Yet notwithstanding all this, Cornelius listened, waited, and hoped until midnight, then he threw himself upon the bed, with his clothes on.

When they finally made an appointment for lunch, she hoped until the last minute that he would cancel.

"I hope so, until the next time we play him," Bobby Valentine said when asked if closure had been reached.

His parents hoped almost until the end that some nice girl would "cure" him.

During 2009, officials admitted that the schedule was very tight, but still hoped until the last moment that a launch could be made.

Gretzky's teammates knew the end might be coming but hoped until last week to avoid it.

"I just hope from now until the end of the season we can give them a hell of a lot more."

Nothing much to hope for, in fact, until Easter-bonnet time.

"I hope everything stays in place until we, as individuals or as a team, start to break down and become unsuccessful," Jordan said today.

It's no use to keep hoping for a stay of execution until the end of the fighting along the discharge zone.