, and bring it up, and see if it won't quiet your nerves. I
call it pretty work."

"Yes, you'd better go to bed, Ellen," said Andrew, gulping as if he
were swallowing a sob.

Mrs. Zelotes fairly forced Ellen towards the door, Fanny following.

"Don't talk and wake Amabel," whispered Ellen, forcing back her
sobs.

"Was he dead when you got there, Ellen?" called out Lee.

Mrs. Zelotes turned back and looked at him. "It's after midnight,
and time for you to be goin' home," she said. Then the three
disappeared. Lee grinned sheepishly at Andrew.

"Your mother is a stepper of an old woman," said he.

"It's awful news," said Andrew, soberly. "Whatever anybody may have
felt, nobody expected--"

"Of course they didn't," retorted Lee, quickly. "Nahum went a step
too far." He started for the door as he spoke.

"Well, he was crazy, without any doubt!" said Andrew.

"He'll have to swing for it all the same," said Lee, going out.

"It don't seem right, if he wasn't himself when he did it."

"Lord, we're all crazy when it comes to things like that," returned
Lee. Before closing the door he flashed his black eyes and white
teeth at Andrew, who felt repelled.

He sat down beside the table and leaned his head upon it. To his
fancy all creation seemed to circle about that one dead man. Mr.
Lloyd had been for years the arbiter of his destiny, almost of his
life. Andrew had regarded him with almost feudal loyalty and
admiration, and lately with bitter revolt and hatred, and now he was
dead. He felt no sorrow, but rather a terrible remorse because he
felt no sorrow. All the bitter thoughts which he had ever had
against Lloyd seemed to marshal themselves before him like an
accusing legion of ghosts. And with it all there was a sense of
desolation, as if some force which had been necessary to his full
living had gone out of creation.

"It's over thirty years since I went to work under him," Andrew
thought, and he gave a dry sob. At that moment a wonderful pity and
sorrow for the dead man seemed to spring up in his soul like a
light. He felt as if he loved him.

Norman Lloyd's funeral was held in the First Baptist Church of Rowe.
It was crowded. Mr. Lloyd had been the most prominent manufacturer
and the wealthiest man in the city. His employes filled up a great
space in the body of the church.

Andrew went with his mother and wife. They arrived quite early. When
Andrew saw the employes of Lloyd's marching in, he drew a g