Forget that; now I shall not leave you again for long." "I am tired; I think I shall sleep." And the light began to fade out of his eyes, and the same kind of dull insensibility, not sleep, crept over him again.
She left him at last in much the same state as she found him; and after a long talk with Mrs.Elton, who was at first a little inclined to be jealous of interference, but came round completely after a while, she left the jail and started for home.
It was a dreary walk, through the snowy roads and under the leaden-coloured sky.

She had to pass through a part of the town which lay close to the river, where the principal shops and warehouses stood.
Passing one of the shops, or as they were generally called, "stores," she remembered some purchases she wanted to make, and went in.

While she was occupied with her business, some loud voices at the further end of the store attracted her attention, and she was aware of a group of men sitting upon barrels and boxes, and keeping up a noisy conversation, mixed with frequent bursts of laughter.
The store was not one of the best class even for Cacouna, but Mrs.
Costello had gone into it because it had a kind of "specialite," for the articles she required.

It was most frequented by rough backwoodsmen and farmers, and to that class the noisy party seemed to belong.

Some little time was necessary to find from a back shop one of the things Mrs.
Costello asked for, and while she waited she could not help but hear what these men were saying.