Vows of Silence by Gail Hamilton

Author:Gail Hamilton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: hamilton, road to avonlea, gail hamilton
Publisher: Davenport Press

Chapter Eight

Hetty’s dismissive comments to Sara’s question about the end of the world had done nothing to resolve the issue in the young people’s minds. When Sara’s three cousins came over to visit, they sat around in the parlor, struggling with the problem. Felicity, as might be expected, was extremely agitated.

“I don’t believe in all this end of the world nonsense,” she said fiercely—so fiercely that it was clear the person she was trying to convince was herself.

Felix had been lying in wait for just such a statement. He whipped out the magazine he now carried with him everywhere.

“According to the ancient seers,” he read with glee, “the end of the world will be foretold by several unmistakable signs.”

“Who cares what that trashy magazine says?” Felicity flung back crossly.

“Fine ... then I guess you won’t want to hear the rest.” Felix nonchalantly folded up the magazine again and waited for curiosity to get the better of his audience. Young Cecily fell for the bait right away.

“Tell us them, Felix,” she begged, her eyes quite round with anticipation.

Felicity, though she said nothing, let slip such a look of mingled dread and fascination that Felix fairly gloated as he thumbed to the dog-eared page.

“The very earth shall tremble with great force, killing the multitudes and reducing to embers a great city by the sea.”

Sara suddenly sat up straight. She hadn’t expected to take anything Felix said seriously, but she could not ignore the facts.

“San Francisco...the earthquake,” she broke in, referring to that recent and sensational event. The earthquake had started a great many fires, reducing blocks of San Francisco to burnt-out rubble. Of course, many other blocks of the city remained in perfectly good condition, but Sara didn’t think of that.

“Those predictions are always so vague ...” Felicity dismissed the evidence of the earthquake with a wave of her hand.

“So would you rather know the signs of the approaching Ice Age?” Felix inquired, quite willing to substitute one disaster for another.

“No, Felix. Put your stupid magazine away. Sara, what did you find out about Doomsday?”

With the help of some obscure, very dusty tomes of theology from the very back of Hetty’s library, Sara had formed her own rather unique interpretation of the event.

“Apparently, it will be something like the weighing of sugar at Lawson’s general store—substituting good deeds for the sugar and sins for the lead weights.”

Felicity let out a relieved breath. Judgment based on personal merit was something she understood and something she felt well equipped to face.

“Well then, in that case I should do very well,” she announced virtuously. “Currently, the loss of the comb is the only black mark in the ledger of my soul, easily outweighed by my good deeds.”

“Don’t forget you’re ruining your parents’ marriage,” Felix contributed, in case she had forgotten the ruckus at the church. No way was he going to let his sister think the loss of the comb a mere minor peccadillo.

“Not to mention,” Sara added grimly, “how Aunt Hetty and Aunt Olivia will react when they find out Great-Great-Grandmama’s comb is gone.

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