She poised the hammer over the gold watch of the mayor on the floor.
"I have to wait a few seconds. This can't be hurried. It'll be only a little while."
The second hand swept around to the point that was preordained for it before the world began. Clarissa suddenly brought down the hammer with all her force on the beautiful gold watch.
"That's all," she said. "Your troubles are over. See, there is Blanche Manners' cat on the sidewalk just where she was seven days ago."
And the cat was back.
"Now let's go down to the Plugged Nickel and watch the fire plug come back."
They had only a few minutes to wait. It came from nowhere and clanged into the street like a sign and a witness.
"Now I predict," said Clarissa, "that every single object will return exactly seven days from the time of its disappearance."
The seven-day terror had ended. The objects began to reappear.
"How," asked the mayor, "did you know they would come back in seven days?"