Audiobook Dictation: “But the beating grew louder, louder…”

But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. The old man's hour had come! He shrieked once--once only. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead.