is found to be the wife of a man who certainly seems to be worse off than i he had the prior claim said she what you knew him at that time yes yes please say no more she implored whatever my errors i have paid for them during the last five years the heart of was subject to sudden he was kind to a fault i am sorry from my soul he said involuntarily approaching her withdrew a step or two at which he became conscious of his movement and quickly took his former place here he stood without speaking and the little kettle began to sing well you might have been my wife if you had chosen he said at last but that s all past and gone however if you are in any trouble or poverty i shall be glad to be of service and as your relation by marriage i shall have a right to be does your uncle know of your distress my uncle is dead he left me without a and now we have two children to maintain what left you nothing how could he be so cruel as that i disgraced myself in his eyes now said earnestly let me take care of the children at least while you are so unsettled you belong to another so i cannot take care of you yes you can said a voice and suddenly a third figure stood beside them it was sally you can since you seem to wish to she repeated she no longer belongs to another my poor brother is dead her face was red her eyes sparkled and all the woman came to the front i have heard it she tales went on to him passionately you can protect her now as well as the children she turned then to her agitated sister in law i heard something said sally in a gentle murmur much from her previous passionate words and i went into his room it must have been the moment you left he went off so quickly and weakly and it was so unexpected that i couldn t leave even to call you was just able to gather from the confused discourse which followed that during his sleep by the fire this brother whom he had never seen had become worse and that during s absence for water the end had unexpectedly come the two young women hastened upstairs and he was again left alone after standing there a short time he went to the front door and looked out till softly closing it behind him he advanced and stood under the large the stars were flickering coldly and the which had just descended upon the earth in rain now sent up a chill from it was in a strange position and he felt it the unexpected appearance in deep poverty of � a young lady daughter of a deceased naval officer who had been brought up by her a and had refused in marriage years ago � the passionate almost angry of sally at them the abrupt announcement that was a widow all this coming together was a difficult to cope with in a moment and made him question whether he ought to leave the house or offer assistance but for sally s manner he would have done the latter he was still standing under the tree when the door in front of him opened and mrs hall came out she went round to the garden gate at the side without seeing him followed her intending to at the pausing outside as if in thought she proceeded to a spot where the sun came earliest in spring time and where the north wind never blew it was where the row of stood under the wall her object he waited till she had accomplished it it was the universal custom to wake the bees by tapping at their whenever a death occurred in the household under the belief that if this were not done the bees themselves would pine away and perish during the year as soon as an interior responded to her tap at the first hive mrs hall went on to the second and thus passed down the row as soon as she came back he met her what can i do in this trouble mrs hall he said o � nothing thank you nothing she said in a tearful voice now just perceiving him we have called and her husband and they m l do everything necessary she told him in a few words the particulars of her son s arrival broken in health � indeed at death s very door though they did not suspect it � and suggested as the result of a conversation between her and her daughter that the wedding should be postponed yes of course said i think now to go straight to the inn and tell what has happened it was not till after he had shaken hands with her that he turned hesitatingly and added will you tell the mother of his children that as they are now left i shall be glad to take the eldest of them if it would be any convenience to her and to you mrs hall promised that her son s widow should be told of the offer and they parted he retired down the slope and disappeared in the direction of the inn where he informed of the circumstances meanwhile mrs hall had entered the house sally o was in the sitting room alone and her mother explained to her that had readily assented to the no doubt he has said sally with sad emphasis it is not put off for a week or a month or a year i never marry him and she will iv i i me passed and the household on the became again serene under the influences of daily routine a very correspondence dragged on between sally hall 