She therefore sent to him a message.

Would he kindly go to her in her own room?
Of course he attended to her wishes and went.

"You mean to leave us to-morrow, Fred," she said.

We all know the peculiar solemnity of a widow's dress,--the look of self-sacrifice on the part of the woman which the dress creates; and have perhaps recognised the fact that if the woman be deterred by no necessities of oeconomy in her toilet,--as in such material circumstances the splendour is more perfect if splendour be the object,--so also is the self-sacrifice more abject.

And with this widow an appearance of melancholy solemnity, almost of woe, was natural to her.