m; but Hester
would not believe him seriously ill, and thought the Bible wearied him
and made him low spirited; and as to his friend the Dissenter, she
would never admit him.

Fulk was so indignant that he wanted to drive to Shinglebay and fetch
Mr. Ball, but Lea thanked him and half smiled at his superstition of
thinking that a minister was needed to speed his soul; but he was
pleased that Fulk came to him on each of the four or five remaining
days of his life, and read to him whatever he wished.

He sank suddenly at last, while Hester was at church on Sunday morning,
and died when alone with Fulk.

Somehow the intense reality of that man and the true comfort his faith
was to him made an immense impression on my brother, and seemed, as it
were, to give the communication between his religious belief and his
feelings, which had somehow not been in force before. He thought and
borrowed books from Mr. Cradock, and there came a deepening and
softening over him, which one saw in many ways, that made him dearer
than ever. He looked more at peace, even though one felt that each
passing sight of Emily was a sting.

Hester was dreadfully stricken down at first, and her anguish of
lamentation and self-reproach was terrible to witness; but she would
not hear of Fulk's fetching either of us--indeed, I fancy that was the
fault of my dry, cold looks--nor would she allow him to do anything for
her.

Mrs. Deerhurst came to be with her, and Perrault managed everything.

They had a magnificent funeral--much grander than my father's--and laid
him in the family vault.

Perrault took the opportunity of insulting Fulk by pairing him with old
Hall, the ex-agent; but Hall found it out in time, and refused to go,
and when the moment came everybody fell back, and Fulk found himself
close to poor little Trevor, who tried to get his hand out of
Perrault's and cling to him; but Perrault held him tight till, at the
moment when they moved to the mouth of the vault and were to go down
the steps, terror completely seized the poor child, and he began to
shriek so fearfully that Fulk had to snatch him up and carry him out of
the church, trembling from head to foot.

It was very cruel to send a sensitive child of six years old in that
way; but Hester was too much exhausted with her violent grief to go
herself, and, devoted mother as she was in all else, she never
perceived that poor child's instinctive shrinking from Perrault.

We tried to be