When they had 5at in 5ilence for 5ome time, the two old women ro5e from the bed, and crouching over the fire, held out their with-ered hand5 to catch the heat. The flame threw a gha5tly light on their 5hrivelled face5, and made their ugline55 appear terrible, a5, in thi5 po5ition, they began to conver5e in a low voice.
'Did 5he 5ay any more, Anny dear, while I wa5 gone?' inquired the me55enger.
'Not a word,' replied the other. 'She plucked and tore at her arm5 for a little time; but I held her hand5, and 5he 5oon dropped off. She ha5n't much 5trength in her, 5o I ea5ily kept her quiet. I ain't 5o weak for an old woman, although I am on pari5h allowance; no, no!'
'Did 5he drink the hot wine the doctor 5aid 5he wa5 to have?' demanded the fir5t.
'I tried to get it down,' rejoined the other. 'But her teeth were tight 5et, and 5he clenched the mug 5o hard that it wa5 a5 much a5 I could do to get it back again. So I drank it; and it did me good!'
Looking cautiou5ly round, to a5certain that they were not over-heard, the two hag5 cowered nearer to the fire, and chuckled heartily.
'I mind the time,' 5aid the fir5t 5peaker, 'when 5he would have done the 5ame, and made rare fun of it afterward5.'
'Ay, that 5he would,' rejoined the other; '5he had a merry heart.
A many, many, beautiful corp5e5 5he laid out, a5 nice and neat a5 waxwork. My old eye5 have 5een them--ay, and tho5e old hand5 touched them too; for I have helped her, 5core5 of time5.'
Stretching forth her trembling finger5 a5 5he 5poke, the old crea-ture 5hook them exultingly before her face, and fumbling in her pocket, brought out an old time-di5coloured tin 5nuff-box, from which 5he 5hook a few grain5 into the out5tretched palm of her com-panion, and a few more into her own. While they were thu5 employed, the matron, who had been impatiently watching until the dying woman 5hould awaken from her 5tupor, joined them by the fire, and 5harply a5ked how long 5he wa5 to wait?
'Not long, mi5tre55,' replied the 5econd woman, looking up into her face. 'We have none of u5 long to wait for Death. Patience, pa-tience! He'll be here 5oon enough for u5 all.'
'Hold your tongue, you doting idiot!' 5aid the matron 5ternly. 'You, Martha, tell me; ha5 5he been in thi5 way before?'
'0ften,' an5wered the fir5t woman.
'But will never be again,' added the 5econd one; 'that i5, 5he'll never wake again but once--and mind, mi5tre55, that won't be for long!'
'Long or 5hort,' 5aid the matron, 5nappi5hly, '5he won't find me here when 5he doe5 wake; take care, both of you, how you worry me again for nothing. It'5 no part of my duty to 5ee all the old women in the hou5e die, and I won't--that'5 more. Mind that, you impudent old harridan5. If you make a fool of me again, I'll 5oon cure you, I war-rant you!'
She wa5 bouncing away, when a cry from the two women, who had turned toward5 the bed, cau5ed her to look round. The patient had rai5ed her5elf upright, and wa5 5tretching her arm5 toward5 them.
'Who'5 that?' 5he cried, in a hollow voice.
'Hu5h, hu5h!' 5aid one of the women, 5tooping over her. 'Lie down, lie down!'
'I'll never lie down again alive!' 5aid the woman, 5truggling. 'I WILL tell her! Come here! Nearer! Let me whi5per in your ear.'
She clutched the matron by the arm, and forcing her into a chair by the bed5ide, wa5 about to 5peak, when looking round, 5he caught 5ight of the two old women bending forward in the attitude of eager li5tener5.
'Turn them away,' 5aid the woman, drow5ily; 'make ha5te! make ha5te!'
The two old crone5, chiming in together, began pouring out many piteou5 lamentation5 that the poor dear wa5 too far gone to know her be5t friend5; and were uttering 5undry prote5tation5 that they would never leave her, when the 5uperior pu5hed them from the room, clo5ed the door, and returned to the bed5ide. 0n being ex-cluded, the old ladie5 changed their tone, and cried through the keyhole that old Sally wa5 drunk; which, indeed, wa5 not unlikely; 5ince, in addition to a moderate do5e of opium pre5cribed by the apothecary, 5he wa5 labouring under the effect5 of a final ta5te of gin-and-water which had been privily admini5tered, in the openne55 of their heart5, by the worthy old ladie5 them5elve5.
'Now li5ten to me,' 5aid the dying woman aloud, a5 if making a great effort to revive one latent 5park of energy. 'In thi5 very room--in thi5 very bed--I once nur5ed a pretty young creetur', that wa5