"What is the matter with Peter?" said mother at tea.
"He has lost his tongue, I think," said James.
But I made no answer. I wondered how soon Jesus would come. The clergyman had said He might come at any time; perhaps it would be that very night!
I went to bed as early as possible, for I wanted to be alone. The heat, which had been very great during the day, seemed to increase as night came on. I opened the window before I went to bed; all was quite still outside, there was not a breath of air, and very few people were about in the street.
I got into bed; but for a long time I could not sleep. The one terrible thought, that I should be left behind, kept me awake, and the stolen shilling seemed like a heavy weight pressing on my heart. At last, after tossing about for a long time, I fell into a troubled sleep.
I was wakened suddenly by a loud crashing noise, and I thought at first that the roof was falling on our heads. I sat up in bed in great alarm, and at that moment there came a bright flash of light, which showed me everything in the room quite clearly. Salome was sitting up in her cot, and she called out:
"Peter, did you see it? Just as he told us at church! I thought Jesus would come to-night! How soon will the angels come for us, Peter?"
But now came another long peal of thunder, and Salome trembled.
"Is that God talking, Peter?" she whispered, in a very solemn voice.
But I was too frightened to answer her. "One shall be taken, and another left," I said to myself. "Salome taken—Peter left!"