The expression of his face was not so much of terror as of mortal sickness . He made a movement to rise , but I do not believe he had enough force left in his body . `` Now , Bill , sit where you are , '' said the beggar . `` If I ca n't see , I can hear a finger stirring . Business is business . Hold out your left hand . Boy , take his left hand by the wrist and bring it near to my right . '' We both obeyed him to the letter , and I saw him pass something from the hollow of the hand that held his stick into the palm of the captain 's , which closed upon it instantly . `` And now that 's done , '' said the blind man ; and at the words he suddenly left hold of me , and with incredible accuracy and nimbleness , skipped out of the parlour and into the road , where , as I still stood motionless , I could hear his stick go tap-tap-tapping into the distance . It was some time before either I or the captain seemed to gather our senses , but at length , and about at the same moment , I released his wrist , which I was still holding , and he drew in his hand and looked sharply into the palm . `` Ten o'clock ! '' he cried . `` Six hours . We 'll do them yet , '' and he sprang to his feet . Even as he did so , he reeled , put his hand to his throat , stood swaying for a moment , and then , with a peculiar sound , fell from his whole height face foremost to the floor . I ran to him at once , calling to my mother . But haste was all in vain . The captain had been struck dead by thundering apoplexy . It is a curious thing to understand , for I had certainly never liked the man , though of late I had begun to pity him , but as soon as I saw that he was dead , I burst into a flood of tears . It was the second death I had known , and the sorrow of the first was still fresh in my heart .
4 The Sea-chest I LOST no time , of course , in telling my mother all that I knew , and perhaps should have told her long before , and we XXXXX ourselves at once in a difficult and dangerous position .
bring burst hear pass ran reeled rise saw sprang take