Who is the story’s first-person narrator? *
He leaned his head against the wall; his eyes were shut, his hands clasped in each other, and
his body seemed to be sustained in an upright position merely by the cellar-door against which
he rested his left shoulder. The lethargy into which he was sunk seemed scarcely interrupted
by my feeling his hand and his forehead. His throbbing temples and burning skin indicated a
fever
There was only one circumstance that hindered me from forming an immediate determination
in what manner this person should be treated. My family consisted of my wife and a young
child. Our servant-maid had been seized, three days before, by the reigning malady, and, at her
own request, had been conveyed to the hospital. We ourselves enjoyed good health, and were
hopeful of escaping with our lives. Our measures for this end had been cautiously taken and
carefully adhered to. They did not consist in avoiding the receptacles of infection, for my
office required me to go daily into the midst of them; nor in filling the house with the
exhalations of gunpowder, vinegar, or tar. They consisted in cleanliness, reasonable exercise,
and [a] wholesome diet.
Someone made weak by fever
A servant in need of medical
Someone healthy just trying to stay away from sick folks
Someone who is sure that he’ll stay well by being cautious and careful