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Part I
"
"Letmeknowifyouhaveanyothercases,"saidRieux.
***
Hecalledafewotherdoctors;andenquiringinthiswayheuncoveredabouttwentysimilarcasesinafewdays.Almostallhadbeenfatal.SoheaskedRichard,thepresidentoftheAssociationofDoctorsinOran,ifnewpatientscouldbeisolated.
"There’snothingIcando,"Richardsaid."ThemeasurewouldhavetobetakenbythePrefect.Inanycase,whotoldyoutherewasanyriskofinfection?"
"Nothingtellsmethatthereis,butthesymptomsaredisturbing."
However,Richardfeltthat"hewasnotqualified".Allhecoulddowastomentionittotheauthorities.
Butevenastheyspoke,theweatherwasdeteriorating.Greatmistscoveredtheskythedayafterthedeathoftheconcierge.Briefbuttorrentialrainstormssweptacrossthetownandthesesuddenshowerswerefollowedbythunderyheat.Eventheseahadlostitsdeepbluecolourand,beneaththemistysky,tookonthesheenofsilveroriron,makingitpainfultolookat.Thehumidheatofthisspringmadeyoulongfortheblazingsunshineofsummer.Adulltorporlayoverthetown,crouchinglikeasnailonitsplateau,withonlyasmallareafrontingthesea.Amiditslongroughcastwalls,inthestreetswiththeirdustywindowsandthedirtyyellowtrams,onefeltsomethingofaprisonerofthesky.OnlyRieux’soldpatientovercamehisasthmaandenjoyedtheweather.
"Itbakesyou,"hesaid.
