`You must take care of her, Tom... don't you fret, my wench... there'll come somebody as'll love you and take your part... and you must be good to her, my lad - I was good to my sister. Kiss me, Maggie... Come, Bessy... You'll manage to pay for a brick grave, Tom, so as your mother and me can lie together.'

He looked away from them all when he had said this, and lay silent for some minutes, while they stood watching him, not daring to move. The morning light was growing clearer for them, and they could see the heaviness gathering in his face, and the dullness in his eyes. But at last he looked towards Tom and said,

`I had my turn - I beat him. That was nothing but fair. I never wanted anything but what was fair.'

`But, father, dear father,' said Maggie, an unspeakable anxiety predominating over her grief, `You forgive him - you forgive every one now?'

He did not move his eyes to look at her, but he said,

`No, my wench. I don't forgive him... What's forgiving to do? I can't love a raskill... '

His voice had become thicker; but he wanted to say more, and moved his lips again and again, struggling in vain to speak. At length the words forced their way.

`Does God forgive raskills?... but if He does, He won't be hard wi' me.'

His hands moved uneasily, as if he wanted them to remove some obstruction that weighted upon him. Two or three times there fell from him some broken words--

`This world's... too many... honest man... puzzling... '

Soon they merged into mere mutterings; the eyes had ceased to discern; and then came the final silence.

But not of death. For an hour or more the chest heaved, the loud hard breathing continued, getting gradually slower, as the cold dews gathered on the brow.

At last there was total stillness, and poor Tulliver's dimly-lighted soul had for ever ceased to be vexed with the painful riddle of this world.

Help was come now: Luke and his wife were there, and Mr Turnbull had arrived, too late for everything but to say, `This is death.'

Tom and Maggie went downstairs together into the room where their father's place was empty. Their eyes turned to the same spot, and Maggie spoke:

`Tom, forgive me - let us always love each other,' and they clung and wept together.