experiment a second time. Long she stood looking upon her, as
if she knew she was looking her last; then she knelt by the
bedside, and hid her face in the coverings — but no tears
came; the struggle in her mind, and her anxious fear for the
morning's trial, made weeping impossible. Her husband at
length came to seek her, and it was well he did; she would
have remained there on her knees all night. He feared
something of the kind, and came to prevent it. Mrs. Montgomery
suffered herself to be led away without making any opposition,
and went to bed as usual; but sleep was far from her. The fear
of Ellen's distress when she should be awakened and suddenly
told the truth, kept her in an agony. In restless wakefulness
she tossed and turned uneasily upon her bed, watching for the
dawn, and dreading unspeakably to see it. The captain, in
happy unconsciousness of his wife's distress, and utter
inability to sympathize with it, was soon in a sound sleep,
and his heavy breathing was an aggravation of her trouble; it
kept repeating, what indeed she knew already, that the only
one in the world who ought to have shared and soothed her
grief was not capable of doing either. Wearied with watching
and tossing to and fro, she at length lost herself a moment in
uneasy slumber, from which she suddenly started in terror, and
seizing her husband's arm to arouse him, exclaimed, "It is
time to wake Ellen!" but she had to repeat her efforts two or
three times before she succeeded in making herself heard.

"What is the matter?" said he, heavily, and not over well
pleased at the interruption.

"It is time to wake Ellen."