"Such a thought," she said, "will never occur to her nor to any one else
in Mizora. I have not asked the particulars, but I know that everything
was done that could have been done to save her. There must have been
something extraordinarily unusual about the affair for all Mizora girls
are expert swimmers, and there is not one but would put forth any
exertion to save a companion."
I afterward learned that such had really been the case.
It developed upon the Preceptress to break the news to the afflicted
mother. It was done in the seclusion of her own home. There was no
manifestation of morbid curiosity among acquaintances, neighbors and
friends. The Preceptress and one or two others of her nearest and most
intimate friends called at the house during the first shock of her
bereavement.
After permission had been given to view the remains, Wauna and I called
at the house, but only entered the drawing-room. On a low cot, in an
attitude of peaceful repose, lay the breathless sleeper. Her mother and
sisters had performed for her the last sad offices of loving duty, and
lovely indeed had they made the last view we should have of their dear
one.
There was to be no ceremony at the house, and Wauna and I were in the
cemetery when the procession entered. As we passed through the city, I
noticed that every business house was closed. The whole city was
sympathizing with sorrow. I never before saw so vast a concourse of
people. The procession was very long and headed by the mother, dressed
and veiled in black. Behind her were the sisters carrying the body. It
rested upon a litter composed entirely of white rosebuds. The sisters
wore white, their faces concealed by white veils. Each wore a white
rosebud pinned upon her bosom. They were followed by a long procession
of young girls, schoolmates and friends of the dead. They were all
dressed in white, but were not veiled. Each one carried a white rosebud.
The sisters placed the litter upon rests at the side of the grave, and
clasping hands with their mother, formed a semicircle about it. They
were all so closely veiled that their features could not be seen, and no
emotion was visible. The procession of young girls formed a circle
inclosing the grave and the mourners, and began chanting a slow and
sorrowful dirge. No words can paint the pathos and beauty of such a
scene. My eye took in every detail that displayed that taste for the
beautiful that compels the Mizora mind to mingle it with every incident
of life. The melody sounded like a chorus of birds chanting, in perfect
unison, a weird requiem over some dead companion.
DIRGE
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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