“Well, Dying Room⁠—”

“What is that, then?”

“A little room at the corner of the building. Whoever is about to kick the bucket is put in there. There are two beds in it. It is generally called the Dying Room.”

“But what do they do that for?”

“They don’t have so much work to do afterwards. It is more convenient, too, because it lies right beside the lift to the mortuary. Perhaps they do it for the sake of the others also, so that no one in the ward dies in sympathy. And they can look after him better, too, if he is by himself.”

“But what about him?”

Josef shrugs his shoulders. “Usually he doesn’t take much notice any more.”

“Does everybody know about it then?”