I caught up the bench on which I had been sitting, and, dragging it forward, I mounted it and stood now with my breast on a level with the coffin-lid.
I laid hands on it and found it unfastened.

Without thought or care of how I went about the thing, I raised it and let it crash over to the ground.

It fell on the stone flags with a noise like that of thunder, which boomed and reverberated along the gloomy vault above.
A figure, all in purest white, lay there under my eyes, the face covered by a veil.

With deepest reverence, and a prayer to her sainted soul to forgive the desecration of my loving hands, I tremblingly drew that veil aside.

How beautiful she was in the calm peace of death! She lay there like one gently sleeping, the faintest smile upon her lips, and as I looked it seemed hard to believe that she was truly dead.