The doctor, Jervis, is approached by a coachman, who wants to take him to a patient. But he mustn't know where that patient is.
"Am I to be led to the house blindfolded, like the visitor to the bandit's cave?"
Truth to tell, I'm assuming this is a reference to a popular story pre-1912, but I can't find out what it is. I thought it might be Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves...
"With a muttered anathema on the unknown Mr. Graves and the unrestful life of a locum tenens, I stepped into the uninviting vehicle."
anathema (un-eth-a-muh) : a person or thing detested or loathed: That subject is anathema to him.
Origin:
1520–30; < L < Gk: a thing accursed, devoted to evil, orig. devoted, equiv. to ana(ti)thé(nai) to set up + -ma n. suffix
locum tenens: Locum, short for the Latin phrase locum tenens (lit. "place-holder," akin to the French lieutenant), is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another. For example, a Locum doctor is a doctor who works in the place of the regular doctor when that doctor is absent, or when a hospital/practice is short-staffed. These professionals are still governed by their respective regulatory bodies, despite the transient nature of their positions.
The abbreviated form "locum" is common in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom; unlike in Latin its plural is locums. In the United States, the full length "locum tenens" (plural: locum tenentes) is preferred, though for some particular roles, alternative expressions (e.g. "substitute teacher") may be more commonly used.
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