"Not ," said Caroline

She rose, and went abruptly room again Rebecca also rose and hurried after her, sobbing loudly

Henry looked slowly after them

"Caroline is completely unstrung," said he Mrs Brigham rocked confidence in him inspired by his manner was stealing over her Out confidence she spoke quite easily and naturally

"His death was very sudden," said she

Henry's eyelids quivered slightly but his gaze was unswerving

"Yes," said he; " very sudden sick only few hours "

"What did you call it ? "

"Gastric "

" think of an examination ? "

" no need perfectly certain cause death "

Suddenly Mrs Brigham felt creep as of some live horror over her very soul Her flesh prickled with cold, before an inflection voice She rose, tottering on weak knees

"Where going ? " asked Henry in strange, breathless voice

Mrs Brigham said something incoherent about some sewing which she had , some black funeral, and was room She went front chamber which she occupied Caroline was there She went close to her and took her hands, two sisters looked at

"Don't speak, don't, I won't have it ! " said Caroline finally in an awful whisper

"I won't," replied Emma

That afternoon the three sisters were study, the large front room ground floor across the hall south parlor, dusk deepened

Mrs Brigham was hemming some black material She sat close west window waning light At last she laid her work on her lap

"It's no use, I to sew another stitch until light," said she

Caroline, who was writing some letters table, turned to Rebecca, in her usual place sofa

"Rebecca, you had better get lamp," she said

Rebecca started up; even dusk her face showed her agitation

"It doesn't seem that lamp quite yet," she said in piteous, pleading voice like child's

"Yes, ," returned Mrs Brigham peremptorily " light finish this to-night or 't go funeral, and 't see to sew another stitch "

"Caroline to write letters, and farther window than ," said Rebecca

" trying to save kerosene or lazy, Rebecca Glynn ? " cried Mrs Brigham " go and get the light myself, but this work all in my lap "

Caroline's pen stopped scratching

"Rebecca, the light," said she

"Had we better have it in here ? " asked Rebecca weakly

" ! ? " cried Caroline sternly

" I don't want my sewing other room, when all cleaned up for to-morrow," said Mrs Brigham

"Why, I never heard such to-do about lighting lamp "

Rebecca rose and left the room Presently she entered with lamp-- large one with white porcelain shade She set it on table, an old-fashioned card-table placed against the opposite wall window That wall was clear of bookcases and books, which were only on three sides room That opposite wall was taken up with three doors, the one small space being occupied table Above the table old-fashioned paper, of white satin gloss, traversed by an indeterminate green scroll, hung quite high small gilt and black-framed ivory miniature taken in her girlhood mother family lamp was set table beneath it, the tiny pretty face painted ivory seemed to gleam out with look of intelligence

"What put that lamp over there for ? " asked Mrs Brigham, with more of impatience than her voice usually revealed "Why didn't you set it hall and with it Neither Caroline nor table "

" perhaps move," replied Rebecca hoarsely

"If move, 't both sit table Caroline has her paper all spread around Why don't you set the lamp study table middle room, then both see ? "

Rebecca hesitated Her face was very pale She looked with an appeal that was fairly agonizing at her sister Caroline

"Why don't you put the lamp table, as she says ? " asked Caroline, almost fiercely "Why act so, Rebecca ? "

" think ask her that," said Mrs Brigham "She doesn't act like herself at all "

Rebecca took the lamp and set it table middle room without another word Then she turned her back upon it quickly and seated herself sofa, and placed hand over her eyes to shade them, and remained so

"Does the light hurt your eyes, reason why you didn't want the lamp ? " asked Mrs Brigham kindly

"I always like to sit dark," replied Rebecca chokingly Then she snatched her handkerchief hastily from her pocket and began to weep Caroline continued to write, Mrs Brigham to sew

Suddenly Mrs Brigham as she sewed glanced opposite wall The glance became steady stare She looked intently, her work suspended in her hands Then she looked away again and took few more stitches, then she looked again, and again turned to her task At last she laid her work in her lap and stared concentratedly She looked wall around the room, taking note various objects; she looked wall long and intently Then she turned to her sisters

"What ? " said she

"What ? " asked Caroline harshly; her pen scratched loudly across the paper

Rebecca gave one of her convulsive gasps

"That strange shadow wall," replied Mrs Brigham

Rebecca sat with her face hidden: Caroline dipped her pen inkstand

"Why don't you turn around and look ? " asked Mrs Brigham in wondering and somewhat aggrieved way

" in hurry to finish this letter, if Mrs Wilson Ebbit is going word funeral," replied Caroline shortly

Mrs Brigham rose, her work slipping floor, and she began walking around the room, moving various articles of furniture, with her eyes shadow

Then suddenly she shrieked out:

"Look awful shadow ! it ? Caroline, look, look ! Rebecca, look ! IT ? "

All Mrs Brigham's triumphant placidity was gone Her handsome face was livid with horror She stood stiffly pointing shadow

"Look ! " said she, pointing her finger at it "Look ! it ? "

Then Rebecca burst out in wild wail after shuddering glance wall:

"Oh, Caroline, there again ! There again ! "

"Caroline Glynn, you look ! " said Mrs Brigham "Look ! What dreadful shadow ? "

Caroline rose, turned, and stood confronting the wall

"How should ? " she said

" there every night since he died," cried Rebecca

"Every night ? "

"Yes He died Thursday and Saturday; that makes three nights," said Caroline rigidly She stood holding herself calm with vise of concentrated will

"It--it looks like--like--" stammered Mrs Brigham in tone of intense horror

" what it looks like well enough," said Caroline "I've got eyes in my head "

"It looks like Edward," burst out Rebecca in sort of frenzy of fear "Only--"

"Yes, it does," assented Mrs Brigham, whose horror-stricken tone matched her sister's, "only-- Oh, awful ! it, Caroline ? "

"I again, how should ? " replied Caroline " it there like you How should any more than you ? "

"It something room," said Mrs Brigham, staring wildly around

"We moved everything room the first night it came," said Rebecca; " anything room "

Caroline turned upon her with sort of fury " something room," said she "How you act ! What by talking so ? something room "

" , ," agreed Mrs Brigham, looking at Caroline suspiciously " it only coincidence It just happens so Perhaps it fold window curtain that makes it It something room "

" anything room," repeated Rebecca with obstinate horror

The door opened suddenly and Henry Glynn entered He began , then his eyes followed the direction others' He stood stock still staring shadow wall life size and stretched across the white parallelogram of door, half across the wall space the picture hung

"What ? " he demanded in strange voice

"It due to something room, Mrs Brigham said faintly

" due to anything room," said Rebecca again shrill insistency of terror

"How you act, Rebecca Glynn," said Caroline

Henry Glynn stood and stared moment longer His face showed gamut of emotions--horror, conviction, then furious incredulity Suddenly he began hastening hither and thither room He moved the furniture with fierce jerks, turning ever the effect shadow wall Not line terrible outlines wavered

"It something room ! " he declared in voice which seemed to snap like lash