ODOUR OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS

was murmuring incoherently. The old tears fell in succession
as drops from wet leaves; the woman was not weeping,
merely her tears flowed. Elizabeth embraced the body of her
husband, with cheek and lips. Suddenly she felt jealous that
the mother held his head.

She rose, went into the kitchen, where she poured warm
water into a bowl, brought soap and flannel and a soft towel.

"I must wash him," she said decisively.

Then the old mother rose stiffly, and watched Elizabeth as
she gently washed his face, tenderly, as if he were a child, brushing
the big blonde moustache from his mouth with the flannel.
The old woman, jealous, said :

"Let me wipe him !" -- and she kneeled on the other side
drying slowly as Elizabeth washed, her big black bonnet some-
times brushing the dark head of her daughter. They worked
thus in silence for a long time. Sometimes they forgot it was
death, and the touch of the man's body gave them strange
thrills, different in each of the women; secret thrills that
made them turn one from the other, and left them with a
keen sadness.

At last it was finished. He was a man of handsome figure
and genial face, which showed no traces of the disfigurement
of drink. He was blonde, full-fleshed, with fine round limbs.

"Bless him," whispered his mother, looking always at his
face, "he looks as if he was just waking up. Dear lad -- bless
him!" She spoke in a faint, sibilant rapture.

Elizabeth sank down again to the floor, and put her face
against his neck, and trembled and shuddered till she was
tired. The old woman wept slow, noiseless tears, touching him,
regarding him with endless fondness and unwearying interest.

"White as milk he is, clear as a twelve-month baby, bless
him, the darling !" she whispered to herself. "Not a mark
on him, clear and clean and white, beautiful as ever a child
was made," she murmured with pride. Elizabeth kept her face
hidden.

"He went peaceful, Lizzie -- peaceful as sleep. Isn't it
wonderful ? You'd think he was smiling a bit. 'Appen he
made it all right, Lizzie, shut in there. He'd have time. He
wouldn't look like this if he hadn't made his peace. He's
smiling a bit. Eh, but he used to have a hearty laugh. I loved
to hear it. He's like he was when I had him, Lizzie. The
heartiest laugh he had ---- "

Elizabeth looked up. The man's mouth was fallen back,
slightly open under the cover of the moustache. The eyes,

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