!--one
can hardly distinguish! I have known cases where death was dreadful! But
a peaceful death is very beautiful! There is nothing shocking to the
mind. It suggests heaven! It seems a fulfilment of our prayers!'

'Would your ladyship like to look upon him?' said the widow.

Lady Racial betrayed a sudden gleam at having her desire thus intuitively
fathomed.

'For one moment, Mrs. Harrington! We esteemed him so much! May I?'

The widow responded by opening the door, and leading her into the chamber
where the dead man lay.

At that period, when threats of invasion had formerly stirred up the
military fire of us Islanders, the great Mel, as if to show the great
Napoleon what character of being a British shopkeeper really was, had, by
remarkable favour, obtained a lieutenancy of militia dragoons: in the
uniform of which he had revelled, and perhaps, for the only time in his
life, felt that circumstances had suited him with a perfect fit. However
that may be, his solemn final commands to his wife, Henrietta Maria, on
whom he could count for absolute obedience in such matters, had been,
that as soon as the breath had left his body, he should be taken from his
bed, washed, perfumed, powdered, and in that uniform dressed and laid
out; with directions that he should be so buried at the expiration of
three days, that havoc in his features might be hidden from men. In this
array Lady Racial beheld him. The curtains of the bed were drawn aside.
The beams of evening fell soft through the blinds of the room, and cast a
subdued light on the figure of the vanquished warrior. The Presence, dumb
now for evermore, was sadly illumined for its last exhibition. But one
who looked closely might have seen that Time had somewhat spoiled that
perfect fit which had aforetime been his pride; and now that the lofty
spirit had departed, there had been extreme difficulty in persuading the
sullen excess of clay to conform to the dimensions of those garments. The
upper part of the chest alone would bear its buttons, and across one
portion of the lower limbs an ancient seam had started; recalling an
incident to them who had known him in his brief hour of glory. For one
night, as he was riding home from Fallow field, and just entering the
gates of the town, a mounted trooper spurred furiously past, and slashing
out at him, gashed his thigh. Mrs. Melchisedec found him lying at his
door in a not unwonted way; carried him up-stairs in her arms, as she