He was about to embrace her; but he dared not disturb
her. He knelt down at the foot of the bed, and in an agony besought
his God to have mercy on him. "God have mercy on me! God have mercy
on her!" That was all he could say--nothing else, although he had
been used to praying habitually. His face was upon her feet, as she
lay stretched out there, and he softly uncovered one of them, so
gently that she could not perceive it. Spotlessly white it was, and
once upon a time she was so attractive to him because she was so
exquisitely scrupulous! He bent his lips over it, kissed it--she
stirred, but did not wake; a great cry almost broke from him, but he
stifled it and rose. There was a knock at the door, and he started.
It was Mrs. Carter.
"Come," she said as he went out, "you have been here long enough.
Poor dear man!--there, there--of course it's hard to bear--poor dear
man!"--and the good creature put her hand affectionately on his
shoulder.
"I don't know how it is," she continued, wiping her eyes with her
apron, "I can't a-bear to see a man cry. It always upsets me. My
husband ain't done it above once or twice in his life, and, Lord, I'd
sooner a cried myself all night long.
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