Lisa’s declining health and recovery

Lisa’s declining health and gradual recovery bring physical suffering into the story’s account of her reunion with Marco Polo: she is in pain and visibly weakened, yet treatment helps her improve, while Marco’s attentive care gives their renewed relationship a concrete form.

Illness and Medical Care

Before the reunion, Byron and Marco Polo search for a woman who had once sung in a restaurant. A lead takes them to Chhatawala Lane, where they wait outside her room but cannot see her because a guest is inside. The account does not describe the encounter itself, but later events establish Lisa’s return to Marco’s life after this search.

When Marco reports on Lisa’s condition, he says that he has taken her to a doctor and arranged an X-ray for her foot. The doctor expects her to recover. Lisa has suffered considerable pain, and Marco plans to take her back for another medical appointment the following afternoon. Her foot injury and the need for continued treatment make her illness a practical, ongoing concern rather than a passing reference.

Deterioration and Recovery

Marco’s account conveys how much Lisa’s health has declined: he describes caring for her when she vomits and says that her body has been left severely diminished. Even so, he sees vitality in her eyes, which he compares to diamonds. His response holds physical deterioration and enduring attachment together without suggesting that the illness has simply vanished.

Treatment brings a change. Byron later reports that Lisa has improved considerably over the preceding days, and says she will be well enough to surprise the narrator. The improvement is therefore real but recent; it follows medical care and comes after a period of serious weakness. The available account does not specify a diagnosis or establish a complete recovery.

Care and a Shared Future

Lisa’s illness also changes the shape of her relationship with Marco. He attends to her needs, including cleaning her vomit, and arranges medical visits even while hotel responsibilities continue. On one such occasion, he asks colleagues to manage a tea party so that he can take her to the doctor, placing her care ahead of that work obligation.

Their history began with a fabricated affair: Marco had once paid Lisa to pose as his lover so that he could use the supposed adultery as grounds for divorce. Much later, he falls genuinely in love with her. Lisa initially doubts his feelings, but cries when she understands that he has no other motive. They decide to live together. Her frailty does not end the account of their future; instead, the care Marco gives her and her improvement after treatment accompany their decision to share a life.