“The audience will be utterly lost to-night in this immense array of seats;” Flossy said in dismay.  “Doesn’t it feel forlorn?” But they took their seats, and presently came Miss Ryder and seated herself at the piano in the twilight, and the tunes she played were soft and tender and weird.

“Every note says ‘goodbye,’” said Ruth, and she gave a little sigh.  Presently, the calcium lights began to glow, as usual, and meantime though everybody was supposed to have left; still, the people came from somewhere; and at last, dismayed voices began to say: 

“Why!  Did you ever see the like!  I thought we should surely get good seats to-night?  Where do all the people come from.”

“Look!  Marion,” said Eurie.  “What would Dr. Harris think of such a congregation as this!  They could not get into our church, could they?” But just then the hymn claimed attention: 

“My days are gliding swiftly by.”

How swiftly these days had glided away.  How full they had been!  During the prayer that followed, all heads bowed, and the silence that fell upon them made it seem that all hearts joined.  Dr. Vincent was the first speaker.  His manner and voice had changed.  Both were subdued; he looked like a man who had been lifted up for a great mental strain and was gradually letting down again to earth.

“We are coming toward the close,” he said.  “We are more quiet than we have been here before.  Familiar faces and forms that have moved in and out among these trees, for two weeks past, have gone.  Only a few hours and we are going; only a few hours and utter silence will fall upon Chautauqua.”

“Oh dear!” murmured Eurie, “why will he be so forlorn!  I don’t see why I need care so much!  Who would have supposed I could!”

“Hush!” said Marion, and she surreptitiously wiped away a tear.  “A love feast,” Dr. Vincent said they were going to have, for that last evening; it was very much like that.  The farewell from Canada came next; the speaker said he had been “thawed out,” meant to have America annexed to Canada!  Indeed they had already been annexed; in heart and soul!  “Who’s who?” said he, and “what’s what?  Who knows?” There was just enough of the comical mixed with the pathetic in this address to steady many a tremulous heart.

Dr. Presbry followed in much the same strain, closing, though, with such a tender tribute to some who had been at the assembly the year before, and had since gone to join the assembly that never breaks up, that the tears came to the surface again.  But those blessed Tennesseeans just at that point made the grounds ring with the chorus, “Oh jubilee! jubilee! the Christian religion is jubilee!” and followed it with:  “I’ve been a long time in the house of God, and I ain’t got weary yet.”

By that time our girls looked at each other with faces on which tears and smiles struggled for the mastery.

“Shall we laugh, or cry?” whispered Eurie, and then they giggled outright.  But they sobered instantly and sat upright, ready to listen, for the next one who appeared on the platform was Dr. Deems.