"Well, I"m going to depend on the Bible," said Cecily. "I don"t believe it"s the Judgment Day to-morrow--but I"m scared, for all that," she added piteously.
That was exactly the position of us all. As in the case of the bell-ringing ghost, we did not believe but we trembled.
"n.o.body might have known when the Bible was written," said Dan, "but maybe somebody knows now. Why, the Bible was written thousands of years ago, and that paper was printed this very morning. There"s been time to find out ever so much more."
"I want to do so many things," said the Story Girl, plucking off her crown of b.u.t.tercup gold with a tragic gesture, "but if it"s the Judgment Day to-morrow I won"t have time to do any of them."
"It can"t be much worse than dying, I s"pose," said Felix, grasping at any straw of comfort.
"I"m awful glad I"ve got into the habit of going to church and Sunday School this summer," said Peter very soberly. "I wish I"d made up my mind before this whether to be a Presbyterian or a Methodist. Do you s"pose it"s too late now?"
"Oh, that doesn"t matter," said Cecily earnestly. "If--if you"re a Christian, Peter, that is all that"s necessary."
"But it"s too late for that," said Peter miserably. "I can"t turn into a Christian between this and two o"clock to-morrow. I"ll just have to be satisfied with making up my mind to be a Presbyterian or a Methodist. I wanted to wait till I got old enough to make out what was the difference between them, but I"ll have to chance it now. I guess I"ll be a Presbyterian, "cause I want to be like the rest of you. Yes, I"ll be a Presbyterian."
"I know a story about Judy Pineau and the word Presbyterian," said the Story Girl, "but I can"t tell it now. If to-morrow isn"t the Judgment Day I"ll tell it Monday."
"If I had known that to-morrow might be the Judgment Day I wouldn"t have quarrelled with you last Monday, Sara Stanley, or been so horrid and sulky all the week. Indeed I wouldn"t," said Felicity, with very unusual humility.
Ah, Felicity! We were all, in the depths of our pitiful little souls, reviewing the innumerable things we would or would not have done "if we had known." What a black and endless list they made--those sins of omission and commission that rushed accusingly across our young memories! For us the leaves of the Book of Judgment were already opened; and we stood at the bar of our own consciences, than which for youth or eld, there can be no more dread tribunal. I thought of all the evil deeds of my short life--of pinching Felix to make him cry out at family prayers, of playing truant from Sunday School and going fishing one day, of a certain fib--no, no away from this awful hour with all such euphonious evasions--of a LIE I had once told, of many a selfish and unkind word and thought and action. And to-morrow might be the great and terrible day of the last accounting! Oh, if I had only been a better boy!
"The quarrel was as much my fault as yours, Felicity," said the Story Girl, putting her arm around Felicity. "We can"t undo it now. But if to-morrow isn"t the Judgment Day we must be careful never to quarrel again. Oh, I wish father was here."
"He will be," said Cecily. "If it"s the Judgment Day for Prince Edward Island it will be for Europe, too."
"I wish we could just KNOW whether what the paper says is true or not,"
said Felix desperately. "It seems to me I could brace up if I just KNEW."
But to whom could we appeal? Uncle Alec was away and would not be back until late that night. Neither Aunt Janet nor Uncle Roger were people to whom we cared to apply in such a crisis. We were afraid of the Judgment Day; but we were almost equally afraid of being laughed at. How about Aunt Olivia?
"No, Aunt Olivia has gone to bed with a sick headache and mustn"t be disturbed," said the Story Girl. "She said I must get dinner ready, because there was plenty of cold meat, and nothing to do but boil the potatoes and peas, and set the table. I don"t know how I can put my thoughts into it when the Judgment Day may be to-morrow. Besides, what is the good of asking the grown-ups? They don"t know anything more about this than we do."
"But if they"d just SAY they didn"t believe it, it would be a sort of comfort," said Cecily.
"I suppose the minister would know, but he"s away on his vacation" said Felicity. "Anyhow, I"ll go and ask mother what she thinks of it."
Felicity picked up the _Enterprise_ and betook herself to the house. We awaited her return in dire suspense.
"Well, what does she say?" asked Cecily tremulously.
"She said, "Run away and don"t bother me. I haven"t any time for your nonsense."" responded Felicity in an injured tone. "And I said, "But, ma, the paper SAYS to-morrow is the Judgment Day," and ma just said "Judgment Fiddlesticks!""
"Well, that"s kind of comforting," said Peter. "She can"t put any faith in it, or she"d be more worked up."
"If it only wasn"t PRINTED!" said Dan gloomily.
"Let"s all go over and ask Uncle Roger," said Felix desperately.
That we should make Uncle Roger a court of last resort indicated all too clearly the state of our minds. But we went. Uncle Roger was in his barn-yard, hitching his black mare into the buggy. His copy of the _Enterprise_ was sticking out of his pocket. He looked, as we saw with sinking hearts, unusually grave and preoccupied. There was not a glimmer of a smile about his face.
"You ask him," said Felicity, nudging the Story Girl.
"Uncle Roger," said the Story Girl, the golden notes of her voice threaded with fear and appeal, "the _Enterprise_ says that to-morrow is the Judgment Day? IS it? Do YOU think it is?"
"I"m afraid so," said Uncle Roger gravely. "The _Enterprise_ is always very careful to print only reliable news."
"But mother doesn"t believe it," cried Felicity.
Uncle Roger shook his head.
"That is just the trouble," he said. "People won"t believe it till it"s too late. I"m going straight to Markdale to pay a man there some money I owe him, and after dinner I"m going to Summerside to buy me a new suit.
My old one is too shabby for the Judgment Day."
He got into his buggy and drove away, leaving eight distracted mortals behind him.
"Well, I suppose that settles it," said Peter, in despairing tone.
"Is there anything we can do to PREPARE?" asked Cecily.
"I wish I had a white dress like you girls," sobbed Sara Ray. "But I haven"t, and it"s too late to get one. Oh, I wish I had minded what ma said better. I wouldn"t have disobeyed her so often if I"d thought the Judgment Day was so near. When I go home I"m going to tell her about going to the magic lantern show."
"I"m not sure that Uncle Roger meant what he said," remarked the Story Girl. "I couldn"t get a look into his eyes. If he was trying to hoax us there would have been a twinkle in them. He can never help that.
You know he would think it a great joke to frighten us like this. It"s really dreadful to have no grown-ups you can depend on."
"We could depend on father if he was here," said Dan stoutly. "HE"D tell us the truth."
"He would tell us what he THOUGHT was true, Dan, but he couldn"t KNOW.
He"s not such a well-educated man as the editor of the _Enterprise_. No, there"s nothing to do but wait and see."
"Let us go into the house and read just what the Bible does say about it," suggested Cecily.
We crept in carefully, lest we disturb Aunt Olivia, and Cecily found and read the significant portion of Holy Writ. There was little comfort for us in that vivid and terrible picture.
"Well," said the Story Girl finally. "I must go and get the potatoes ready. I suppose they must be boiled even if it is the Judgment Day to-morrow. But I don"t believe it is."
"And I"ve got to go and stump elderberries," said Peter. "I don"t see how I can do it--go away back there alone. I"ll feel scared to death the whole time."
"Tell Uncle Roger that, and say if to-morrow is the end of the world that there is no good in stumping any more fields," I suggested.
"Yes, and if he lets you off then we"ll know he was in earnest," chimed in Cecily. "But if he still says you must go that"ll be a sign he doesn"t believe it."
Leaving the Story Girl and Peter to peel their potatoes, the rest of us went home, where Aunt Janet, who had gone to the well and found the fragments of the old blue cup, gave poor Felicity a bitter scolding about it. But Felicity bore it very patiently--nay, more, she seemed to delight in it.
"Ma can"t believe to-morrow is the last day, or she wouldn"t scold like that," she told us; and this comforted us until after dinner, when the Story Girl and Peter came over and told us that Uncle Roger had really gone to Summerside. Then we plunged down into fear and wretchedness again.
"But he said I must go and stump elderberries just the same" said Peter.
"He said it might NOT be the Judgment Day to-morrow, though he believed it was, and it would keep me out of mischief. But I just can"t stand it back there alone. Some of you fellows must come with me. I don"t want you to work, but just for company."