And so it was.  Death had stolen upon Eugene Field as he slept.  And so they found him, lying in a natural position, his hands clasped over his heart, his head turned to one side, and his lips half parted, as if about to speak.

It was just such a death as he had often said would be his choice.  Just a dropping to sleep here and an awakening yonder.  The doctor said it was heart-failure, resulting from a sudden spasm of pain.  But the face bore no trace of pain.  The moan that wakened Daisy was probably that sigh with which mortal parts with mortality—­the parting breath between life and death, which will scarcely stir a feather and yet will awaken the soundest sleeper.  To my mind Eugene Field died as his father, “of physical exhaustion, a deterioration of the bodily organs, and an incapacity on their part to discharge the vital functions—­a wearing out of the machine before the end of the term for which its duration was designed.”

And thus there passed from the midst of us as gentle and genial a spirit as ever walked the earth.  I know not why his death should recall that memorable scene of Mallory’s, the death of Launcelot, unless it be that Field considered it the most beautiful passage in English literature: 

So when sir Bors and his fellowes came to his bed, they found him starke dead, and hee lay as hee had smiled, and the sweetest savour about him that ever they smelled.  Then was there weeping and wringing of hands, and the greatest dole they made that ever made men....

Then went sir Bors unto sir Ector, and told him how there lay his brother sir Launcelot dead.  And then sir Ector threw his shield, his sword, and his helme from him; and when hee beheld sir Launcelot’s visage hee fell down in a sowne, and when hee awaked it were hard for any tongue to tell the dolefull complaints that hee made for his brother.  “Ah, sir Launcelot,” said hee, “thou were head of all Christian knights!  And now, I dare say,” said sir Ector, “that, sir Launcelot there thou liest, thou were never matched of none earthly knights hands; and thou were the curtiest that ever beare shield; and thou were the truest friend to thy lover that ever bestrood horse, and thou were the truest lover of a sinful man that ever loved woman; and thou were the kindest man that ever strooke with sword; and thou were the goodliest person that ever came among presse of knights; and thou were the meekest man and the gentlest that ever eate in hall among ladies; and thou were the sternest knight to thy mortall foe that ever put speare in the rest.”

Then there was weeping and dolour out of measure.