At the house they said the boy had refused to let anyone come into the room.
"You can't come in£¬" he said. "You mustn't get what I have."
I went up to him and found him in exactly the position I had left him£¬ white-faced£¬ but with the tops of his cheeks flushed by the fever£¬ staring still£¬ as he had stared£¬ at the foot of the bed.
I took his temperature.
"What is it£¿"
"Something like a hundred£¬" I said. It was one hundred and two and four tenths.
"It was a hundred and two£¬" he said.
"Who said so£¿"
"The doctor."
"Your temperature is all right£¬" I said. "It's nothing to worry about."
"I don't worry£¬" he said£¬ "but I can't keep from thinking."
"Don't think£¬" I said. "Just take it easy."
"I'm taking it easy£¬" he said and looked straight ahead£¬ He was evidently holding tight onto himself about something.
"Take this with water."
"Do you think it will do any good£¿"
"Of course it will."
I sat down and opened the Pirate book and commenced to read£¬ but I could see he was not following£¬ so I stooped.
"About what time do you think I'm going to die£¿" he asked.
"What£¿"
"About how long will it be before I die£¿"
"You aren't going die. What's the matter with you£¿ "
"Oh£¬ yes£¬ I am£¬ I heard him say a hundred and two."
"People don't die with a fever of one hundred and two. That's a silly way to talk."
"I know they do. At school in France the boys told me you can't live with forty-four degrees. I've got a hundred and two."
He had been waiting to die all day£¬ ever since nine o'clock in the morning.
"You poor Schatz£¬" I said. "Poor old Schatz. It's like miles and kilometers. You aren't going to die. That's different thermometer. On that thermometer thirty-seven is normal. On this kind it's ninety-eight."
"Are you sure£¿"
"Absolutely£¬" I said£¬ "It's like miles and kilometers. You know£¬ like how many kilometers we make when we do seventy miles in the car£¿"
"Oh£¬" he said.
But his gaze at the foot of the bed relaxed slowly. The hold over himself relaxed too£¬ finally£¬ and the next day it was very slack and he cried very easily at little things that were of no importance.
NEW WORDS
shiver vi. shake£¬ tremble£¬ esp. from cold or fear Õ½Àõ£¬·¢¶¶
capsule n. ½ºÄÒ£¨Ò©£©
instruction n. £¨often pl.£© advice on how to do sth.£» order Ó÷¨ËµÃ÷£»Ö¸Ê¾
instruct vt.
purgative n. a medicine to produce bowel movements кҩ
acid a. sour£» marked by an abnormally high concentration of a sour substance ËáµÄ£»ËáÐÔÎïÖʹý¶àµÄ
germ n. ²¡¾ú£¬Ï¸¾ú
influenza n. a contagious disease which is like a bad cold but more serious Á÷ÐÐÐÔ¸Ðð
epidemic n.& a. £¨disease£© spreading rapidly among many people in the same place for a time Á÷Ðв¡£¨µÄ£©
flu n. £¨short for£© influenza
pneumonia n. a serious illness with inflammation of one or both lungs ·ÎÑ×
detached a. indifferent£» separate£¬ not connected ³¬È»µÄ£»ÀäÄ®µÄ£»·ÖÀëµÄ
detach vt.
pirate n. a person who attacks and robs ships at sea º£µÁ
papa n. father
lightheaded a. unable to think clearly or move steadily as during fever or after drinking alcohol£» dizzy and faint ÉñÖ¾²»ÇåµÄ£»Ñ£ÔεÄ
