The Monkey's Paw

In the short story "The Monkey's Paw", what does the messenger mean when he says that Herbert "is not in any pain"? How does the author clarify this meaning in the following paragraphs?

Also, what do you think is the purpose of the "knowing glance" exchanged between mother and son during the initial scene of the story?

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Last updated by jill d #170087
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He wasn't in any pain because he was dead. 

In the huge new cemetery, some two miles distant, the old people buried their dead, and came back to a house steeped in shadow and silence.

But the days passed, and expectation gave place to resignation--the hopeless resignation of the old, sometimes miscalled, apathy.

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The Monkey's Paw