286

DEATH S DOINGS.

change was only the prologue of an unutterabletragedy. In vain her affectionate husband tried toreason her out of these fears—in vain he ex-patiated on the simplicity of her character, on thewhiteness of her conscience, and on her duty tobe thankful to her Creator for the worldly bless-ings he had been pleased to bestow on her. Sheacknowledged the reasonableness of all this, andthen, after a struggle, sank again into her dejec-tion, as though some invisible demon were prac-tising upon her his numbing spells!

Her very beauty was tainted with this melan-choly ; but still she was a lovely creature,—pale,indeed, and too thin for the perfection of femininegrace, though from the outline of her figure it wasevident that nature had intended to fashion hershape in the full luxury of womanhood. Her voicewas sweet beyond expression; and formerly herwords were simple, gentle, timid, even girlish; andfrom the charm of their innocent spell it wasnot possible to escape. Alas! this part of hercharacter was now fearfully altered by the over-informing tyranny of her distemper, which had, as