Mr. Leonard sighed as he turned from the sinless beauty of the sea and sky to the threshold of Naomi Clark 's house . It was very small -- one room below , and a sleeping-loft above ; but a bed had been made up for the sick woman by the down-stairs window looking out on the harbour ; and Naomi lay on it , with a lamp burning at her head and another at her side , although it was not yet dark . A great dread of darkness had always been one of Naomi 's peculiarities . She was tossing restlessly on her poor couch , while Maggie crouched on a box at the foot . Mr. Leonard had not seen her for five years , and he was shocked at the change in her . She was much wasted ; her clear-cut , aquiline features had been of the type which becomes indescribably witch-like in old age , and , though Naomi Clark was barely sixty , she looked as if she might be a hundred . Her hair streamed over the pillow in white , uncared-for tresses , and the hands that plucked at the bed-clothes were like wrinkled claws . Only her eyes were unchanged ; they were as blue and brilliant as ever , but now filled with such agonized terror and appeal that Mr. Leonard 's gentle heart almost stood still with the horror of them . They were the eyes of a creature driven wild with torture , hounded by furies , clutched by unutterable fear . Naomi sat up and dragged at his arm . `` Can you help me ? Can you help me ? '' she gasped imploringly . `` Oh , I thought you 'd never come ! I was skeered I 'd die before you got here -- die and go to hell . I did n't know before today that I was dying . None of those cowards would tell me . Can you help me ? '' `` If I can not , God can , '' said Mr. Leonard gently . He felt himself very helpless and inefficient before this awful terror and frenzy .
He had seen sad death-beds -- troubled death-beds -- ay , and despairing death-beds , but never anything XXXXX this .
although as before below by for like of that to