Behind the trees the fire was going out, here and there
were yellow, vivid streaks yet, but the flaming sun-edge, had dipped
beyond the world, and the purple, delicate veil was dropping down.
A curlew's note broke the silence, wild, mournful, unearthly. Meg
shivered, and sat up straight. Judy's brow, grew damp, her eyes
dilated, her lips trembled.
"Meg!" she said, in a whisper that cut the air. "Oh, Meg, I'm
frightened! MEG, I'm so frightened!"
"God!" said Meg's heart.
"Meg, say something. Meg, help me! Look at the dark, Meg. MEG,
I can't die! Oh, why don't they be quick?"
Nellie flew to the fence again; then to say, "Make her better,
God--oh, please, God!"
"Meg, I can't think of anything to say. Can't you say something,
Meg? Aren't there any prayers about the dying in the Prayer Book?--
I forget. Say something, Meg!"
Meg's lips moved, but her tongue uttered no word.
"Meg, I'm so frightened! I can't think of anything but `For what
we are about to receive,' and that's grace, isn't it? And there's
nothing in Our Father that would do either. Meg, I wish we'd gone
to Sunday-school and learnt things. Look at the dark, Meg! Oh, Meg,
hold my hands!"
"Heaven won't--be--dark," Meg's lips said.
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