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painful interrogatories of Warley, bending her eyes towards the Bible, which
she still held between her hands, as one would cling to a casket of precious
stones, in a shipwreck, or a conflagration. Her mind now reverted to the
future, losing sight, in a great measure, of the scenes of the past.
 We shall not long be parted, Judith, she said;  whenyou die, you must be
brought and buried in the lake, by the side of mother, too.
 Would to God, Hetty, that I lay there at this moment!
 No; that cannot be, Judith; people must die before they have any right to be
buried.  Twould be wicked to bury you, or for you to bury yourself, while
living. Once I thought of burying myself;--God kept me from that sin.
 You!--you, Hetty Hutter, think of such an act! exclaimed Judith, looking up
in uncontrollable surprise, for she well knew nothing passed the lips of her
conscientious sister, that was not religiously true.
 Yes, I did, Judith; but God has forgotten--no heforgets nothing--but he
hasforgiven it, returned the dying girl, with the subdued manner of a
repentant child.   Twas mother s death; I felt I had lost the best friend I
had on earth, if not theonly friend.  Tis true, you and father were kind to
me, Judith, but I was so feeble-minded, I knew I should only give you trouble;
and then you were so often ashamed of such a sister and daughter; and  tis
hard to live in a world where all look upon you as below them. I thought then,
if I could bury myself by the side of mother, I should be happier in the lake,
than in the hut.
Forgive me--pardon me, dearest Hetty; on my bended knees, I beg you to pardon
me, sweet sister, if any word or act of mine drove you to so maddening and
cruel a thought!
 Get up, Judith; kneel to God--don t kneel to me. Just so I felt, when mother
was dying. I remembered every thing I had said and done to vex her, and could
have kissed her feet for forgiveness. I think it must be so with all dying
people; though, now I think of it, I don t remember to have had such feelings
on account of father.
Judith arose, hid her face in her apron, and wept. A long pause--one of more
than two hours--succeeded, during which, Warley entered and left the cabin
several times; apparently uneasy when absent, and yet unable to remain. He
issued various orders, which his men proceeded to execute; and there was an
air of movement in the party, more especially as Mr. Craig, the lieutenant,
had got through with the unpleasant duty of burying the dead, and had sent for
instructions from the shore, desiring to know what he was to do with his
detachment. During this interval, Hetty slept a little, and Deerslayer and
Chingachgook left the ark to confer together. But, at the end of the time
mentioned, the surgeon passed upon the platform; and with a degree of feeling
his comrades had never before observed in one of his habits, he announced that
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the patient was rapidly drawing near her end. On receiving this intelligence,
the group collected again; curiosity to witness such a death--or a better
feeling--drawing to the spot, men who had so lately been actors in a scene
seemingly of so much greater interest and moment. By this time, Judith had got
to be inactive, through grief; and Hist alone was performing the little
offices of feminine attention that are so appropriate to the sick bed. Hetty
herself had undergone no other apparent change, than the general failing that
indicated the near approach of dissolution. All that she possessed of mind was
as clear as ever; and, in some respects, her intellect, perhaps, was more than
usually active.
 Don t grieve for me so much, Judith, said the gentle sufferer, after a
pause in her remarks;  I shall soon see mother: I think I see hernow; her face
is just as sweet and smiling as it used to be! Perhaps when I m dead, God will
give me all my mind, and I shall become a more fitting companion for mother
than I ever was before.
 You will be an angel in heaven, Hetty, sobbed the sister;  no spirit there
will be more worthy of its holy residence!
 I don t understand it quite; still I know it must be all true; I ve read it
in the Bible. How dark it s becoming! Can it be night so soon? I can hardly
see you at all; where is Hist?
 I here, poor girl; why you no see me?
 I do see you; but I couldn t tell whether  t was you or Judith. I believe I
sha n t see you much longer, Hist.
 Sorry for that, poor Hetty. Never mind; pale-face got a heaven for girl, as
well as for warrior.
 Where s the Serpent? Let me speak to him; give me his hand; so; I feel it.
Delaware, you will love and cherish this young Indian woman; I know how fond
she is ofyou; and you must be fond ofher . Don t treat her as some of your
people treat their wives; be a real husband to her. Now, bring Deerslayer near
me; give mehis hand. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]