t over as soon as possible.

All things went on, the buying and selling, the business of the day, and
in some houses there were weary pain-racked bodies that slipped out of
life gently without waiting for the general conflagration.

Still a strange awe did pervade the city. Some of the churches were
open, and people were on their knees weeping and sobbing to be made
ready; others were full of faith and expectations, singing hymns, and
impatiently waiting the moment when the trump would sound and they be
caught up to glory. Down on Grand Street Hester Brown's uncle was giving
away shoes, and wondering at the fatal unbelief of those who were so
ready to accept. Here and there another of abounding faith was doing the
same thing, or perhaps giving away things they did not need, hoping it
would be accounted to them for good works.

Hester was not in school. Neither did she come on Tuesday, and that
night was to be the fatal end of all things. A great many people went to
church that day. The children did suffer from dread, though Lottie
Brower kept up a sort of cheery bravado, as one whistles or sings in the
dark.

"And I don't think Hester's been such an awful sight better than the
rest of us. She answered correct one day when she had talked, and
pretended she had forgotten all about it. And she was just mean enough
about that clover-leaf pattern and wouldn't show a single girl. And she
gets mad just as easy as the rest of us."

"I think we oughtn't get mad any more. And, girls, I'll lend you my
knife to sharpen your pencils. We ought to _try_ to be just as good as
we could, for my Sunday-school teacher said if we died the world came to
an end for us."

They made many resolves. Mrs. Craven thought they had never been so
angelic in their lives.

But the little girl was very much "stirred up."

People didn't say nervous so much in those days. In fact nervousness was
rather associated with whims and tempers. Joe came over to supper--he
could get off from the hospital now and then. They were all talking
about going to Delancey Street Church, where it was said people would
be dressed in their ascension robes, and remain to the final change.

Margaret begged to go, and said she knew all her lessons. The boys had
theirs to study. Jim scouted the idea of the world's coming to an end.
Benny adduced several remarkable reasons why it couldn't come just yet.
The Millerites had made a mistake in the true meaning of the "days" i