Page:The Wizard of Wall Street and his Wealth.djvu/224

 Outside of the house Fifth avenue and Forty-seventh street were crowded with inquisitive men and women, who were grievously disappointed because they were not allowed to enter to look at the face of the dead and to stare at the trappings of wealth. But the policemen who guarded the entrance were inexorable, and there was nothing to do but to stand on the pavement and gaze at those who entered and at the walls and windows.

In the early morning there were many callers at the house. Most of them were from out of town, and had come to attend the funeral services. They were met at the door by George Gould. Those who desired were permitted to go upstairs and look at the face of the dead. The body was in the rear bedroom on the second floor. It had not been disturbed since it was first lifted from the bed where Mr. Gould died on Friday morning. It was in a mahogany box surrounded by flowers and covered with a black cloth. A servant stood at the head and lifted the cloth for each visitor. None of the callers staid more than a few minutes. They went across the street to the Windsor Hotel to await the hour for the holding of the services.

About 10 o'clock Undertaker Main called with two assistants. A moment later a wagon drove up to the Forty-seventh street basement entrance, and the coffin was carried into the house and up to the room where the body was. The wagon stood there an hour, and then the men who had gone in with Undertaker Main carried out the mahogany case and