the dress length and then he turned to us.

“I want your advice about items with which to dress Christmas trees,” I said.

“You’ve come to the right man, my lovely. Everything you want Klaus has got. All you have to do is take a look. Now what would you like?

You whisper to me, and I’ll tell you this. If Klaus hasn’t got it, he’ll get it. “

“It’s for the hospital,” I said.

He looked at me suspiciously.

“You wanting for free?” he asked.

“No, no. We’re going to pay for it. We shall want about a hundred modest little gifts.”

“A hundred!” he cried.

“That’s big business. We’ll talk but not in the street here. No, this is done over a table. That’s how big business is done.”

He put his fingers to his nose, I presume to denote under standing between two shrewd business associates.

“Here, Jacob,” he cried. A young man, little more than a boy, came running up.

“Take charge. I’m going to talk business.”

He led us across the square to a patch of green before the inn. During the warm weather there would be tables here, but the Biergarten was not used in the winter. We went inside and Klaus called for beer. It was brought in tankards and he leaned his arms on the table regarding us.

I told him briefly what we planned. He suggested fancy handkerchiefs for the women, all different colours, embroidered and not all the same; strings of beads, ornaments, little bowls in pretty colours, pictures of the forest in summer and in winter with snow; little figures, jugglers with bells on their ankles, fans. For the men plain handkerchiefs . big ones, puzzles . He’d think of other things.

I said: “I can see you have the idea. We must have them a good two weeks before Christmas.”

There’s no hardship about that,” said Klaus.

“I’ll bring them next visit. I’ll have them all ready for you.”

“Can we trust you to do that?” asked Henrietta.

He looked at her with the utmost reproach.

“Of course you can trust Klaus. If I say I’ll bring something it’s as good as there. How would I do business otherwise? I’m in this place often twice a month. I never fail. If I say I’ll bring something, that something’s brought.”

“I am sure we can trust you, Klaus. Particularly as you know those poor sick people in the hospital are relying on you. If you did not come with the gifts it would be a terrible disappointment. We have the trees coming. You see how important it is.”

‘you have my word on it, ladies. Now, well do a few calculations. How many men? How many women? Let’s work it out, shall we? “

So we sat there drinking our beer and laughing at Klaus, who was clearly delighted with such a large order but a little fearful about the payment, until I told him that Henrietta and I would pay.

“You ladies must forgive me mentioning such a vulgar thing as payment, but I’m a poor man with his way to make.”

“Of course we must discuss payment,” I said.

“Would you like something on account?”

“Mein Gott!” he cried.

“It’s a pleasure to do business with such ladies. Rest assured you shall have your fairings on the dot, and if it wasn’t for the fact that you’re so far above me, I’d be head over heels in love with the both of you.”

We began to realize that we had spent far too long at the

fair, but we had achieved our aim; and we knew that having left a deposit with Klaus we could be sure that he would deliver the goods we needed.

When we returned to the hospital we were told that the Head Deaconess was asking for us and that we were to go to her at once.

Henrietta grimaced.

“We shall be told that we are spending too much time on this. You’ll see. I am sure H.D. doesn’t really like the idea and is hoping it will be a failure.”

“I don’t think so. I think if she finds it really does the patients good she will be pleased.”

“Well, I wonder what she wants now.”

“We had better go and see without delay.”

She was seated behind her desk. She nodded to us as we entered and begged us to be seated.

“From time to time we have visitors to the hospital,” she began.

“They are important people, mostly doctors. Next week we shall have such a visitor very highly thought of, as are all our visitors. It is a doctor from England. Few of us here have a command of the English language and often that has proved a barrier. I wish you two to talk with our visitor, to tell him what he wants to know, if it is in your power to do so. My English, as you know, is not without its imperfections. I shall expect you to be as helpful as you can to Dr. Fenwick.”

“We shall be delighted,” I said.

Henrietta added: “It will be a pleasure.”

“I think he will be here for a few weeks. That is usually what happens. We will have a room prepared for him. Perhaps you will supervise that. You may know what he will expect; and when he arrives perhaps you would be here to greet him.”