He had a most pleasing voice.
"Say it again!" I cried, petulantly.
"Peace be to this house, and to all that dwell in it," he repeated
slowly, and with slightly upraised hand.
"That's Rubens and all," was my comment.
As I wished, the rector prayed by my bedside; and I think he must have
been rather astonished by the fact that at points which struck me I
rather groaned than said, "Amen." The truth is, I had once happened to
go into a cottage where our old rector was praying by the bed of a
sick old man--a Methodist--who groaned "Amen" at certain points in a
manner which greatly impressed me, and I now did likewise, in that
imitativeness of childhood which had helped to lead me to the fancy
for surrounding my own sick bed with all the circumstances I had seen
and heard of in such cases in the village. For this reason I had (to
her hardly concealed distress) given Nurse Bundle, from time to time,
directions as to my wishes in the event of my death. I remember
especially, that I begged she would not fail to cover up all the
furniture with white cloths, and to allow all my friends to come and
see me in my coffin. Thus also I groaned and said "Amen"--"like a poor
person"--at what I deemed suitable points, as the rector prayed.
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