James T. Boulton
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and she must be ready, and whatever happened, she must not
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forget the children. "They'll lay him in the parlour," she
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said to herself, standing a moment pale and perplexed. 4
Then she lighted a candle and went into the tiny room.
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The air was cold and damp, but she could not make a fire, there
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was no fireplace. She set down the candle and looked round.
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There was a sofa, and four chairs, and a chiffonier, and the
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room was crowded. The candle-light glittered on the lustre-
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glasses, and on the two glass vases that held some of the pink
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chrysanthemums. There was a cold deathly smell of chrysan-
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themums in the room. Elizabeth stood looking at the flowers.
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Vaguely, they recalled her wedding. She turned away, and
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calculated whether they would have room to lay him on the
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floor, between the couch and the chiffonier. She pushed the
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couch down against the narrow wall, and put the chairs at that
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end also. There would be room to lay him down and to step
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round him. Then she fetched the old red table-cloth, and
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another old cloth, spreading them down to save her bit of
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carpet. She shivered on leaving the parlour; so, from the
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dresser drawer she took a clean shirt and put it at the fire to air.
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All the time her mother-in-law was rocking herself in the chair
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and moaning. 23
"You'll have to move from there, mother," said Elizabeth.
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"They'll be bringing him in. Come in the rocker." 25
The old mother rose mechanically, and seated herself by the
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fire, continuing to "keen." The parlour door was open, and
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inside it looked very dim and cold, with one yellow candle on
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the dark red chiffonier. Elizabeth went into the pantry for
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another candle, and there, in the little place under the naked
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