DEATH OF AARON AND ELISHEBA 141 



Thus he passed his time for a few weeks, when he 

 was seized by a sudden cold, which in a few days 

 developed into an acute type of pneumonia. 



I was in London at the time and was not aware 

 of this, but, feeling anxious about him, I wrote to 

 Dr. Cross, in whose care he was left, and received a 

 note in reply, stating that Aaron was very ill, and 

 not expected to live. I prepared to go to visit him 

 the next day, but just before I left the hotel I 

 received a telegram stating that he was dead. 



The news contained in the letter was a greater 

 shock to me than that in the telegram, for which, 

 in part, the former had prepared me ; but no one can 

 imagine how deeply these evil tidings affected me. 

 I could not bring myself to a full sense of the fact. 

 I was unwilling to believe that I was thus deprived 

 of my devoted friend. I could not realise that 

 fate would be so cruel to me ; but, alas ! it was 

 true. 



Not being present during his short illness or at 

 the time of his death, I cannot relate any of the 

 scenes attending them ; but the kind old keeper who 

 attended him declares that he never became re- 

 conciled to the death of Elisheba, and that his 

 loneliness preyed upon him almost as much as the 

 disease. 



When I looked upon his cold, lifeless body, I felt 

 that I was indeed bereft of one of the dearest and 

 one of the most loyal pets that any mortal had ever 

 known. His fidelity to me had been shown in a 

 hundred ways, and his affections had never wavered. 



