Here and there arose a simple shaft or a
light column, and the graves of the household were bordered by a green
hedge or surrounded by shadowing trees.
As Emily passed through the familiar walks, she came suddenly to a
grave in the remote corner of the cemetery, beside which sat a
solitary mourner. A small white slab lay upon the centre of the green
mound and at its head grew a rose bush in bloom, bending, till its
weight of white buds and blossoms touched the long bright grass upon
the grave. Emily attracted by its simply beauty, and drawing near, she
stooped down and read upon the marble slab, "Dear Mina." Her young
eyes filled instantly with tears, for she knew that it was the darling
child of a lady who to her was a stranger. As she turned away from the
spot she met a lady approaching, who passed her and kneeled down
beside the grave. She thought she would speak to the lady, and with
tender sympathy she asked, "Was it your child?"
The lady, who was deep in thought, looked up at the sound of Emily's
earnest voice, and answered, softly, "yes; 'Dear Mina' was my only
child.
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