"Two visions.Just like the first.The blazing light and the voice and telling him that the last night of the year's to be the time."Caroline then began to be carried away by her excitement.She talked faster and faster."Oh! You don't know what a state every one's in!
It's causing all sorts of divisions.First there are all his own real believers.Miss Pyncheon, your aunts, and the others.My father's one.They all believe every word he says.They're all quite certain that the last day of this year is to be the time of the Second Coming.They won't any of them, look a minute further than that.Father doesn't care a bit now what mother does with the money because, he says, we shan't want any next year.Mother isn't so sure so she's taking as much care of it as ever, and of course it's nice for her now to have it all in her own hands.They're all of them doing everything to make themselves ready.It doesn't matter how aggravating you are, father never loses his temper now.He's so sweet that it's maddening.Haven't you noticed how good your aunts are?""They're always the same," said Maggie.
"Well.I expect they're different really.Then there's the middle-class like Mr.Thurston and Miss Avies who pretend to believe all that Mr.Warlock says, but of course, they don't believe a word of it, and they hope that this will prove his ruin.They know there won't be any Second Coming on New Year's Eve, and then they think he will be finished and they'll be able to get rid of him.So they're encouraging him to believe in all this, and then when the moment comes they'll turn on him!""Beasts!" said Maggie suddenly.
"Well, I daresay you're right," said Caroline."Only it does make me laugh, all of it.Thurston and Miss Avies have all their plans made, only now they're quarrelling because Thurston wants to marry Amy Warlock and Miss Avies meant him to marry her!""Is Mr.Thurston going to marry Miss Warlock?" cried Maggie.