th. For it began to be rumoured all about the
city that not a living creature would escape who remained there. It
was said that God's judgments had gone forth, and that the whole
place would be given over to destruction, even as Sodom, and that
none who remained in it would be left alive.

This sort of talk made the brothers very anxious and sorrowful,
but, as Joseph sought to remind his brother, the people who said
these things had nothing better to go by than the prognostications
of old women or quacks and astrologers, whom their father had
taught them to disbelieve. He had always taught them that God alone
knew the future and the thing that He would do, and that it was
folly and presumption on the part of man to seek to penetrate His
counsels, and venture to prophesy things which He had not revealed.
So they plucked up heart, these two youthful wayfarers, firmly
believing that God would take care of their father and all those
who were working in the cause of mercy and charity in the great
city, and that they could leave the issues of these things in His
hands.

Since the day was very hot, and they were somewhat weary with their
long walk and short night, they lay down at noontide in a little
wood, not more than three miles from their aunt's house in
Islington, and there they slept again, with Fido at their feet,
until the sun was far in the west, and they were ready to finish
their journey in the cool freshness of the evening.

They had come by no means the nearest way, but had fetched a wide
circuit, so as to avoid, as far as possible, all regions of
outlying houses. Time was no particular object to them, so that
they reached their destination by nightfall; and now they were
quite in the open country, and delighting in the pure air and the
rural sights and sounds.

Yet even here all was not so happy and smiling as appeared from the
face of nature. The corn was standing ripe for the sickle, but in
too many districts there were not hands enough to reap it. One
beautiful field of wheat which the brothers passed was shedding the
golden grain from the ripened ears, and flocks of birds were
gathering it up. When they passed the farmstead they saw the reason
for this. Not a sign of life was there about the place. No cattle
lowed, no dog barked; and an old crone who sat by the wayside with
a bundle of ripe ears in her lap shook her head as she saw the
wondering faces of the boys, and said:

"All dead and gone! all d