ult to arouse her so much as to say
a few sentences. When questioned she had replied that she was pretty
well.

Their trip, as such, had been something of a failure. They had gone on
as far as Falmouth, but here he had given way to her entreaties to return
home. This they could not very well do without repassing through Pen-
zephyr, at which place they had now again arrived.

In the train she had seen a weekly local paper, and read there a
paragraph detailing the inquest on Charles. It was added that the
funeral was to take place at his native town of Redrutin on Friday.

After reading this she had shown no reluctance to enter the fatal
neighbourhood of the tragedy, only stipulating that they should take
their rest at a different lodging from the first; and now comparatively
braced up and calm--indeed a cooler creature altogether than when last in
the town, she said to David that she wanted to walk out for a while, as
they had plenty of time on their hands.

'To a shop as usual, I suppose, mee deer?'

'Partly for shopping,' she said. 'And it will be best for you, dear, to
stay in after trotting about so much, and have a good rest while I am
gone.'

He assented; and Baptista sallied forth. As she had stated, her first
visit was made to a shop, a draper's. Without the exercise of much
choice she purchased a black bonnet and veil, also a black stuff gown; a
black mantle she already wore. These articles were made up into a parcel
which, in spite of the saleswoman's offers, her customer said she would
take with her. Bearing it on her arm she turned to the railway, and at
the station got a ticket for Redrutin.

Thus it appeared that, on her recovery from the paralyzed mood of the
former day, while she had resolved not to blast utterly the happiness of
her present husband by revealing the history of the departed one, she had
also determined to indulge a certain odd, inconsequent, feminine
sentiment of decency, to the small extent to which it could do no harm to
any person. At Redrutin she emerged from the railway carriage in the
black attire purchased at the shop, having during the transit made the
change in the empty compartment she had chosen. The other clothes were
now in the bandbox and parcel. Leaving these at the cloak-room she
proceeded onward, and after a wary survey reached the side of a hill
whence a view of the burial ground could be obtained.

It was now a little before two o'clock. While Bapt