The Summer of Sir Lancelot

‘
    ‘Right you are, Tolly.‘
    The patient became drowsy. Sir Lancelot started operations. There was a thump behind him.
    ‘I knew that blasted idiot would faint! Tolly — get him out of here at once.‘
    Gran, waiting expectantly on the landing, was surprised to see one of the doctors emerge not with a bawling baby but with the husband, apparently dead.
    ‘He just fainted, Gran, that‘s all,‘ Tim explained breathlessly. ‘Give him a glass of water and put his head between his knees and he‘ll be all right.‘
    ‘People will be demanding to see their wives‘ appendices removed next,‘ growled Sir Lancelot as Tim reappeared. ‘Now get back to the top end.‘
    ‘Everything all right, sir?‘
    ‘Of course everything‘s all right!‘
    Leaning against the bed, Tim fell to thinking of Euphemia. How on earth could she sever him from her life like that? Surely she couldn‘t be so scared of the old ogre Spratt? Why was she so frightened of being bundled home to Singapore? Once separated from his own company, he felt, it must be quite immaterial to the girl where she was.
    His speculation was broken by the sound of heavy breathing. He glanced anxiously at the patient. But the noise was emanating from Sir Lancelot.
    ‘All well, sir?‘ he asked again. ‘Will you be needing the forceps?‘
    ‘I am not in the habit, Tolly, of receiving suggestions from my anaesthetist.‘
    He bit his lip. ‘Sorry, sir.‘
    A couple of minutes later he noticed Sir Lancelot was sweating rather freely.
    ‘Tolly... ‘ Sir Lancelot‘s voice sounded strange. ‘I can feel a foot.‘
    ‘Then it‘s a breech!‘ Tim exclaimed.
    He joined the surgeon.
    ‘I expect it will work out all right,‘ Sir Lancelot muttered.
    ‘Not the way you‘re setting about it, it won‘t,‘ Tim told him crisply.
    Sir Lancelot glared.
    ‘You don‘t know the first thing about this, do you?‘ Tim continued quickly.
    ‘How — how dare you make such a suggestion?‘ returned Sir Lancelot, a little uncertainly.
    Tim took another look. ‘Why, you‘re making an absolute dog‘s breakfast of it.‘
    ‘What? I have never, in my entire career, been treated with such infernal discourtesy — ‘
    ‘Get out of the way, you old fool,‘ snapped Tim, giving the surgeon a shove. ‘I‘m going to scrub up.‘
    ‘Ahhhhhhhhh!‘ cried Sir Lancelot, tripping over the leather bag. ‘My back!‘
    To Gran, ministering to Mr Peckwater on the landing, this didn‘t sound at all like the cry of a new-born baby. She was even more surprised a second later to see one doctor emerging dragging the other.
    ‘Just lay him flat and keep him quiet, Gran,‘ Tim instructed briefly. ‘It won‘t be much longer now.‘
    ‘Any more casualties,‘ muttered Gran in contusion, ‘and I‘ll have to do the job myself.‘
    I am glad to say that Tim skilfully delivered Mrs Peckwater of a baby daughter. He and Gran cleared up the mess. Mr Peckwater returned to his usual informative self. The two men carried a strangely subdued Sir Lancelot down to his Rolls.
    They hardly exchanged a word as Tim drove him home. In fact, they hardly exchanged a word for the rest of the day. Mrs Chuffey insisted Sir Lancelot went to bed and sent Tim on all his visits. Only after finishing the evening surgery into the bargain Tim found time to tap nervously on the surgeon‘s bedroom door.
    ‘Enter! Oh, it‘s you, Tolly.‘
    Sir Lancelot sipped the whisky and soda in his hand.
    ‘Tolly...‘ His voice was quiet. ‘What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?‘
    ‘I —I hadn‘t thought, sir.‘
    ‘You may have my bacon. You saved it for me this morning. Sit down.‘
    There was a silence.
    ‘I suppose you realized, Tolly, in that little suburban bedroom a long and — I believe — honourable career could have been besmirched for good?‘
    ‘I‘m afraid I didn‘t particularly, sir. I just wanted to get the baby out alive.‘
    Sir Lancelot grunted. ‘Yes, you were perfectly right to view it so. I did something that was totally unforgivable in any doctor. I took a chance on my own ignorance. Though things may have been all right in the end-‘
    ‘I'm sure they would, sir.‘
    ‘It could have been touch-and-go. Luckily for the patient and myself you happen to be a singularly strong-minded young man and took steps to bring my incompetence to my notice.‘
    ‘You‘re... you‘re very kind, sir.‘
    ‘I might perhaps have benefited from your acquaintance earlier in my career,‘ Sir