rd over the woman
whose face was turned a little from her.

"She is sleeping"--she said looking up again.

"She will not hear you any more," said the doctor.

"She breathes, regularly,--"

"Yes--so she will for perhaps some hours. But she will not waken
again,--probably."

"Are you sure?" Faith said with another look at the calm face before
her.

"Very sure!"--

Was it true? Faith looked still at the unconscious form,--then her
bible fell from her hands and her head wearily sunk into them. The
strain was over--broken short. She had done all she could,--and the
everlasting answer was sealed up from her. Those heavy eyelids would
not unclose again to give it; those parted lips through which the slow
breath went and came, would never tell her. It seemed to Faith that her
heart lay on the very ground with the burden of all that weight resting
upon it.

She was not suffered to sit so long.

"May I take you away?"--Mr. Linden said,--"you must not stay any
longer."

"Do you think it is no use?" said Faith looking up at him wearily.

"It is of no use," said Dr. Harrison. He had come near, and took her
hand, looking at her with a moved face in which there was something
very like tender reproach. But he only brought her hand gravely to his
lips again and turned away. Mr. Linden's words were very low-spoken. "I
think the doctor is right.--But let me take you home, and then I will
come back and stay till morning if you like--or till there comes a
change. _You_ must not stay."

"I don't like to go,"--said Faith without moving. "She may want me
again."

"There may be no change all night," said the doctor;--"and when it
comes it will not probably be a conscious change. If she awakes at all,
it will be to die. You could do nothing more."

Faith saw that Mr. Linden thought so, and she gave it up; with a
lingering unwillingness got off the bed and wrapped her furs round her.
Mr. Linden put her into the sleigh, keeping Jerry back to let the
doctor precede them; and when he was fairly in front, Faith was doubly
wrapped up--as she had been the night of the fire, and could take the
refreshment of the cool air, and rest. Very wearily, for a while, mind
and body both dropped. Faith was as still as if she had been asleep;
but her eyes were gazing out upon the snow, following the distant speck
of the doctor's sleigh, or looking up to the eternal changeless lights
that keep watch over this little world and mock its changes. Ye