The character of the breathing changed toward two o clock in<br >the morning. At once the priest was on his feet， while one of<br >the female figures in the background melted from the room<br >with the peculiar urgency of the summoner. Of the other two<br >left there one was a uniformed nurse， the other a very old<br >woman， servant of the dying one. Both， as well as the priest，<br >had risen at the warning note of respiration; the nurse taking<br >a sort of quick obligatory step toward the bed， then stopping<br >as quickly in a manner that said， No use. The priest on the<br >other hand approached more closely， but his attitude was not<br >of help， only observation. Was this really the moment， the<br >time for the final farewell... ? As if in answer the breathing<br >became different again， no longer breathing but another<br >sound， harsh， awful， punctuating the silence with a rhythm<br >strangely regular but running down..， no longer any doubt，<br >one could not question the death-rattle. At this moment， and<br >just in time， the summoner returned in the wake of two eld-<br >erly figures in dressing-gowns hastily and irregularly buttoned<br >up. The moment they cleared the doorway they fell on their<br >knees; already the priest was intoning the great exordium of<br >the Church， Profitiseere anirna ehristiana de hoe mundo . . .<br >"Go forth， Christian soul， out of this world in the name of<br >God the Father Almighty who created you; in the name of<br >13<br >qt<br ><br >