At my fourth repetition of the question, he said very
faintly, almost inaudibly:
"Yes; still asleep --dying."
It was now the opinion, or rather the wish, of the physicians,
that M. Valdemar should be suffered to remain undisturbed in his
present apparently tranquil condition, until death should supervene
--and this, it was generally agreed, must now take place within a
few minutes. I concluded, however, to speak to him once more, and
merely repeated my previous question.
While I spoke, there came a marked change over the countenance of
the sleep-waker. The eyes rolled themselves slowly open, the pupils
disappearing upwardly; the skin generally assumed a cadaverous hue,
resembling not so much parchment as white paper; and the circular
hectic spots which, hitherto, had been strongly defined in the
centre of each cheek, went out at once. I use this expression, because
the suddenness of their departure put me in mind of nothing so much as
the extinguishment of a candle by a puff of the breath. The upper lip,
at the same time, writhed itself away from the teeth, which it had
previously covered completely; while the lower jaw fell with an
audible jerk, leaving the mouth widely extended, and disclosing in
full view the swollen and blackened tongue. I presume that no member
of the party then present had been unaccustomed to death-bed
horrors; but so hideous beyond conception was the appearance of M.
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