ntly accused her.

Mr. Berners had turned again to the dead woman. His hand was eagerly
searching for some pulsation at the heart. Soon he ceased his efforts,
and arose.

"Vain! vain!" he said, "all is still and lifeless, and growing cold and
stiff in death. Oh! my wretched wife!"

"The lady may not be dead! This may be a swoon from loss of blood. In
such a swoon she would be pulseless and breathless, or seem so! let me
try! I have seen many a swoon from loss of blood, as well as many a
death from the same cause, in my military experience," said Captain
Pendleton, pushing forward and kneeling by the sofa, and beginning his
tests, guided by experience.

His words and actions unbound the spell of horror that had till then
held the assembled company still and mute, and now all pressed forward
towards the sofa, and bent over the little group there.

"Air! air! friends, if you please! Stand farther off. And some one open
a window!" exclaimed Captain Pendleton, peremptorily.

And he was immediately obeyed by the falling off of the crowd, one of
whom threw open a window.

"Some one should fetch a physician!" suggested Beatrix Pendleton, whose
palsied tongue was now at length unloosed.

And half a dozen gentlemen immediately started for the stables to
dispatch a messenger for the village doctor from Blackville.

"And while they are fetching the physician, they should summon the
coroner also," suggested a voice from the crowd.

"No! no! not until we have ascertained that life is actually extinct,"
exclaimed Captain Pendleton, hastily; at the same time seeking and
meeting the eyes of Mr. Berners, with a meaning gaze said:

"If we cannot restore the dead woman to life, we must at least try to
save the living woman from unspeakable horrors!"

Mr. Berners turned away his head, with a deep groan.

And Captain Pendleton continued his seeming efforts to restore
consciousness to the prostrate form before him, until he heard the
galloping of the horse that took the messenger away for the doctor, and
felt sure that the man could not now receive orders to fetch the coroner
also.

Then Captain Pendleton arose and beckoned Miss Tabby Winterose to come
towards him. That lady came forward, whimpering as usual, but with an
immeasurably greater cause than she had ever possessed before.

"Close her eyes, straighten her limbs, arrange her dress. She is quite
dead," said the Captain.

Miss Tabby's voice was lifted up in weeping.