"Supper!" she exclaimed, "unwell! 'tis a good right I have to be
unwell,--I hope nothin' bad will happen, any way. Feel my face, Nanny,"
she added, addressing one of her daughters, "it's as cowld an' wet as a
lime-stone--ay, an' if you found me a corpse before you, it wouldn't be
at all strange."
There was a general pause at the seriousness of this intimation. The
husband rose from his supper, and went up to the hearth where she sat.
"Turn round to the light," said he; "why, Mary dear, in the name of
wondher, what ails you? for you're like a corpse, sure enough. Can't
you tell us what has happened, or what put you in such a state? Why,
childhre, the cowld sweat's teemin' off her!"
The poor woman, unable to sustain the shock produced by her interview
with the stranger, found herself getting more weak, and requested a
drink of water; but before it could be put to her lips, she laid her
head upon the back of the chair and fainted. Grief, and uproar, and
confusion followed this alarming incident. The presence of mind, so
necessary on such occasions, was wholly lost; one ran here, and another
there, all jostling against each other, without being cool enough to
render her proper assistance. The daughters were in tears, and Bartley
himself was dreadfully shocked by seeing his wife apparently lifeless
before him.
Pages:
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242