'As you didn't marry that man,' she
said to Dorothy, 'I must change it again.' It was in vain that Dorothy
begged her not to trouble herself with such thoughts. 'That's trash,'
said Miss Stanbury, angrily. 'A person who has it is bound to trouble
himself about it. You don't suppose I'm afraid of dying do you?' she
added. Dorothy answered her with some commonplace declaring how
strongly they all expected to see her as well as ever. 'I'm not a bit
afraid to die,' said the old woman, wheezing, struggling with such
voice as she possessed; 'I'm not afraid of it, and I don't think I
shall die this time; but I'm not going to have mistakes when I'm gone.'
This was on the eve of the new year, and on the same night she asked
Dorothy to write to Brooke Burgess, and request him to come to Exeter.
This was Dorothy's letter:
'Exeter, 31st December, 186-.
MY DEAR MR BURGESS,
Perhaps I ought to have written before, to say that Aunt Stanbury is
not as well as we could wish her; but, as I know that you cannot very
well leave your office, I have thought it best not to say anything to
frighten you.
Pages:
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867