asked Dr. Grey.

"A moment ago, Phoebe, the cook, brought it to me from my mistress."

"Of course you have no choice, but must comply with her wishes and
those of the dead. Still, I regret this decision."

"Yes, sir; it is ill luck to keep a grave near the eaves of a house,
and it will be bad for my mistress to have it always in sight; for she
mopes enough at best, and does not sleep o' nights, and the Lord only
knows what will become of her with my poor mother's corpse and coffin
within ten yards of her window. Sir, how does she take this awful
blow? It comforted me to know you were with her."

"She bears this affliction as she seems to have endured all others
that have overtaken her, in a spirit of rebellious bitterness and
defiance. I am afraid that the excitement will seriously injure her.
Salome, I will return as early as the safety of a patient will
permit."

Robert followed the doctor to his buggy, to consult him with reference
to some of the sad details of the impending funeral, and after a hasty
glance at the placid countenance of the dead, Salome went back to the
hall, and sat down opposite to the parlor door, which had been pointed
out to her. Her nerves were strong, healthy, and firm, but the
presence of death, the profound silence that reigned, the chill
atmosphere, and dreary aspect of the house,--all conspired to oppress
her heart.

Through the open door she could see the ever restless sea, and hear
its endless murmuring monotone, and imagination seizing the ill-omened
legends she had heard recounted concerning this spot, peopled the
corners of the hall with phantoms, and every flitting shadow on the
lawn became a spectre.

Now and then the servants--two middle-aged women--passed softly to and
fro, and twice Robert crossed the passage, but not a sound issued from
the parlor; and once, when Phoebe came with her mistress's breakfast
on a waiter, and tried the bolt, she found the door locked. She
knocked several times, but receiving no answer went quietly back to
the kitchen.

Weary of sitting on one of the hard, uncomfortable walnut chairs, that
stood with its high carved back close to the wall, Salome rose, and
amused herself by studying the engravings that surrounded her. In the
midst of her investigations she was startled by a loud, doleful,
blood-curdling sound, that seemed to proceed from some spot
immediately beneath the floor of the hall. It was different from
anything she had ever heard b