Despite Krys’ admonition to stay in the chamber, at eleven o’clock, my usual meeting time with Ella, I started for the grate. I was excited to tell her about our wedding plans and to ask her to be a part of it. But she did not arrive at her usual time, nor after. I wondered if Krys had told her what happened with the munitions and forbidden her from coming to the grate as well, and whether she would listen. How was I going to find her and let her know the news about our wedding?

An hour later, I returned to the chamber, dejected. “Ella didn’t come,” I told Saul, who was back now. “What if something is wrong?”

“I’m sure everything is fine,” he reassured, although he could not possibly know if that was true.

“I hope so. I would still like her to be there when we get married. Can we wait a bit longer to see if she turns up?” A flash of disappointment crossed his face. “I know with the munitions and everything that has happened, it seems we should not waste a minute. But I’m sure she’ll come tomorrow. I just know it.”

Saul smiled. “Of course. What’s one more day when we have the rest of our lives? But, Sadie, what if she does not come tomorrow?”

It was a question I could hardly bear to consider. “Then we will get married without her.” Saul was right; we could not wait forever.

The day passed slowly. “I’m going to use the time to see if I can find some scraps to make us a proper chuppah,” Saul said brightly that night after dinner.

“You don’t have to.” The entire sewer was a kind of wedding canopy, sheltering us from the sky above. But Saul seemed so excited, I did not want to dissuade him.

“Be careful,” I said. He gave me a quick kiss and then started out into the tunnel.

An hour passed, then two, and I began to worry. As night drew close, I hoped Saul had not wandered too far searching for things in his enthusiasm and run into trouble. I considered going after him, but I didn’t know which way he had gone through the tunnels. By now, he could be anywhere.

“Do you think he is all right?” Pan Rosenberg asked, his voice pinched.

“Yes, definitely.” I forced confidence into my voice. “He is just looking for things for the wedding.” Unconvinced, Saul’s father did not prepare for bed that night as he usually did, but paced anxiously back and forth.

Finally, well after midnight, Saul appeared in the entrance to the chamber. “Saul, where were you? I was so worried. Is everything all right?” My questions came out in a tumble.

He shook his head, and seeing the somber expression on his face, I felt my heart tighten. Just then, a dark shadow appeared behind him. “Ella?” I was stunned to see my friend in the sewer for the very first time. “What are you doing here?” I hoped for a second that, despite the implausibility at such an hour, he had invited her in for the wedding and that she had somehow agreed.