recalled to the sense of what was passing.

"Oh, Norman!" Then springing up, with a sudden thought, "Mr. Ward!
Oh! is he there?"

"Yes," said Norman, in a low hopeless tone, "he was at the place.
He said it--"

"What?"

Again Norman's face was out of sight.

"Mamma?" Ethel's understanding perceived, but her mind refused to
grasp the extent of the calamity. There was no answer, save a
convulsive squeezing of her hand.

Fresh sounds below recalled her to speech and action.

"Where is she? What are they doing for her? What--"

"There's nothing to be done. She--when they lifted her up, she
was--"

"Dead?"

"Dead."

The boy lay with his face hidden, the girl sat by him on the floor,
too much crushed for even the sensations belonging to grief, neither
moving nor looking. After an interval Norman spoke again, "The