she was fond of him. I couldn't help pitying her a little, for I knew that he had never cared a mite for her and had never troubled to disguise the fact. I left the trees and the red pool and the struggling caterpillar, for I knew that she would never leave me alone, now that her "poor boy" was asking for me. Yet, a week ago there was nothing she wouldn't have done to keep us apart. She thought me responsible for his ways, as though any mortal man could have kept him off a likely woman when his appetite was up. I think it must have been the first time I had entered their cottage by the front door, since I came to the village ten years ago. I threw an amused glance at his window. I thought I could see the marks on the wall of the ladder we'd used the week before.

We'd had a little difficulty in putting it straight, but his mother slept sound. He had brought the ladder down from the barn, and when he'd got safely in, I carried it up there again. But you could never trust his word. He'd lie to his best friend, and when I reached the barn I found the girl had gone.

If he couldn't bribe you with his mother's money, he'd bribe you with other people's promises. 

I began to feel uneasy directly I got inside the door. It was natural that the house should be quiet, for the pair of them never had any friends to stay, although the old woman had a sister-in-law living only a few miles away. But I didn't like the sound of the doctor's feet, as he came downstairs to meet us. He'd twisted his face into a pious solemnity for our benefit, as though there was something holy about death, even about the death of my friend. 

He's conscious," he said, "but he's going. There's nothing I can do. If you want him to die in peace, better let his friend go along up. He's frightened about something."

• This boy is dying and has been sneaking around with a girl, and this boy that the woman was after is his friend.
• The author now expects us to believe that the man that is dying is actually a lying and manipulative person. The author wants us to react to the fact that the narrator is going to help out his friend, even though apparently the man wasn't exactly the best friend the narrator could have. The author wants us to be curious as to what is wrong with the man.
• the author wanted to evoke a little pity for the mother when he says that her son never cared a mite about her, and didn't try to hide it. the author also has me incredibly curious about what her son is dying of and what he is afraid of.
• What does he mean "bribe you with other people's promises"?
• So our narrator looks like he might be a boy, but I'm not sure. I understand now how crooked the son in the story is, but he must have some good if he has a best friend who stays despite being lied to. What is he so afraid of?
• I wonder what he means when he says 'there was something holy about death, even about the death of my friend'. I'm assuming he does pass away after reading this line.
• Now the author gives is a hint about whether the person is a guy or a girl: "She thought me responsible for his ways, as though any mortal man could have kept him off a likely woman when his appetite was up." It make it seem the person is actually a man.
• The man is uncomfortable because in all these years he had been friends with the sick guy, he never entered by the front door, he only sneaked in to help his friend go back home without his mother notice it.
• The doctor seems to think he is actually dying and his friend should be allowed to see him for one last time.
• For this section, I believe the author wanted the reader, or at least I did, to feel pity, to feel bad for the friend. As the character walks through the house reminiscing the things they had done together, learning that his best friend was dying, and was near the end. This section was just sad for the main character. Also, I am curious to find out why the mother and child don't have a good relationship. What happen to cause that tension, even for the friend?
• For this section, I believe the author wanted the reader, or at least I did, to feel pity, to feel bad for the friend. As the character walks through the house reminiscing the things they had done together, learning that his best friend was dying, and was near the end. This section was just sad for the main character. Also, I am curious to find out why the mother and child don't have a good relationship. What happen to cause that tension, even for the friend?
• I feel like the guy has probably done something to hurt this girl because she talks about sneaking into his house to see him and everything and then all of a sudden it just stops. What does his friend have to do with what is wrong though?
• In this section it appears that the narrator really does believe something is wrong when he enters the house. We also learn that the son in the story hates his mother and his mother hates the narrator for being a bad influence.
• This younger boy is dying and while he's on his death bed, his wish is to see the main character. Obviously their relationship must be quite close and the main character seems like he's going to go relieve the younger man about the pain that he is in for some reason.
• the mother blames her sons friend for his actions and the man wonders why she would want him around her son when she spent her time keeping them apart. Her son doesn't seem like a trustful person, it makes me wonder if these two are true friends. The son is about to die, and for some reason, they believe seeing his friend may help him die in piece.
• He finally got up to go help her but he wasn't too happy about it. He started talking about how he went to their cottage and went through the front door for the first time, so there is indeed a past between these two, (or three). The woman was right, her son was frightened about something and the doctor couldn't do anything about it. But what was he frightened of? Was he abused?
• In this part it is a little more details about the behavior of the mother. There is an issue about money. I think the narrator is leading the characters with his own words and opinions that might not come from the characters, perhaps the narrator have a connection or relationship with the son.
• What is the man frightened about?
• Is there anyway that this person can be saved?
• Its weird that they dont have any friends considering that they are in a small village, i would assume that everyone knows eachother
• This section elaborates a bit more on the sick person. It seems to me that the son is a mean and cunning. Another thing is that the old woman says that her son is quite frightened about something so this makes me wonder what.
• So now it seems the title of this story is not referring to murder, but instead natural death. This is unexpected. I am now wondering why the son is frightened and whether it's because he is dying or because he is afraid of what will happen to his mother in his absence. It is also confusing to me what the narrator is referring to when he talks about how "If he couldn't bribe you with his mother's money, he'd bribe you with other people's promises." This confuses me and makes me wonder what the dying sons intentions are when he asked to see the narrator.
• Well, I guess that answers that the speaker is just a friend to the son. Although they are friends, the speaker seems to have a large mistrust of the dying son. He still believes that the son could just be lying about being sick.
• In this section you can tell that the ill man and the man from under the tree are really good friends, and that the only person the ill man seems to trust at this point is the other man involved in the story at this point. You can tell that things are getting serious. the author might be hinting at the fact that because the title is called second death and that the lady and the man from the tree is hinting to the fact that people think he is bad news, maybe that it could be that its the second death in the life of the man from under the tree.
• This section makes you believe that the son is truly dying because the doctor sounds certain that he is. The author makes the narrator have a sense of amusement since only he knows that he has been in the cottage before when he helped the woman's son sneak back in through a window.
• At this point I think it's clear that the man and the woman's son are friends or acquaintances of some sort, it seems like they've known each other for awhile and have got into mischief. It also seems strange that this 30 year old man needs help sneaking out of his house, he is 30.
• Also, at this point I'd say it's pretty safe to conclude that the mother's son is in trouble and from the doctors reaction that he is going to die.
• It's beginning to sound a bit mysterious,this definitely isn't as creepy as I thought it was going to be.
• I can't tell who this mystical caterpillar watching guy is. At this moment I'm trying to decipher wether or not if he is evil or good. It's hard to say as these paragraphs or more of his memories with the son then what is going on in present text of this section.
• Who is the narrator? how is he related to the son? what is the son sick with?
• "as though any mortal man could have kept him..."
• Alright so the narrator is the Grim Reaper?
• I'm confused here, now suddenly the boy (even though these two are supposed to be friends) is having mud slung at him? These must be the vices that the narrator was talking about in the first section.
• So now we finally get to see why the narrator disapproves of this old lady. She seems to be some awfully wicked person, what with sleeping around and neglecting her child and whatnot.
• I'm not entirely sure where this story is going yet, and what is this boy frightened about anyway?
• I am going to take a wild guess but with the evidence given to me, it seems like the boy is frighten by the reason that he is dying. Almost as if someone did something to him to cause his sickness. Perhaps the old woman did something to him?