"Not a breath or a motion, sir. He went off at the last jist as easy
as a lamb. Never tried to say nothin', nor opened his eyes after you
went down. 'Twould a' been a pity ef you had a' lost more sleep
a-settin' up with him. Ah, well, poor soul! 'taint for us to say
whar he is now. I would hope he is in glory, ef I could. I 'spose
the Almighty knows, and that's enough."

The doctor arrested her hand when she would have covered the face.

"He must have been a fine-looking fellow in his day!" he said, more
to himself than to her. "But he has lived fast, burned himself up
alive with liquor."

"I didn't call nobody, sir, to help me, 'cause nobody couldn't do no
good, and I was afeared of wakin' the gentlemen and ladies, a
trottin' up and downstairs," continued Phillis, bent upon
exculpating herself from all blame in the affair, and mistaking his
momentary pensiveness for displeasure.

"You were quite right, old lady! All the doctors and medicines in
the world could not have pulled him through after the drink and the
snow had had their way with him for so many hours--poor devil! Well!
I'll go back to bed now, and finish my morning nap."

He was at the threshold when he bethought himself of a final
injunction.

"You had better keep an eye upon these things, Aunty!" pointing to
the coat and other garments she had ranged upon chairs to dry in