Old Lady Mary by Margaret O. Oliphant is a fascinating personal tale questioning what happens in the afterlife, the existence of purgatory, and other Christian concepts of after death. Excerpt: "She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die. I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event. It is not so, however, in many cases."