Mr. Coffey says, Now, woman, what’s your name? Angela McCourt, sir. And what’s up with you? ’Tis my son, sir. He has two bad eyes. Oh, by God, he does, woman.They’re desperate-looking eyes alto- gether.They look like two rising suns.The Japs could use him on their flag, ha ha ha. Did he pour acid on his face or what? ’Tis some class of infection, sir. He had the typhoid last year and then this came. All right, all right, we don’t need the life story. Here’s your docket to Dr.Troy. Two long benches are filled with patients for Dr.Troy.Mam sits next to a woman who has a big sore on her nose that won’t go away. I tried everything, missus, every known cure on God’s lovely earth. I’m eighty- three years of age and I’d like to go to my grave healthy. Is it too much to ask that I meet my Redeemer with a healthy nose? And what’s up with yourself, missus? My son.The eyes. Ah, God bless us and save us, look at them eyes.They’re the sorest two eyes I ever seen in me life. I never seen that color red before. ’Tis an infection, missus. Sure there’s a cure for that.You need the caul. What’s that now? Babies are born with this thing on their heads, a class of a hood, rare and magical. Get a caul and put that on his head any day that has a three in it, make him hold his breath for three minutes even if you have to clap your hand over his face, sprinkle him with holy water three times head to toenail and his two eyes will shine in the dawn. And where would I get a caul? Don’t all the midwives have cauls, missus.What’s a midwife with- out a caul? It cures all classes of disease and keeps off more. Mam says she’ll talk to Nurse O’Halloran and see if she has a spare caul. Dr.Troy looks at my eyes. Into the hospital with this boy at once. Take him to the eye ward at the City Home. Here’s the docket to get him in. What does he have, Doctor? The worst case of conjunctivitis I’ve ever seen in my life and some- thing else in there I can’t make out. He needs the eye man. 226