278 The Wife of Seven Husbands : (Marc, 
fourth husband, and when he did so he found she was unfortunately 
engaged to his immediate forerunner, at whose death he again pressed 
his suit—was accepted, and they were married. After living for about 
six months on the most seemingly loving and comfortable terms, Master 
Shard was one morning found dead in his bed, without any previous 
_ illness or indisposition: this was very strange, at least strange it will 
probably seem to the reader, though it was not so to Mrs. Alice’s 
neighbours, for, wonderful to relate, all her other husbands had died in 
the same way, and under the same circumstances. There had been from 
time to time many various opinions afloat upon this subject, and they 
had become more prevalent, stronger, and of longer lasting upon the 
successive deaths of each of her husbands. The most moderate had 
merely observed, that “ for certes Mrs. Alice was a very unlucky, or a 
very lucky woman,” according to the speaker’s appreciation of wed- 
lock : others looked very wise, and seemed to think a good deal, but 
said very little, generally contenting themselves with observing, “ That 
it really was very odd ;” but again there were others, who—especially on 
the death of Mr. Shard’s predecessor—declared that ‘“ such things were 
clean out of the common run of nature, and that either Mrs. Alice, or 
some one not to be named among Christians, must have bewitched her hus- 
bands,” (and. here the speaker and listeners, especially if females, would 
devoutly cross themselves) “or else some thing or other” (also it seemed 
not to be named among Christians) “ had carried them off in a very odd 
way, to say the least of it ;’ and to this cautious and mysterious opinion 
the generality of the last mentioned sect of gossips, with additional self- 
crossings, assented. Still however, Mrs. Alice’s conduct was so, not only 
unobjectionable, but praiseworthy; she was so pious and charitable a 
woman, so good a neighbour, so kind a friend, and in short, both 
publicly and privately fulfilled all the domestic relations of life, in so 
exemplary a manner, that even the tongues of those who secretly envied 
her wealth, her beauty, and may be her luck, had not as yet dared to 
wag in open scandal against her ; but a sixth recurrence of so extraor- 
dinary an event, it would seem gave sudden loose to their hitherto con- 
fined scruples and tongues; or, perhaps the reason why they more 
freely vented their suspicions or their spite on the present occasion might 
be that Master Shard had been a man of great influence in the city— 
his connexions stood high in the eyes of men, and he had a cousin who 
was sheriff at the time of his death, and who declared when he heard it, 
«by cock’s marrow, he would see into the matter that very moment,” 
and accordingly next morning, for he was just going to sit down to 
dinner when he made the above declaration, he presented himself with 
a posse comitatus at Mrs. Alice’s door—and then the neighbourhood, 
as with one voice, spoke out against her ; for their long held opinion of 
her (at least they said it had been long held) now found the counte- 
nance of power—her piety had been hypocrisy, and they had thought 
so all along—her charity, ostentation—her goodness and kindness, even 
those that had benefited by them, now found some hole to pick in, and 
in plain and pithy English they called her a murderess. 
While this was going on without Mrs. Alice’s doors, another kind of 
scene was taking place within. The sheriff had been readily admitted, 
and was followed not only by the posse of the county, but by a posse of the 
venue (to use, I believe, a strictly lawful phrase), consisting of all sort 
of people, who either had, or thought they had, or thought they shoul 
