the result of my mother's catching cold, by remaining within the walls of
a large damp building, and that building only inhabited for a few hours
once a week. But, while he was anticipating earthly misery by the loss of
the greatest blessing that kind Heaven had ever bestowed upon man, my
angelic mother's soul and body were alike absorbed in the most devout and
earnest prayer. In the mean time, the beautiful rosy hue, that had spread
such a lustre over her fair face, disappeared. My father's intense anxiety
now became so obvious to me that the dreadful uneasiness of mind which he
displayed drew my attention to the paleness which had succeeded the colour
upon her cheek. The instant the clergyman began to pronounce the
concluding prayer, "The peace of God," &c. my father flew across the seat,
while my mother was yet on her knees, joining most fervently and devoutly
in that beautiful sentence, and exclaimed, in a loud half whisper, which
was heard all over the church, "for God's sake! are you not well, my
love!" She appeared surprised at the earnestness of his manner, and rather
hurt at being interrupted in her devotions; but replied, that she was very
well, only a little cold. He hurried her out of the church, and scarcely
gave her time to return the salutations of her neighbours, requesting her
to take his and my arm, and hasten home as fast as possible, to avoid the
effect of a chill which he very much feared that she had taken in the
church.

When we got home she was rather fatigued, but, though the colour that had
adorned her face did not return, she ate her dinner with a good appetite,
and my father began to hope that his fears were groundless. His hope was
soon blighted: my mother suddenly screamed out, saying that she had a
violent pain in one of her feet. She complained of this pain, sometimes in
one foot and sometimes in the other, till bed time; but my father, in
order to hide his own forebodings, endeavoured to rally her, and in a
joking way told her she was going to have the gout. She took some warm