She opened her eyes, and then closed them again with a shudder.
"Sarah," she cried, "have I been dreaming, or is your master dead ?" The two girls turned pale at this, and the elder of them went boldly into the room which her mistress had just left.

She was evidently a young woman who had herself under good control, but she came out sobbing, with her apron to her eyes.
"Come, come," said the man who stood beside Brenton, "haven't you had enough of this?
Come with me; you can return to this house if you wish;" and together they passed out of the room into the crisp air of Christmas morning.

But, although Brenton knew it must be cold, he had no feeling of either cold or warmth.
"There are a number of us," said the stranger to Brenton, "who take turns at watching the sick-bed when a man is about to die, and when his spirit leaves his body, we are there to explain, or comfort, or console.
Your death was so sudden that we had no warning of it.

You did not feel ill before last night, did you ?" "No," replied Brenton.

"I felt perfectly well, until after dinner last night." "Did you leave your affairs in reasonably good order ?" "Yes," said Brenton, trying to recollect.