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"I see," I said, a little faintly

Ja deep into the dirt It was loa was easy At last, without breaking the swing of the blade, he said, "Brianna told me a story she’d read once I dinna recall all about it, quite, but there was a murder done, only the person killed was a wicked man, who had driven someone to it And at the end, when the teller of the tale was asked what should be done, he said, ‘Let pass the justice of God’ "

I nodded I was in agreeh it seemed a trifle hard on the person who found himself required to be the instrument of such justice

"Do you suppose that’s what it was, in this case? Justice?"

He shook his head; not in negation, but in puzzle I watched him for a bit, soothed by his nearness and by the hypnotic rhyth o and lay out the body and clear up the loft," I said reluctantly, drawing my feet under me to rise "We can’t leave that poor woman alone with such a mess, no matter what she did"

"No, wait, Sassenach," Jalanced at the house, a little warily "I’ll go in with ye, in a bit For now"--he nodded toward the edge of the wood--"d’ye think ye could fetch a few stones for the cairn?"

A cairn? I was htly surprised at this; it seemed an unnecessary elaboration for the late Mr Beardsley Still, there were undoubtedly wolves in the wood; I’d seen scats on the trail two days before It also occurred toan honorable excuse for ain--in which case, hauling rocks seehly desirable alternative

Fortunately, there was no shortage of suitable rocks I fetched the heavy canvas apron that I wore for surgery froan to trundle to and fro, an ant collecting laborious cru the house had begun to seeh, so I kept on

I stopped finally, gasping, and duround by the deepening grave The shadoere falling long across the dooryard, and the air was cold enough that , in view of the various scrapes and nicks on the a disheveled mass of hair off my own face "Has Mrs Beardsley coet his breath back before replying

"No," he said, in a voice so hoarse I could scarcely hear hioats I daresay it’s war is hard work; his shirt was clinging to his body, soaked through in spite of the coldness of the day, and his face was flushed--with labor, I hoped, rather than fever His fingers hite and as stiff as h; it took a visible effort for him to uncurl theh," I said, surveying his work I would es in the soft earth, but slipshod as never Jae your shirt at once You’re wringing wet; you’ll catch a terrible chill"

He didn’t bother arguing, but took up the spade and carefully neatened the corners of the hole, shaping the sides to keep the inward

The shadows under the pine trees were growing thick, and the chickens had all gone to roost, feathery blobs perched in the trees like bunches of brown mistletoe The forest birds had fallen silent, too, and the shadow of the house fell long and cold across the new grave I hugged my elbows, and shivered at the quiet

Ja me He climbed up out of the hole, and stood still for aeariness Then he opened his eyes and smiled tiredly at me

"Let’s finish, then," he said

WHETHER THE OPEN DOOR had indeed allowed the deceased’s spirit to flee, or whether it was only that Ja the house now The fire had gone out, and the kitchen was cold and di evil within It was simplyempty

Mr Beardsley’s mortal remains rested peacefully under one of his own trade blankets, mute and still Empty, too

Mrs Beardsley had declined to assist with the for as her husband’s body remained inside--so I swept the hearth, kindled a new fire, and coaxed it into reluctant life, while Jamie took care of the ain, I had turned to the rotesque than he had in life; the twisted lione Jah when I peeked beneath it, I could see that there was no gory h the blind eye, and the ball had not burst the skull The good eye was closed now, the blackened wound left staring I laid the towel gently back over the face, its symmetry restored in death

Jamie climbed down the ladder, and cabehindover the fire to heat "I’ll e here"

He nodded, stripped off his sodden, filthy shirt, and dropped it on the hearth I listened to the shed now and then, but his breathing sounded somewhat easier than it had outside in the cold

"I didna ken it ht an apoplexy would kill a ht"

"So as I concentrated on the job at hand "Most often that’s the way of it, in fact"