A GAPING CROWD. 59 



sonic ghostly enemy. " The lad (thought he) is certainly dead ; 

 but there's no knowing, and I can't leave him here to fetch a 

 neighbour and I able to carry him home myself." 



So, though he nothing liked it, and would rather have 

 carried on his brawny back a Daniel Lambert than the shadow 

 of the man now before him, he lifted his light yet onerous 

 burthen, and trudged onwards, whistling as he went to keep 

 up his courage, till, joined on the way by stragglers, he reached 

 the cottage of Dame Huggins. We have already brought him 

 with his escort to her door. 



Had he carried such a burthen home to any other house in 

 the whole village, there would have been shrieks and sobs, 

 hurry and confusion ; but here there were none of these. It 

 was only the body of Tim, the fatherless, motherless, friend- 

 less boy who had abode so long like one dead among the living, 

 and spent in the graveyard so much of his existence living 

 among the dead. There was no frantic alarm, no melting ten- 

 derness for him ; but among the collected and fast-increasing 

 crowd, there was no lack of conjecture and wonder and words 

 -nor of shuddering fear and even repugnance as Joe's 

 history of the morning and partly of the night was passed 

 eagerly from mouth to mouth ; and while the bystanders were 

 all thus busy with their tongues, not one among them not 

 even the women stirred hand or foot to give aid, if aid 

 might be afforded to the unconscious object of all this silly, 

 gaping, heartless curiosity. 



