n emblematic
bread and the wine. These are sacramental in their solemn symbolism,
that in the solemnest symbolism and the holiest reality.

August's whole attention was now turned toward the coming judgment; and
as he stood thinking of the awfulness of this critical moment, the
exercises of the Adventists grated on the deep peacefulness of his
spirit, for from singing their more beautiful hymns, they had passed to
an excited shouting of the old camp-meeting ditty whose refrain is:

"I hope to shout glory when this world's all on fire! Hallelujah!"

He and Julia hung back a moment, but Mrs. Abigail, who had recovered
from her tenth trance, and had been for some time engaged in an active
search for Julia, now pounced upon her, and bore her off, before she had
time to think, to the place of the hottest excitement.

CHAPTER XLIII.

THE MIDNIGHT ALARM.

At last the time drew on toward midnight, the hour upon which all
expectation was concentrated. For did not the Parable of the Ten Virgins
speak of the coming of the bridegroom at midnight?

"My friends and brethren," said Elder Hankins, his voice shaking with
emotion, as he held his watch up in the moonlight, "My friends and
brethren, ef the Word is true, they is but five minutes more before the
comin' in of the new dispensation. Let us spend the last moments of time
in silent devotion."

"I wonder ef he thinks the world runs down by his pay-tent-leever
watch?" said Jonas, who could not resist the impulse to make the remark,
even with the expectation of the immediate coming of the day of judgment
in his mind.

"I wonder for what longitude he calculates prophecy?" said Andrew. "It
can not be midnight all round the world at the same moment."

But Elder Hankins's flock did not take any astronomical difficulty into
consideration. And no spectator could look upon them, bowing silently in
prayer, awed by the expectation of the sudden coming of the Lord,
without feeling that, however much the expectation might be illusory,
the emotion was a fact absolutely awful. Events are only sublime as they
move the human soul, and the swift-coming end of time was subjectively a
great reality to these waiting people. Even Andrew was awe-stricken from
sympathy; as Coleridge, when he stood godfather for Keble's child, was
overwhelmed with a sense of the significance of the sacrament from
Keble's stand-point. As for Cynthy Ann, she trembled with fear as she
held fast to the arm of