Page 118 (2/2)

"Yes, that’s it He told them to It was his one request"

"John Hobbes asked to be hanged the night of Soloain She wanted to be sure she had it right It struck her as ih she couldn’t say why "Noould he do that, I wonder?"

"Comets are powerful portents!" Miss Lillian clucked "The ancients believed them to be times when the veil between this world and the next was thinnest"

"I don’t understand"

"If you wanted to open a door into the great spirit realm, to assure your return, what better time to plan your death?"

"But Miss Proctor, that’s quite iently as possible

"It’s an i "Drink your tea, dear"

Evie sed down the rest, spitting up small ends of leaves

"That is a pretty talis at Evie’s pendant

"Oh, it was a gift from my brother," Evie replied She didn’t elaborate further If she told theht cluck and sy about every relative who’d ever died, and she’d be there all day and night She needed to er and slid it over the surface of the half-dollar, paling as she did "Such a terrible choice to have to make"

"What do you mean?" Evie asked

"Addie sees into the eternal soul," Miss Lillian said "Addie, dear, you’ll let your tea go cold, and we’ve much to do still" Miss Lillian stood rather hastily "I’ood day, Miss O’Neill Thank you for visiting"

"A terrible choice," Miss Addie said again, looking at Evie with such sympathy that Evie felt quite undone

Out in the flickering light of the hall--why couldn’t they seeht about John Hobbes’s odd last request Had he thought he could coht of an egotistical madman, which he seemed to be In teeks, that same comet would make its return to New York’s skies

As she waited for the wheezing elevator, a shiver passed down her spine, though she couldn’t say why She wished she could talk it over with Mabel, wished they could share a laugh about the Proctor sisters’ awful décor, but she and Mabel were still on the outs They’d never gone this long without talking, and Evie wavered between being angry with Mabel and er hovered over the button for Mabel’s floor At the last possible second, she pressed the button for the lobby instead