Fever 2 Chapter 7-12

Summary Fever 2 (7-12)

In chapter 7 Matilda and her mom go to the Ogilvie mansion where her mom is trying to see if Pernilla Olgavie’s sons are single and hook one of them up with Matilda. When they go to visit Matilda is wearing her best outfit which wasn’t near as nice as the Olgavie’s outfits. Matilda was very cautious as to how she moved because she didn’t want to rip her outfit due to the lack of quality of the material. Matilda meets the daughters, Colette and Jeannine who were spoiled and quite snobby. Jeannine saw Matilda reaching for the cakes and moved the plate so she couldn’t and passed it the opposite direction as Matilda and the other stuck out her tuck at her too. It didn’t take long for Matilda to see that she didn’t belong to the upper class people especially when they were putting down the coffeehouse and calling it the Grog shop where criminal and other dregs of society gathered to drink whiskey and fight.   

In chapter 8, Colette has the fever and Grandfather and Matilda go to the African Society meeting that is talking about the fever. A letter from the major gets printed with advice from the college of physicians on yellow fever. Grandfather, having been in a war thinks that you just face this soldier with a sword and run it through it. He has a hard time understanding why everyone is running from it instead of riding it out and facing it. Grandfather and Matilda pass a man limping and dressed in dark rags pushing a cart. They wonder where he is going and follow him. They soon come to a conclusion that he is taking a poor sick person to the Rickette’s Circus where the poor sick people go to die. Instead the man continues and stops in front of the coffeehouse where he dumps a woman, it was Mother.

Chapter 9 and 10, they get mother in the house and get her cleaned up and to bed. Grandfather has a doctor come look at her and insists that it is definitely not yellow fever. The doctor turns out to be an imposter and a real doctor confirms that she has yellow fever. Matilda wants to stay and take care of her but mother yells and insists that she leave immediately so she doesn’t get sick. She then wants to take mother with her but the doctor lets them know that no town will let her in and that grandfather should hire a wagon as soon as possible to take them because they are scarce as hens teeth. Because Mother has yellow fever they have to tie a yellow cloth on the doors and close the coffeehouse. The next morning, the wagon arrives. It’s a farmer and his wife with their little baby that is going to take them. Matilda gives her goodbyes and off they go leaving home. While on their way they run into four horsemen with muskets. They have to stop and get off to let a doctor check them for the fever because no one is allowed to pass through if they are carrying the fever. While the farmer was being checked Grandfather breaks off into a coughing fit. This brings suspicion and they order for them to take him back to the city. The farmer panics and leaves them hanging with no food, water, or clothing.

Chapter 12, Grandfather is getting sicker by the minute and they have no food or water to help him get his energy back. Grandfather couldn’t go any farther they had to stop a rest. They decide to rest under a chestnut tree and Matilda decides she needs to find water and food. Using her old soldier tricks that grandfather taught her she finds water by following the willow trees and while getting water she finds berries for them to eat too.