"Who's there?" cried Tabitha in a terrible voice as she saw the old
woman's shadow on the wall.
"I thought I heard a cry," said Martha, entering. "Did anybody call?"
"Yes, Eunice," said the other, regarding her closely. "I, too, heard
the cry, and hurried to her. What makes her so strange? Is she in a
trance?"
"Ay," said the old woman, falling on her knees by the bed and sobbing
bitterly, "the trance of death. Ah, my dear, my poor lonely girl, that
this should be the end of it! She has died of fright," said the old
woman, pointing to the eyes, which even yet retained their horror. "She
has seen something devilish."
Tabitha's gaze fell. "She has always suffered with her heart," she
muttered; "the night has frightened her; it frightened me."
She stood upright by the foot of the bed as Martha drew the sheet over
the face of the dead woman.
"First Ursula, then Eunice," said Tabitha, drawing a deep breath. "I
can't stay here. I'll dress and wait for the morning."
She left the room as she spoke, and with bent head proceeded to her own.
Martha remained by the bedside, and gently closing the staring eyes,
fell on her knees, and prayed long and earnestly for the departed soul.
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