over and over on the waves like an otter.

The Shadows on the Wall

BY MARY E. WILKINS FREEMAN

From _The Wind in the Rose-bush_, by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman.
Copyright by Harper and Brothers. By permission of the publishers
and Mary E. Wilkins Freeman.

"Henry had words with Edward in the study the night before Edward died,"
said Caroline Glynn.

She spoke not with acrimony, but with grave severity. Rebecca Ann Glynn
gasped by way of assent. She sat in a wide flounce of black silk in the
corner of the sofa, and rolled terrified eyes from her sister Caroline
to her sister Mrs. Stephen Brigham, who had been Emma Glynn, the one
beauty of the family. The latter was beautiful still, with a large,
splendid, full-blown beauty, she filled a great rocking-chair with her
superb bulk of femininity, and swayed gently back and forth, her black
silks whispering and her black frills fluttering. Even the shock of
death--for her brother Edward lay dead in the house--could not disturb
her outward serenity of demeanor.

But even her expression of masterly placidity changed before her sister
Caroline's announcement and her sister Rebecca Ann's gasp of terror and
distress in response.

"I think Henry might have controlled his temper, when poor Edward was so
near his end," she said with an asperity which disturbed slightly the
roseate curves of her beautiful mouth.

"Of course he did not _know_," murmured Rebecca Ann in a faint tone.

"Of course he did not know it," said Caroline quickly. She turned on her
sister with a strange, sharp look of suspicion. Then she shrank as if
from the other's possible answer.

Rebecca gasped again. The married sister, Mrs. Emma Brigham, was now
sitting up straight in her chair; she had ceased rocking, and was eyeing
them both intently with a sudden accentuation of family likeness in her
face.

"What do you mean?" said she impartially to them both. Then she, too,
seemed to shrink before a possible answer. She even laughed an evasive
sort of laugh.

"Nobody means anything," said Caroline firmly. She rose and crossed the
room toward the door with grim decisiveness.

"Where are you going?" asked Mrs. Brigham.

"I have something to see to," replied Caroline, and the others at once
knew by her tone that she had some solemn and sad duty to perform in the
chamber of death.

"Oh," said Mrs. Brigham.

After the door had closed behind Caroline, she turned to Rebecca.

"Did Hen