Further, Parson Hooper conducts a funeral for a young woman after his church services had concluded. This is not only another mention of death, but Hooper’s actions are both bizarre and suspicious at the end of the service. Hooper had bent over the corpse to say one last goodbye, and one attendee had claimed to witness the corpse shudder at the sight of his face under the veil (). Following this, the funeral prayer was a dark prayer, speaking of being prepared for death, however Hooper still manages to mention the prospect of “celestial hopes” that follow death. During the procession, mourners had felt that they had seen the Parson walking with the ghost of the dead woman, hand in hand (). The funeral could well have been the funeral of
