t
closing of shutters. The nurse and her maid hovered about her, ready to
assist her when the sorrowing began. But she had no sorrow. The long
moments lengthened out, and he was still dead and she was still only
amazement. It seemed part of the extraordinary, the perennial
surprisingness of Sir Isaac that he should end in this way. Dead! She
didn't feel for some hours that he had in any way ended. He had died
with such emphasis that she felt now that he was capable of anything.
What mightn't he do next? When she heard movements in the chamber of
death it seemed to her that of all the people there, most probably it
was he who made them. She would not have been amazed if he had suddenly
appeared in the doorway of her room, anger-white and his hand
quiveringly extended, spluttering some complaint.

He might have cried: "Here I am dead! And it's _you_, damn you--it's
_you_!"

It was after distinct efforts, after repeated visits to the room in
which he lay, that she began to realize that death was death, that death
goes on, that there was no more any Sir Isaac, but only a still body he
had left behind, that was being moulded now into a stiff image of peace.

Then for a time she roused herself to some control of their proceedings.
The doctor came to Lady Harman to ask her about the meals for the day,
the hotel manager was in entanglements of tactful consideration, and
then the nurse came for instructions upon some trivial matter. They had
done what usage prescribes and now, in the absence of other direction,
they appealed to her wishes. She remarked that everyone was going on
tiptoe and speaking in undertones....

She realized duties. What does one have to do when one's husband is
dead? People would have to be told. She would begin by sending off
telegrams to various people, to his mother, to her own, to his lawyer.
She remembered she had already written a telegram--that very morning to
Crappen. Should she still let the lawyer come out? He was her lawyer
now. Perhaps he had better come, but instead of that telegram, which
still lay upon the desk, she would wire the news of the death to him....

Does one send to the papers? How does one send to the papers?

She took Miss Summersly Satchell who was hovering outside in the
sunshine on the balcony, into her room, and sat pale and businesslike
and very careful about details, while Miss Summersly Satchell offered
practical advice and took notes and wrote telegrams and letters