composure and firmness enough to go on with what she had to
do, though, knowing the necessity, she strove hard for it. For
several minutes she remained quite silent and quiet,
endeavouring to collect her scattered forces; then sitting
upright and drawing her shawl around her, she exclaimed — "I
must waken Ellen immediately!"

"Waken Ellen!" exclaimed her husband, in his turn; "what on
earth for? That's the very last thing to be done."

"Why, you would not put off telling her until to-morrow
morning?" said Mrs. Montgomery.

"Certainly I would; that's the only proper way to do. Why in
the world should you wake her up, just to spend the whole
night in useless grieving? — unfitting her utterly for her
journey, and doing yourself more harm than you can undo in a
week. No, no; just let her sleep quietly, and you can go to
bed and do the same. Wake her up, indeed! I thought you were
wiser."

"But she will be so dreadfully shocked in the morning!"

"Not one bit more that she would be to-night, and she won't
have so much time to feel it. In the hurry and bustle of
getting off, she will not have time to think about her
feelings; and once on the way, she will do well enough;
children always do."

Mrs. Montgomery looked undecided and unsatisfied.