midnight before
A spot of blood had already spurted into the white bosom of his shirt , smearing its way over the pearl button , and running under the crisp fold of the shirt . The head nurse was too tired and listless to be impatient , but she had been called out of hours on this emergency case , and she was not used to the surgeon 's preoccupation . Such things usually went off rapidly at St. Isidore 's , and she could hear the tinkle of the bell as the hall door opened for another case . It would be midnight before she could get back to bed ! The hospital was short-handed , as usual . The younger nurse was not watching the patient , nor the good-looking young surgeon , who seemed to be the special property of her superior . Even in her few months of training she had learned to keep herself calm and serviceable , and not to let her mind speculate idly .