brought out the hideous idea in its full terror, as if he were removing the napkin from the face of a corpse.

“And so you think she’s drowned herself?” he cried. I turned away my face.

“What on earth should the young woman do that for?” exclaimed Silas, his eyes half out of his head with mere surprise. “Why, she has more means than she can use or waste, and lacks nothing to make her comfortable, but a husband, and that’s an article she could have, any day. There’s some mistake about this, I tell you!”

“Come,” said I, shuddering; “let us go and ascertain the truth.”

“Well, well,” answered Silas Foster; “just as you say.