"

Hetty looked surprised, but accustomed to comply, she ceased her awkward
and painful interrogations of Warley, bending her eyes towards the Bible
which she still held between her hands, as one would cling to a casket
of precious stones in a shipwreck, or a conflagration. Her mind now
adverted to the future, losing sight, in a great measure, of the scenes
of the past.

"We shall not long be parted, Judith," she said; "when you die, you must
be brought and be buried in the lake, by the side of mother, too."

"Would to God, Hetty, that I lay there at this moment!"

"No, that cannot be, Judith; people must die before they have any
right to be buried. 'Twould be wicked to bury you, or for you to bury
yourself, while living. Once I thought of burying myself; God kept me
from that sin."

"You!--You, Hetty Hutter, think of such an act!" exclaimed Judith,
looking up in uncontrollable surprise, for she well knew nothing passed
the lips of her conscientious sister, that was not religiously true.

"Yes, I did, Judith, but God has forgotten--no he forgets nothing--but
he has forgiven it," returned the dying girl, with the subdued manner
of a repentant child. "'Twas after mother's death; I felt I had lost the
best friend I had on earth, if not the only friend. 'Tis true, you and
father were kind to me, Judith, but I was so feeble-minded, I knew I
should only give you trouble; and then you were so often ashamed of such
a sister and daughter, and 'tis hard to live in a world where all look
upon you as below them. I thought then, if I could bury myself by the
side of mother, I should be happier in the lake than in the hut."

"Forgive me--pardon me, dearest Hetty--on my bended knees, I beg you
to pardon me, sweet sister, if any word, or act of mine drove you to so
maddening and cruel a thought!"

"Get up, Judith--kneel to God; don't kneel to me. Just so I felt when
mother was dying! I remembered everything I had said and done to vex
her, and could have kissed her feet for forgiveness. I think it must be
so with all dying people; though, now I think of it, I don't remember to
have had such feelings on account of father."

Judith arose, hid her face in her apron, and wept. A long pause-one of
more than two hours--succeeded, during which Warley entered and left the
cabin several times; apparently uneasy when absent, and yet unable to
remain. He issued various orders, which his men proceeded to execute,
and there was an air of m