“Oh, honey!  It jest splits my heart in two, to tell you all this—­”

“Go on, Dyce.”

“The doctor gin me a note to the nuss at the hospital, what ’tended the ward Miss Ellie was in, and I got all her clothes, and packed ’em in a box and brought ’em home.  She told me pretty much what the doctor had said, only she was shore your ma spoke jest before she died, and called twice—­’Ignace!  Ignace!’ She said she was beautiful as a angel and her hair was a wonder to all who saw her, it was so long and so lovely.  She tole me the doctor hissef put a big bunch of white carnations and tuberoses in her hand, after they put her in the coffin, and she looked like a queen.  The doctor wrote you a letter ‘splainin’ everything, and sent it to the postmaster here.  He seemed dreadfull grieved and ’stonished when I tole him how I had left you, and said if he could help you, he would be very glad to do it.  I tole him we would pay his bill, as soon as this here trial bizness was over; and he answered:  ’Tut—­tut; bill indeed!  That poor unfortunate girl need never worry over any bill of mine.  I did all I could for her mother, but the best of us fail sometimes.  Tell that poor child to come and see me, as soon as she gets out of the clutches of those fire-eating devils down South.’  Honey, I couldn’t be satisfied without seeing for myself, where they had laid my dear young mistiss.  I got ’rections from the doctor, and I spent good part of a day huntin’ the cemetery, and at last a man in a uniform showed me Doctor Grantlin’s lot.  Oh, my lamb!  That was the first and only comfort I had, when I stood in front of that grand lovely marble potico—­with great angels kneeling on the four corners, and knew my dear young mistiss was resting in such a beautiful place.  I felt so proud that ole mistiss’ chile was among the best people, sleeping with flowers in her hands, in that white marble house!  I wanted to be shore there warn’t no mistake, and the keeper of the graveyard tole me a lady had been put ‘temporary’ in the vault, four days before.  I had bought a bunch of violets from a flower shop, but I could not get nearer than the door, where some brass rods was stretched like a kind of a net; so I laid my little bunch down on the marble steps, close as I could push it agin the rod; and though I couldn’t see my dear young mistiss, maybe—­up in heaven—­she will know her poor ole mammy did not forgit her, and—­”

The old woman cried bitterly, and one thin hand, white as a snowflake, fell upon her bowed head, and softly stroked her black wrinkled face.  After some minutes, when the paroxysm of weeping had spent itself, Dyce took the hand, kissed it reverently, and pressed into it a package.

“The doctor tole me to put that into your hands.  He said he knew it would be very precious to you, but he felt shore he could trust me to bring it safe.  Now, honey, I know you want to be by yourself, when you read your ma’s last words.  I will go and set in yonder by the fire, till you call me.  My heart aches and swells fit to bust, and I can’t stan’ no more misery jest now, sech as this.”