No one had ever remembered so hot a day at so early a time of year.

The windows of the church were open, but no breeze blew through the aisles.

The relentless blazing blue of the sky penetrated into the cool shadows of the church, and it was as though the congregation sat there under shimmering glass.

The waves of light shifted, rose and fell above the bonnets and hats and bare heads, and all the little choir boys fell asleep during the sermon.
The Cole family did not fall asleep.

They sat with pale faces and stiff backs staring at their father and thinking about their mother.