Summary

As the mourners walked down the aisle, the spectators felt deep awe and fear for what they saw. When the procession reached the aisle, it parted into two groups and revealed Mr. Ellenwood, now in the church, wearing a shroud as if he were a corpse. Ellenwood himself seemed grave and corpse-like in presentation. Mr. Ellenwood stood motionless but began speaking to Dabney. Ellenwood said that after he and Dabney married, he wanted them to leave the church together and go to their coffins. Dabney was horrified at Ellenwood’s statement. The scene itself suddenly seemed to express the futility of trying to avoid aging and death. After a shocked silence, the clergyman said that Ellenwood must not be feeling well and that the wedding ceremony should be postponed. Mr. Ellenwood dismissed this idea. He said that he was neither mad nor mocking...