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diff --git a/40539-8.txt b/40539-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d13fe90..0000000 --- a/40539-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7254 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's A Lost Cause, by Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: A Lost Cause - -Author: Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull - -Release Date: August 19, 2012 [EBook #40539] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LOST CAUSE *** - - - - -Produced by Mark C. Orton, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - A LOST CAUSE - - BY GUY THORNE - - AUTHOR OF "WHEN IT WAS DARK," ETC. - - - G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS - NEW YORK AND LONDON - The Knickerbocker Press - 1905 - - The Knickerbocker Press, New York - - - - -PREFACE - - -A few words are necessary in preface to this story. After _When It Was -Dark_ made its appearance, the writer received a great number of letters -from his readers, and up to the present moment he still continues to -receive them. - -Out of nearly two hundred communications, a large proportion are -concerned not so much with the main issue of the tale, as with -controversial matters in the Church of England arising from it. - -The definitely Catholic[1] tone of the first book aroused, as might be -expected, vigorous protest, and no less vigorous commendation. The five -or six Bishops--and many other dignitaries--who preached or lectured -about the story avoided the controversial sides of it. But the writer -has received innumerable letters from the clergy and others to the -following effect. - -[Footnote 1: The term "Catholic" is here, and throughout the book, used -in the sense in which it is employed by a certain division of the Church -of England and of the Episcopal Church of America.--The PUBLISHERS.] - -It was pointed out to him that while the extreme "Protestant" party was -constantly employing fiction as a method of propaganda, churchmen were -almost unrepresented in this way. The Catholic Faith has been bitterly -assailed over and over again in books which are well enough written, and -have sufficient general interest to appeal to the man of the world, who -is often indifferent to the points debated. - -After considerable discussion, the writing of _A Lost Cause_ was -resolved upon. The author desires to thank those priests who have -assisted him with their counsel and experience, and begs leave to -explain here something of his aims in publishing the tale. - -At no period in modern Church history has the Church been assailed with -such malignance, slander, and untruth as at the present. "Protestantism" -within the Church is a lost cause, it is dying, and for just this reason -the clamour is loudest, the misrepresentation more furious and -envenomed. Shrewd opportunists are taking their last chance of emerging -from obscurity by an appeal to the ignorance of the general public on -Church matters. Looking round us, we see dozens of uneducated and noisy -nobodies who have elected themselves into a sort of irregular prelacy -and dubbed themselves "Defenders of the Faith," with about as much right -as Napoleon crowned himself emperor. - -Church people do not take them very seriously. Their voices are like the -cries of hedge-birds by the road, on which the stately procession of the -Church is passing. But the man in the street is more attentive and he -enjoys the colour and movement of iconoclasm. He believes also that the -brawlers have right on their side. - -But there is an inherent fairness in the man in the street, and, if this -story reaches him, he will have his opportunity to hear the Catholic -side of the argument. - -The author begs to state that no single character in this tale is a -"portrait" of any living person, or of any real person whatever. The -imaginary folk are designed to be merely typical, their methods are -analogous to much that is going on to-day under the pretences of -patriotism and love for religious liberty, but that is all. - -There will probably be the usual nonsense written, and the braves of -"Protestantism" will give the usual war-whoops. Whether this is to be -so or not, the author is profoundly indifferent. - -He attacks those of the extreme "Protestants" whom he believes to be -insincere and who rebel against the Truth for their own ends. He does -not say or think that all "Protestants"--even the extremists--are -insincere. He has endeavoured to point out that there is as much -difference between the street-corner "Protestants" and the pious -Evangelical Party within the Church as there is between Trinitarians and -Unitarians. - -The incident in the tale where the Archbishop of Canterbury compels a -"Protestant" publicist to give up the Blessed Sacrament, which he has -stolen from a church for purposes of propaganda, is founded on fact. It -has not before been made public, except in a short letter to the _Church -Times_ a few months ago, which was written with the design of preparing -Church readers for the detailed publication of such a painful incident. -The facts, however, have been supplied to the writer to make such use of -in the story as he thinks fit. The authors of this disgraceful -profanation have, naturally, been silent on the matter. It is not an -isolated instance. But it is not to be thought that the imaginary -characters concerned in the affair in the story, are intended to -represent, or do in any way, the real heroes of this great blow struck -for "Protestant" truth. - -Finally, the noisiest "Protestants" are hitting the Church as hard as -they can. The author has endeavoured to hit back as hard as _he_ can--of -course, in that spirit of Christian love in which the "Protestants" -themselves tell us these controversies are always conducted. - -The brawlers have enjoyed an astonishing immunity hitherto, and it is -only fair that battle should be joined now. And, however inadequate his -forces and generalship, that is the writer's aim. He is, of course, a -_franc-tireur_, but he fires his musket on the right side, and with a -perfect assurance of the justice of his Cause. - - -G. T. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - -CHAPTER PAGE - -I.--THE INTERRUPTED EUCHARIST 1 - -II.--MR. HAMLYN AND SON AT HOME 19 - -III.--LORD HUDDERSFIELD AND THE GUESTS AT SCARNING COURT 38 - -IV.--LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE 69 - -V.--WEALTHY MISS PRITCHETT AND POOR GUSSIE DAVIES ENTER THE VICARAGE -GARDEN 108 - -VI.--BOADICEA, JOAN OF ARC, CHARLOTTE CORDAY, JAEL, AND MISS PRITCHETT -OF HORNHAM 127 - -VII.--THE OFFICES OF THE "LUTHER LEAGUE"--AN INTERIOR 146 - -VIII.--A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER 166 - -IX.--A UNION OF FORCES 182 - -X.--LOW WATER AND GREAT EXPECTATIONS 214 - -XI.--THE NEWS THAT CARR BROUGHT 241 - -XII.--THE REPARATION OF JANE PRITCHETT EX-PROTESTANT 281 - -XIII.--THE ARCHBISHOP AND THE HAMLYNS 302 - - - - -A LOST CAUSE - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE INTERRUPTED EUCHARIST - - -The Church of St. Elwyn was a building of brick that went up to a great -height. - -In the crowded district between Hornsey and Wood Green, it was one of -the largest buildings, and, though not externally beautiful, acquired -dignity and impressiveness from its setting of small villa houses, which -made an interminable brick wilderness all round it. - -It was nearing the time of the High Celebration on a Sunday morning in -summer. Matins had been said in a side chapel, to a scanty congregation, -at half-past nine, and now the central act of the day was to take place. - -The interior of St. Elwyn's was severe but beautiful, save for one or -two minor blemishes here and there. - -The eye was caught and carried away down the aisles till it found its -focus on the high altar which was set like a throne, above many marble -steps, in the curve of the distant apse. The sanctuary was lighted from -the sides and so the eye was not disturbed and distracted by hideous -windows of stained glass with their clamorous coal-tar colours, but -could rest quietly upon the altar with its green and gold, its flowers -and central cross. - -The organ was hidden away in a side gallery and the pulpit was a stone -bracket high in the sweep of the chancel arch, to which it clung like -the nest of a bird on a cliff side. - -All this was as it should be. In so many English churches the object of -the builders appears to have been to destroy all the dignity and beauty -possible in a service. The organ and the pulpit are elevated to the -importance of shrines, and dominate everything like Gog and Magog in the -Guildhall. Everything is done to minimise the place and office of the -altar, to exalt the less important functions of worship, and to prevent -comfortable consciences from being uneasy in the realisation of the -presence of God. - -Only one tawdry note could be detected in this beautiful church. The -pictures which hung on the walls round the aisles, and represented the -stations of the cross, were ill-drawn, and stiff in colour and design. -These pictures, which were said by the ignorant and unimaginative to be -idolatrous, or at least "Roman"--a little understood but very -efficacious term of reproach in the parish--were sufficiently like the -hideous stained-glass figures in the Evangelical Church of St. Luke hard -by to have satisfied the most pious lover of ugliness. But those folk, -who so vehemently preferred the medallion portraits of their respectable -ancestors on the walls of a church to any other form of symbol or -decoration, did not see this. They spoke bitterly of the pictures as -being "high," suggesting to outsiders unfamiliar with the parrot cry of -the partisan that they had been kept too long in a warm place. - -Since Father Blantyre had been appointed vicar of St. Elwyn's, the -congregation had increased until few of the rush-bottomed chairs were -empty, and on days of great festivals, people would be found kneeling in -the aisles. The opposition party in the parish frequently commented on -this custom, which was thought to savour of heathenism or worse. One or -two people who had spent holidays in continental towns, and had made -excursions into foreign cathedrals in much the same spirit as they went -into the chamber of horrors in the wax-work exhibition, had brought back -news that this habit was in vogue among "the Catholics." It was felt -that real salvation could only be found in a pew, with one's name -legibly written on an ivory tablet at the end and the vestry-clerk -calling for the rent once a quarter in the decent old-fashioned way. Any -one who knelt on the uncushioned stone showed an anxiety to worship and -a superstitious abasement quite unworthy of a bluff, honest, British -Christian; and his doings must be displeasing to a Deity who, the -objectors were persuaded, was--though they did not say so in actual -words--a great _English_ God. - -The single bell that summoned the people to Mass--that word which -church-people are becoming less afraid to use in this century--had -ceased. The server was lighting the Eucharistic candles with a long -taper. - -As the people came in, it was noticeable that they proceeded to their -places without side-looks at each other, or muttered social greetings. -They went to their seats, young and old, men and women, and began to -kneel and pray. - -No one, apparently, had come there to be seen by his fellows. - -Since the Catholic Revival in the English Church, no fact has been more -obvious and easily determined than this. It is one which the bitterest -opponent of churchmanship has never been able to deny and has never -attempted to deny. The most prejudiced observer paying an alternate -visit to a church where the Faith is taught and to another which is -confessedly "Protestant" cannot fail to observe the difference. At the -celebration of the Eucharist in a church of the former type, there is an -absolute stillness and reverence. The congregation kneels, it worships. - -In the latter, there is an unrest. People do not show marked -consciousness of being in the presence of mysteries. Whatever they may -think, they do not give the observer the impression that they think God -is there. They sit rather than kneel, they notice the clothes of other -people, there is a certain sense that they are doing the right thing in -"patronising" the church, and the Sunday dinner looms large over all. - -The man lit the candles. A moment afterwards Father Blantyre entered -with the servers and the service began. - -The singing was simple but harmonious. There was nothing especially -noticeable in the hymn or the chanting of the Kyries after the -commandments. - -The priest went into the pulpit, kissed the white stole, and placed it, -as a yoke, upon his shoulders. Over his head was a crucifix. He was a -small man, dark of hair, and swarthy of complexion. The nose was -prominent and aquiline, the eyes bright, with a net-work of fine -wrinkles round them, the mouth large and mobile. There was almost a -suggestion of the comedian in his face, that is, in its extreme mobility -and good-humour. One could imagine him as a merry man in his private -life. But mingled with this, one saw at once the lines of an unalterable -purpose, and of conviction. Any strong belief stamps itself upon a man's -face in an unmistakable way. When that belief is purely holy and good, -then we say that the man has the face of a saint. - -For a moment or two, Mr. Blantyre looked round the church. The eyes, so -puckered at the corners, very much resembled the eyes of a sailor, who -is ever gazing out towards a vast horizon and through furious winds. Men -who are much occupied with the Unseen and Invisible sometimes have this -look, which is the look of a man who is striving to see God. - -The subject-matter of the sermon itself was not very remarkable. It was -a sermon dealing with the aids to worship that symbol gives, showing how -a proper use of material objects may focus the brain upon the reality -behind them. During the last week or two, the local paper had been -printing some violent attacks upon the services at St. Elwyn's, for -there was a by-election in progress and one of the candidates was -seizing the opportunity afforded by a "No Popery" cry. - -The local writer, the vicar pointed out, was obviously alarmed lest -people should worship too much. He spoke of the attacks with sincere -good humour and more than once his words provoked a smile. The -journalist, with the sublime ignorance of lesser local scribes, had -spoken of Queen Elizabeth and expressed a fervent desire that the times -of "good Queen Bess" would come again and that the Royal Spinster could -descend on the purlieus of Hornsey and sternly order all Romish toys to -be removed. Father Blantyre quoted Elizabeth's letter to Sandys: - - The queen's majesty considered it not contrary to the Word of - God--nay, rather for the advantage of the church--that the image - of Christ crucified,--together with Mary and John, should be placed - as heretofore in some conspicuous part of the church, where they - may the more readily be seen by all the people. - -The last few words of the sermon were preparatory for the mystery that -was about to begin, an earnest exhortation to all there to make -themselves ready to receive the Lord, who was presently coming among -them. - -There was nothing in the short discourse that was remarkable, but its -delivery was extraordinary. The words were uttered with a great -tenderness and solemnity, but quite without any formal note. There was -almost a gaiety in them now and then, a spiritual gaiety that was very -impressive. Father Blantyre leaned over the rail and talked to his -people. The voice, which sank into a whisper at times, and at others -rang out with a sharpness that echoed up in the lofty roof, never once -lost its suggestion of confidential intimacy with those to whom it -spoke. In the entire absence of the usual "preaching" note, the sermon -gained immensely in value with this particular audience. Anything -academic would have been endured, but it would not have gone home. - -While the offertory sentences were being sung, the congregation saw -that a small group of people had entered the church, presumably to hear -Mass. - -One of the churchwardens was able to find seats for the party about -half-way down the central aisle. The new-comers were four in number. All -of them were men. - -It is perhaps strange to speak of one of their number as being the -"leader" of the party, but that was the impression he gave to those -members of the congregation immediately around him. At the close of the -service, moreover, several worshippers agreed with each other that this -person had suggested that to them. - -He was a shortish, thick-set man of some five and forty years of age. -His large, intelligent face was clean-shaved. The eyes were small and -very bright, shifting hither and thither in a constant flicker of -observation. The mouth was large, and though the lips were thick and -loose, there was nevertheless a certain resolution in them. They were -frequently curved into a half-smile which had something indescribably -sinister and impudent about it. One saw that, in whatever situation he -might find himself, this person would not easily be abashed or unready. - -He wore a frock-coat of shining broadcloth. The waistcoat was cut low, -not as well-dressed people would wear it, showing a large expanse of -imitation shirt-front through which a black stud was thrust. A small bow -of black ribbon served as necktie. In some nameless way, he suggested a -peculiarly unpleasing type of irregular dissenting minister in his -appearance, and this was enhanced by the fact that under one arm he -carried a large Bible of limp leather, secured by an india-rubber band. - -Yet, with all this, the new-comer had a remarkable and even arresting -personality. Wherever he went, he would not easily escape notice. - -By his side sat a tallish youth with sufficient likeness to him to -proclaim a near relationship. - -The young fellow's complexion was somewhat muddy, his hair was smooth -and mouse-coloured, his mouth resembled his father's, except that it had -not the impudent good-humour of the elder man's, and was altogether more -furtive and sly. - -The two remaining members of the party were men apparently of the -prosperous small-tradesman type, pursy, flabby with good living, who -had added mutton-chop whiskers to their obvious self-esteem. - -To one or two members of the congregation there, the father and son were -not unknown. The thick-set, clean-shaved man was Mr. Samuel Hamlyn, the -editor and proprietor of a small local journal,--the _Hornham -Observer_,--and the youth was his son, who acted as reporter to the -paper and signed himself S. Hamlyn, Junior. - -Both were well known in local affairs; Hamlyn was a member of the -school-board and held one or two kindred positions. His religious -sympathies had hitherto been supposed to lie with the numerous -dissenting sects in the parish, all of whom had their bills and other -announcements printed at his office. - -The momentary interest and stir created by the entrance of the party -died away almost immediately and Mass continued. Certainly no one in the -church realised that in a few short weeks the fat man with the smile -would be notorious all over England, and that they were to be present at -the very first step in the career of one of the shrewdest of vulgar -opportunists the country had ever known. - -The seats reserved for the churchwardens were on the opposite side of -the aisle, but almost upon a level with those in which the new-comers -were seated--perhaps some two rows of chairs behind. - -Accordingly Doctor Hibbert, the vicar's warden, had a clear view of the -four men just in front. - -Hibbert was an upright, soldierly-looking man, who had, in fact, been an -army surgeon, and had now bought a practice in the parish. He was a -skilful doctor, and a man of considerable mental strength, who had made -himself indispensable in the district and was in the way of becoming a -wealthy man. His earnest churchmanship had not militated against his -success, even among the most extreme Protestants and Dissenters of -Hornham. He was known to be a first-class doctor, and he was too strong -a man for any one to take a liberty with, and of such superior power and -mould to the mass of lower-class people whom he attended that his -opinions were respected. - -But going about as he did, among every one in the parish, the Doctor -knew far more of its internal state than any one else. Nothing is -concealed from a medical man in general practice. Confession is -compulsory to him; he sees the secrets of men's lives, knows the -tarnished story of the "respectable" person, as sometimes the heroism of -the outcast. Hibbert had his finger on the public pulse of Hornham in a -measure that Father Blantyre himself could hardly achieve. - -It was therefore with some little uneasiness and a good deal of -conjecture that the doctor had noticed the advent of Hamlyn and his -party. - -The disturbances to public worship which are so familiar to-day were -quite unknown at that time. Hibbert anticipated nothing of what actually -occurred, but his eye was watchful nevertheless. - -The Mass went on. - -The servers knelt on the altar steps in cotta and cassock, the priest -moved above them in his stiff, flowered chasuble, robed in the garments -of the Passion of our Lord. - -The Comfortable Words were said, and the Sursum Corda began. - -A deep throbbing sound came from the organ, and, in one great outburst -of solemn avowal, the congregation lifted up their hearts to God. - - SURSUM CORDA! - HABEMUS AD DOMINUM - GRATIAS AGAMUS DOMINO DEO NOSTRO! - -Ever since the days of the Apostles, the Mass had been said thus, the -most solemn part of the service had begun with these profound words of -adoration. The doctor forgot all else as he worshipped. - -Let it be remembered, in the light of what follows, that the vast -majority of the people there believed this, were waiting for -_this_--they believed that when the priest said the Prayer of -Consecration, our Lord Himself had come suddenly among them. - -Throughout the rite there was a growing sense and assurance of One -coming. Most of them were quite sure of it. - -Human hearts, worn with the troubles of the week, sick to death, it may -be, of a hard material lot, now bowed in contrition and repentance, or -were filled with a certain Hope. Everything in this world was as -nothing, because, upon the altar before which the priest was bending so -low, they believed that God had come. - -In what way, or how, they did not know and could not have explained. Did -they _imagine_ it week after week as they knelt in church? Most of them -_knew_ that it was no imagination or delusion that caught at their -hearts, that changed the air of the building in a swift moment, that -caught up heart and soul and spirit in one great outpouring of love and -faith and adoration. - -Was _this_ a fable, as folks sometimes told them? This which dissolved -and broke the chains of bodily sense, banished the world, and enfolded -them with its awful sweetness, its immeasurable joy? What else in life -had power to do this, power to hurry away clogging, material things as -in a mighty spiritual wind, to show them once more the stupendous -sacrifice of the Saviour--what else but the indubitable presence of our -Lord? - -The priest held up the Host. - -At that supreme moment, Doctor Hibbert, whose state of mind may be taken -as typical of many others there, bent in humble adoration and -contrition. - -An absolute silence lay over the church; there was not the slightest -sound or movement in it. - -A chair was pushed harshly over the tiles, there was a heavy shuffling -of feet. Such sounds in that holy moment affected some of the -worshippers as a physical blow might have done. - -But few people looked up. Many of them did not hear the sound, their -ears being tuned to harmonies that were not of this world. - -The doctor heard the noise with his ears, but for a merciful moment it -did not penetrate to his brain. And then with a horrid clangour the -visible things of the world came rushing back to him. - -He looked up. - -The four men just in front of him had risen in their places. The two -tradesmen were red in the face and manifestly uneasy. They breathed -hard, a breath of ostentatious defiance. - -Young Hamlyn was glancing round the church with swift, malevolent -movements of his head. His eyes flickered hither and thither until they -finally settled on the motionless figure at the altar, the figure with -the upstretched arm. - -The elder Hamlyn held a paper in his hand, from which he began to read -in a loud, unsteady voice: - -"_I, Samuel Hamlyn, a lawful parishioner of St. Elwyn's parish, Hornham, -do hereby rise and protest against the illegal and blasphemous fable of -the Mass as performed in this church. And as a member of the Protestant -Church of England I give notice----_" - -Every one had risen to his feet. In a distant corner of the church, a -woman began to shriek. A murmur broke into shouts, there was a crash of -some heavy body falling. - -A horrid tumult seemed broken loose, as if it had been confined till now -and had broken its bars with one great effort. - -In a second, the four men were surrounded by a pushing crowd of men, -beside themselves with horror and anger. Sticks began to quiver in the -air, the crash of the chairs as they were overturned was like the -dropping rattle of musketry fire. - -The hard voice of the brawler had gone up a full tone. In its -excitement, it dominated an abominable chorus of shouting. - -In half a minute, the doctor and other members of the congregation had -Hamlyn and his son gripped by the arms and were hurrying them towards -the west door without any answer to their frantic threats and menaces. -The other two men followed stolidly. - -Nearly every face was turned away from the altar. - -The one or two people who had fallen trembling upon their knees when the -riot was at its height saw that the vicar was also kneeling in adoration -of the Blessed Sacrament. - -A loud metallic _clang_ resounded through the church. The door was -barred, the brawlers were shut out. - -When the maimed, polluted rite was at last concluded, amid deep sobs -from men and women alike, Father Blantyre gave the blessing. They saw -with deep sympathy that the tears were rolling down his cheeks also. - -But the doctor saw, with a sudden quickening of the pulses, that the -first finger and the thumb were joined still. It is the custom of the -priest, after he has broken the bread, that the finger and thumb are -never parted till Mass is said. - -They were not parted now. - -The fact comforted and cheered the doctor. He had been on battle-fields -and had not known the fear and horror he had known to-day. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -MR. HAMLYN AND SON AT HOME - - -Mr. Hamlyn lived in Alexandra Road, Hornham. The actual name of his -house was "Balmoral," and it was one of seven or eight other residences -gathered together under the generic title of "Beatrice Villas." - -The father and son turned into the little path which led up to the -imitation satin-wood door some twenty minutes after the gate of St. -Elwyn's had been barred to them. Their companions, Mr. Burgoyne and Mr. -Moffatt, had left them at the corner of the street, very flustered at -what they had done, and with a dull remorse flitting about their thick -skulls, that they had joined in "Hamlyn's little game." Nor did the -repeated assurances of the journalist, that Mr. Herbert--the Liberal -candidate--would "see them through it," help them to recover their peace -of mind. Visions of police-court proceedings and an unenviable notoriety -in the daily papers were very vivid, and they parted with their chief -in mingled sorrow and anger. - -Mr. Hamlyn let himself and his son into the little hall of his villa. A -smell of roast meat gave evidence that dinner would soon be ready. Both -men turned into the parlour on the left of the passage. It was a room -which showed signs of fugitive rather than regular use. Two or three -long boxes bearing the name of a local draper stood upon the round table -in the centre. The contents showed that Miss Hamlyn, the agitator's only -daughter, had been occupied in the choice of corsets. - -The walls of the parlour were covered with a rich mauve and gold paper, -which gave a dignity to the cut-glass lustres of the chandelier. The -pictures, heavily framed in gold, were spirited representations of -scenes from the Old Testament. On the rack of the rosewood piano--which -stood open--was a song called "Roses that Bloomed in my Heart." - -The chairs, arranged around the wall with commendable regularity, were -upholstered in plum-coloured plush. On one of them was a card-box of a -vivid green, containing several clean collars of the particular sort -Hamlyn Junior wore; on another stood the wooden box where his father's -silk hat was kept when not in use on Sundays and other important days. - -Mr. Hamlyn took off his frock coat and removed the reversible cuffs that -were attached to the sleeves of his flannel shirt by means of an -ingeniously contrived clip. He then put on a loose coat of black alpaca. -His son, having gone through something of the same process, followed his -father to the sitting-room next the little kitchen. - -As the parlour was not often used for ceremonial occasions, the Hamlyns -not being very hospitable people, it served as an occasional -dressing-room also, and saved running up-stairs. - -The sitting-room window looked out into the backyard, immediately by the -kitchen door, which led into it. As the Hamlyns came in, they were able -to see their servant throwing some hot liquid--the water in which the -cabbage had been boiled, as a matter of fact--into the grid in the -centre of the yard. - -The table was already laid for the meal. As, however, it was rather a -long table and the Hamlyns were only three in family,--Hamlyn being a -widower,--the white cloth was laid only on half of it. One or two -volumes of the Heartsease Novelettes and some artificial flowers, with -which a hat was to be trimmed by Miss Hamlyn, were thus left -undisturbed. - -"Dinner didn't ought to be long," Mr. Hamlyn remarked. - -"'Ope not," said his son shortly. "I'll holler to Maud." - -Miss Hamlyn came in soon afterwards, followed by the maid with a joint -of roast beef. The editor's daughter was a tall girl with sulky lips, -bold eyes, and a profusion of dark hair. This last was now screwed round -her forehead in curling-pins. - -The two men attacked their dinner in silence. Both of them had tucked a -handkerchief round their necks, in order to preserve the Sunday -waistcoat from droppings of food, a somewhat wise precaution, as both of -them ate very rapidly. - -"Maud," said Hamlyn at length, "can you do a bit of typing for me this -afternoon?" - -"No, then, I can't, Pa," she replied resentfully, "and it's like you to -ask it. On the Sabbath, too! I'm going out with Gussie Davies for a -walk." - -"Touch the 'arp lightly, my dear," he replied, "no need to get your -feathers up." - -"Well, Pa," she answered, "I'm sure I'm ready to spank the beastly -machine for you all the week, you know I am. But Sundays is different." - -Hamlyn made no reply. Both he and his son were thinking deeply, and as -yet no reference had escaped them as to the doings of the morning. -Although the girl knew there was something special afoot, she was not -much interested in the details, being at all times a person much -occupied with her own affairs. - -During the pudding, she had a short and slangy conversation with her -brother, and directly the meal was over she went up-stairs to "dress." - -The servant removed the plates and dishes, and Hamlyn and his son sat -down at the table. The father drew a large portfolio of papers towards -him. The son lighted a cheap cigarette. - -Both of the Hamlyns spoke fairly correctly in public, though with the -usual cockney twang. In the seclusion of Balmoral, neither of them -thought it necessary to be very particular about the aspirates which -they emphasised so carefully elsewhere. - -"When will Mr. Herbert pay up?" said Sam. - -"To-morrow. I shall see him in the committee room during the afternoon, -and it's five and twenty pound earned as easy as I ever earned anything -in my life. It'll come in very 'andy too. There's the rent on the -linotype machine just due." - -"The money's all right," answered the younger man, "and, of course, -we're guaranteed against fines and anything of that sort. But do you -think the game's worth the candle? How will opinion in the parish go?" - -"Like a house on fire. Wait till you see my leader in Wednesday's issue. -Mr. Herbert has put me up to the whole thing. We're carrying out a -patriotic Henglish duty. Public sympathy will all be with us. Rome is -creeping in among us!" - -Sam grinned. "Well, you know best, Father, of course. And we're bound to -support Mr. Herbert." - -"I've been thinking a great deal," Hamlyn answered slowly. "I've always -been an ambitious man and I've always meant to come out on top somehow -or other. But I've never had a big chance yet. I think,--I'm not -sure,--but I _think_ I see that chance waiting now." - -His shrewd face was lighted up with a curious excitement. The eyes -glowed and the impudent merriment on the lips became more pronounced -than before. - -"What is it then?" - -"Listen quietly to me for a few minutes. The idea came gradual to me. I -got on the track six months ago. First of all, it was the ten gross of -religious books I had down in the shop. They were of all sorts. Which -was the one that went best? Why, it was _The Adventures of Susan -Lefever, the Captive Nun_. I sold 'em all out in no time. The next best -seller was _The Revelations of Pastor Coucherrousset, the Converted -Catholic Priest_. Anything against Rome! Mr. Leatherbarrow, of the New -Connection Methodists, preached three times on those books. He had all -the congregation fair shaking with indignation against the Scarlet -Woman. You see it's like this. People want a cock-shy. They don't much -care about what it is, as long as they've got it--see the way they're -down on the Sheenies in France. Now a religious cock-shy is the best of -all. It gives people a feeling that they're in real earnest, and they -can kid themselves and other people that it's more disinterested than -politics, for instance. They've nothing to get by it--except the fun of -doing it--and that flatters 'em because they're always on the grab in -every other way. See?" - -Sam nodded. He was not one of those youths who despise the words of -parental wisdom. He was not himself a fool, and so he did not fall into -the mistake of underrating his father's capacity and knowledge of life. -The small and vulgar triumphs of Hamlyn's career were all appreciated -and noted by his son, who had a sincere respect for him. - -"Very well, then," Hamlyn continued. "It's a sure draw, all over -England, to raise the anti-popery cry. The wholesale trade tell me that -the business done in Fox's _Book of Martyrs_ is a perfect knock-out year -by year, and there's a sure sale for the smaller books about the priests -larking with the girls in the confessional and so forth. Anything with -'Secret History' or 'Jesuit' on the title-page 'll sell like the -_Evening News_ on Derby Day. Now, I've been reading all the publications -of the regular Protestant societies during the last few weeks. Plenty of -cuts at the Ritualists, lots of little sixpennies bound in cloth to -prove as there isn't no such thing as apostolic succession, that wafers -is illegal, and the Eastern position rather worse than arson. They're -all very well in their way, but they're written by D.D.'s and M.A.'s and -such like, who don't care to go too far. I have a list in my portfolio -here of the regular Protestant writers--nearly all _class_, my boy. -Listen here: - -"_Transubstantiation and the Invocation of Saints._ Rev. J. Cummer, -Canon Residentiary of Ironpool. - -"_Popery the Work of 'the Adversary,'--the Roman Clergy under Satanic -Influence._ Rev. R. S. Blanken, LL.D., incumbent of Christ Church, -Oxton. - -"_Ritualism in the English Church: A Word of Warning._ Rev. Joshua Cafe, -D.D., prebendary of Bath and Wells. - -"There's dozens of others like this. They're all very well in their way, -but they don't strike the really _popular_ note. They've broken the -ground and sowed the seed, but they're not going to reap the harvest." - -"Who is, then, Father? And what'll it be worth when it is reaped?" - -"Us, my boy. As to the worth of it, go on listening to me and you'll see -things gradually getting clearer. I want you to see how I've worked it -all out. If we _do_ strike oil, all I'm telling you now will be -valuable. During my local work for the Protestant cause down here, I've -been brought in touch with members of the old-established societies and -I've taken the length of their foot. They're too dignified altogether. -Real live methods don't appeal to them. Financially they don't do badly, -but nothing like what they _might_ do if they adopted the right methods. -All their subscriptions come from the upper classes, and there's a whole -goldmine lying at their doors which is quite untouched! _abso-lute-ly_ -unworked, Sam! The middle classes and the lower classes haven't _begun_ -to give to the Protestant cause. Why? Because it hasn't been put -prominently before them in the way they'll understand. Bang the -field-piece! twang the lyre! thump the tub! rattle the tambourine! -That's the way. Look at the Salvation Army! The time is ripe for new -methods and for a new man who isn't a canon residentiary or a D.D. I've -got all the ritualistic statistics. Day by day the Ritualists are trying -it on, getting nearer and nearer to Rome. Everything is ready." - -"I see all that, Father. All you say is clear enough. What I _don't_ see -yet is what you mean to do." - -"I'm coming to that. For several years now, I've been prominent in -Hornham affairs. I'm known as a platform speaker in all the -denominations. What do you suppose I did this for six months ago?" he -touched the lapel of his coat, looking down on it as he did so. - -"Oh!" he said, "I forgot I'd changed into my old jacket. I was alluding -to the temperance non-smoking ribbon. It's in my frock-coat. Well, I -mentioned it just to point out that I'm known as a man associated with -all good causes." - -"But only locally, Pa." - -"Exactly. That is all I need to start with. Now, to-day I began: 'Mr. -Hamlyn, a prominent resident in Hornham and a staunch supporter of the -Henglish Protestant Church, has at last felt it his duty to protest -against the illegal practices at St. Elwyn's in as public a manner as -possible.' I've struck a new note, see? What I've done to-day has hardly -ever been done before. Now, why shouldn't this inaugurate a big public -movement all over the country? Why shouldn't offices be taken in the -Strand and a new League started, 'Hamlyn's Protestant Crusade' or -something of that sort? To begin with, subscriptions are invited for -the circulation of real fighting Protestant literature, hot stuff, -giving accounts of the illegal and Romish doings all over the country. I -know where to get the pamphlets written for a mere song, and startlers, -too. Of course, we have all the printing done at the works here in -Hornham,--that'll be worth something considerable. Meanwhile, mark what -happens. The 'silly season' comes on and the newspapers haven't got much -to write about. Our little London concern is established and then we -begin touring round to all the Ritualistic churches and protesting -against their aims. If I know what I'm talking about, in a fortnight or -three weeks one of the biggest booms of the century will begin! -Everything we do will be in the papers, rows in the churches, -police-court proceedings--everything. Whenever I write a letter of -protest to the Bishop of London or the Archbishop of Canterbury it will -appear in all the papers. It don't matter what they say as long as they -mention the Crusade! Then'll come the moment when we really launch out -and become a national Institution. We'll get half a dozen parsons and -fifth-rate M.P.'s to form a committee, and some one to be a treasurer: -he's easy found. Then I become secretary and you assistant-secretary: -we are _salaried_ officials, of course, and we start a little magazine -as the Society's official organ--to be printed at the works. I've many -more ideas for the extension of the plan,--brilliant ideas some of them, -too. But I won't go into them now. I've only given you the roughest -outline of the scheme as yet. Meanwhile, as a preliminary, I'm going to -flimsy out a dozen short reports of to-day's proceedings at St. Elwyn's, -and I want you to run up to Fleet Street with them, about five this -evening. All the dailies will print it." - -He chuckled. "That's the chief beauty of the scheme," he continued; "you -get the majority of your advertisements free, and in the best papers, -too! It's about the only scheme I ever heard of that could." - -He stopped at last and sank back in his chair, exhausted. He had spoken -long and with great animation, with all the tricks and mannerisms of -rough-and-tumble platform oratory, in which he was a master. The -pantomime of his expressive gestures, the indescribable impudence of the -smile as he sought to prove some depth of folly in the public, the quick -inflections of the voice, gave great force to his words. They sounded -convincing to the younger Hamlyn, into whose muddy pallor a deep red -flush had gradually come. - -"It's a big thing, Pa," he said at length, "a very big thing. I see -that, and you're the one to make it go. But there's a lot to be done -first. 'Ave we the ready money to start it? Even in a small way, to get -it once before the public will cost four or five hundred pounds." - -"That's the difficulty, Sam, I admit it. We are pretty low down at -present. The business just keeps its head above water, that's all. The -money from Mr. Herbert is a help, but it's all gone as soon as we get -it. I was thinking that if to-day's little protest makes a stir and we -can do ditto round-abouts during the next week or two, we could get -Moffatt and Burgoyne to advance a hundred each, p'r'aps. As a personal -loan. Mr. Herbert would be good for fifty now, but as soon as he's -elected you'll see he won't bother any more. When we've made the whole -thing hum, he'll come to us and offer to be our Parliamentary -representative. I'm reserving him for that. He'll be useful to ask -questions and help the fizz-up generally. It'll suit him because he'll -have a chance of getting his name in the papers, and it's about the -only chance he will have of getting prominent in the House. But, as far -as the preliminary stages are concerned, my opinion is that he's N.G. -The worst of it is that with a scheme of this sort one can't very well -put it on the market. That's the one drawback of a religious scheme. -There's lots of men who'd see the money in it, but who'd see that if -they joined they couldn't touch a cent. There can't be more than one or -two salaried officials. No, we must depend upon ourselves entirely. I'm -not afraid. It's what Napoleon did, and I'm going to be the Protestant -Napoleon! There's a lot in catchwords--speaking on a side issue--'The -Luther League!' 'Smithfield Soldiers!' or Bunyan's 'Holy War' might be -revived." - -"No, Pa, that wouldn't do now. 'Holy' is a regular Ritualistic word." - -"Well, so it is, Sam. I hadn't thought of it. I'm glad to see that -you've got a good grip of the thing." - -There was a silence in the mean little room. In the adjacent kitchen, -the servant could be heard singing, "Ower lod geris anoice yeng men, ow -dear, ow dear naow!" A big green-bellied fly sung and drummed on the -window-pane in the afternoon sunlight. Hamlyn, replete with enthusiasm -and beef, had taken off his alpaca coat and unloosed his collar. The air -was heavy with the odour of food and the acrid smell of Sam's -"ten-for-threepence" cigarettes, while a penetrating smell of new -calico, proceeding from some of Maud's dressmaking operations, dominated -it all. - -A church bell, ringing for afternoon service, was heard not far away. - -Suddenly Hamlyn struck the table a sounding blow with his fist. - -"It _is_ a good thing," he shouted in a wild burst of enthusiasm. - -The voice was so full, and confident, that it rang out in the place like -a trumpet. - -It had the true accent of an enthusiast, of a leader. There was -mesmerism in it. Hearing it, one would have said that this man would -succeed. - -He could influence others, he had energy, resource, and temperamental -force. It was true. The man was gifted. He had power, and to whatever -end that might be directed it would not lose its efficacy. The -conviction of success, its trumpet note, was to become familiar in vast -hysterical assemblies. It was to be mistaken for a deep and earnest -wish to purify the Church, to scatter the wolves from the environs of -the fold. Greed can be sonorous. Tartuffe can always find his Orgon, and -to hawk a battle-cry among the ignorant and dull has ever been a -profitable game. - -"I've a word to say, Pa," the son echoed; "I've an idea where the first -cash is to come from." - -"Good, my boy. Let's have it." - -"What about Miss Pritchett?" - -Hamlyn looked reproachfully at his son. "What about the monument!" he -answered with a sneer. "She's got the cash, she's got tons of it. But -she's a red-hot Ritualist and Romaniser. Ask me another, Sam." - -Samuel smiled slyly. "Wait a mo, Pa," he said. "I know a good deal more -about Miss Pritchett than you do. I've been walkin' out with Augusta -Davis lately. She's a friend of Maud's." - -"The companion, you mean? Miss Pritchett's companion? Oh, you've been -smelling round in that quarter, have you?" - -"And I've learnt a bit. I know all that goes on. Gussie tells me and -Maud everything. Miss Pritchett's getting tired of St. Elwyn's. She -can't boss the new vicar like she used the old one. As for the Roman -business, she doesn't really care for it. She's nothing to amuse herself -with except that and her ailments. It's the old cat's vanity, that's -all. She likes to be a patroness." - -"That's the sort of woman we want," answered Mr. Hamlyn, obviously -struck by the the word. "There are a lot of rich, single old judies only -fit to be patronesses. They're cut out for it. Do you really think -anything could be done." - -"I do most certainly, Pa. I 'appen to know that Miss Pritchett is -getting on very bad terms with Blantyre. He won't stand her meddling. -I've one or two ideas in my head to help it along. Gussie'll do anything -I tell her." - -"Well, Sam, you do all you can. We won't talk about the matter any more -now. I've got a lot of strings to pull, and I've got a lot of matters in -my mind. We shall get a summons for brawling to-morrow, I expect. I'm -done up now, and I'm going to have a nap. Wake me up in an hour if I'm -asleep, and I'll get out the flimsies for to-morrow's papers." - -Hamlyn possessed that faculty of sleeping at any moment, and of waking -when it suited him, that so often goes with any marked executive -capacity. - -He stretched himself upon the little horsehair sofa and covered his face -with his handkerchief. - -Samuel picked up one of the "Heartsease" novelettes and tried to read in -it. But his brain was alight with the splendour of the new project, and -he could not concentrate his thought upon _Joyce Heathcote's Lover_. - -It was thus that the seeds of the new movement were sown, in the back -parlour at Balmoral, Beatrice Villas, Alexandra Road. Historians tell us -that even greater and more epoch-making movements than Mr. Hamlyn's was -destined to be, have originated in even less pretentious dwellings. - -Many of us have seen the little house in the Brede Kirk Street of the -old Dutch town, on which is written, _Haec est parva domus natus qua -magnus Erasmus_. - -Mr. Hamlyn, Junior, had never heard of Erasmus, but he saw visions of -greatness on that afternoon. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -LORD HUDDERSFIELD AND THE GUESTS AT SCARNING COURT - - -From April until the beginning of August, Lord Huddersfield generally -lived at his house at Scarning, the famous old Tudor mansion on the -river, below Pangbourne. - -Peers who are something more than merely "in society" are generally -known to the public at large by reason of some cause which they benefit, -defend, or are associated with. When it is not a cause, it is a business -that gives such an one his label for the man in the street. - -Lord _So-and-so_ is, of course, the great banker or brewer; Lord _This_ -is the famous picture collector, who has all the Holbeins; Lord _That_ -is known to be the best amateur actor, billiard player, or breeder of -bloodhounds in England. In an age when all celebrities are easily -distinguished thus, Lord Huddersfield, was perfectly familiar to -everyone as the great organising churchman. The ordinary person would -say, "Lord Huddersfield? Oh, yes, the great Ritualistic Johnny," -imagining that he had summed up his man with completeness. Yet, saving -only to churchmen and their antagonists--a very small proportion of the -public to-day--Lord Huddersfield was personally quite unknown. He was -hardly ever caricatured in the comic papers or pictured in the more -serious illustrated journals. His face was wholly unfamiliar; the -details of his private life formed no portion of the gossip papers. To -the vast army of English folk, who are utterly indifferent to religious -questions, he was nothing more than a name. - -He had only once excited a really general flicker of interest. On the -occasion of a visit to Italy, like many other distinguished visitors to -the capital, he had been received in audience by the Bishop of Rome. As -usual, the evening papers had published "rumours." - - "LORD HUDDERSFIELD AND THE POPE. - WILL HE BECOME A CATHOLIC?" - -had appeared as a scare head-line in one enterprising sheet, and the -peer's telegram, stating that he had been one for many years had been -hastily printed as a startling revelation--until some charitable person -had stepped round to the office and explained the joke to a bewildered -Scotch editor, and the paragraph was excised from later editions. - -This much for the figure he cut to the outside world. In the English -Church, he was looked upon as one of the leading laymen, if not the -chief of all of them. He was the proprietor of the great weekly paper -known as the _Church Standard_. He was the chairman of many church -societies, the friend and patron of all Anglican movements and -institutions, and a man whose word carried enormous weight and power. - -In private life, his two children and his intimate friends found him -true, devout, diligent, winning all hearts by opening his own, where one -found a singular freshness and simplicity. He went as little into -general society as he could, for all his thoughts and aims were occupied -in one endeavour. - -On the Monday after the events in Hornham, Agatha Poyntz and her brother -James were in the lovely private backwater of Scarning. Their punt was -moored to the side of a tiny island, set like a gem in the clear brown -water, the red silk cushions of the boat making a vivid splash of colour -on the bank. With these two was Miss Poyntz's great friend and -confidante, Lucy Blantyre, the only sister of the vicar of St. Elwyn's. - -Lucy was a girl of medium height, not at all the willowy modern heroine -of pictures and romance. Her hair was of a deep, dead black, coiled on a -small Greek head. Her complexion was dark, like that of her brother, the -priest, but quite without a certain sallowness that was noticeable in -him. It had the dusky paleness, the pearl-like _morbidezza_ of some -southern types, and, despite the lack of colour, showed a perfect and -happy health. The mouth was rather large. Mockery lurked there, and in -the dark eyes a lambent and somewhat scornful humour was wont to play. - -Agatha Poyntz was a tall and merry girl--"a nut-brown maid" her father -called her. Her round, plump face showed a sheer light-heartedness and -joy in life that was always refreshing to people who found this life -rather a drab and ordinary affair. The care-worn priests and churchmen -who were her father's friends, men who were always too painfully aware -of the great stream of human tears which is for ever falling through the -shadows of the world, were all fond of her freshness and sparkle. And, -so the wisest of them thought that since she took nothing seriously, and -was quite untouched by the vexing problems in which they were -submerged, it was perhaps a good thing that so gay and bright a creature -should come into their lives for a space, realising that, after all, God -made the butterflies which hovered so daintily over the Scarning -water-flowers upon their painted fans. - -James Poyntz, Lord Huddersfield's only son, was a very different type. -He resembled his dead mother, a daughter of the Duke of St. Just. He was -tall, slender, and muscular. His face was clean-shaved, lean, and with a -heavy jaw, not the heaviness that signals sensuality and dulness, but -purpose and resolution. His eyes were grey, and glittered when he became -animated, and his clear, cold voice grew emphatic. - -Not long before, he had come down from Oxford, where he had -distinguished himself in the history schools, and also by availing -himself of the little-used permission to absent himself from chapel and -the examination known as "Divinity Moderations," granted to men who have -come of age, and who sign a declaration of their absolute and sincere -disbelief in the supernatural. It had been a piquant spectacle to the -sceptic undergraduates and younger dons, to see the son and heir of -Lord Huddersfield openly scornful and protesting against all that his -father held so dear, and quietly taking the much severer tests that the -University statutes impose upon those who would dispense with the -puerile divinity examination. - -James Poyntz was on rather bad terms with his father. There was no -confidence between them, and perhaps but little love--though that had -never been tested. The young man had a sufficient fortune from his -mother, and his father was prepared to supplement his income in any way -he might wish, being far too sensible and just a man to endeavour to -make his son suffer financially for his opinions. But James Poyntz -refused money which, as he said, would have been purely superfluous to -him, and was occupied in carving a career for himself at the common-law -bar, where he was already a not inconspicuous figure among the junior -men. - -His knowledge of ecclesiastical law was good, and in the wrangles -between diocesan chancellors and recalcitrant clergy which were becoming -more and more frequent, he was frequently retained. He was a very -familiar figure in Dr. Tristram's Consistory Court, and his familiarity -with ecclesiastical litigation only increased a contempt for those who -professed and called themselves Christians, which was as profound as it -was sincere, and as fundamentally the result of ignorance as it was -both. - -For, brilliant as he was, the young man had not the slightest -acquaintance with modern religious thought. He saw everything through -the spectacles of temperamental distaste, and still believed that -Professor Huxley had dealt the final blow to Christianity in 1876! Lord -Huddersfield had often pressed his son to read the question as it at -present stood, to see what Gore and the philosophic apologists were -saying, or even to note the cautious but inevitable conclusions that -prominent scientists like Lord Kelvin and Sir Oliver Lodge were arriving -at. But the young man always refused. The ancient indictment of the -Gadarene swine represented the last word in the controversy for him, and -a brain keen and finely furnished with facts on all other questions, on -this was not only content to be forty years behind the conclusions of -theological science, but imagined that it was in the van of contemporary -thought. - -Of late, Lord Huddersfield had given up the attempt to influence his -son's opinions. "It is impossible," he had said, "to explain that the -sky is blue to a man who has blindfolded himself all his life, and one -cannot build a basis in a vacuum." So, while both men respected each -other's attainments on all subjects but religious ones, on these James -thought his father a fool, and Lord Huddersfield knew that his son was. - -Despite all this difference, the younger man was a frequent and welcome -visitor at his father's various houses, and between him and his sister -Agatha there was a real and deep affection. Agatha was conventionally -indifferent to religious things, James was profoundly antagonistic to -them, and thus, if they did not meet quite on common ground, they were -never likely to disagree. - -And Lucy Blantyre, the third member of that gay young trio on the summer -morning, was a combination of both of them. She was very well off in the -affairs of this world, as indeed was her brother, Bernard Blantyre of -St. Elwyn's. But, while he had early devoted his life and money to the -service of God, Lucy had refused to identify herself with his interests. -She lived with her aunt, Lady Linquest, a gay old dame of Mayfair, and -it was only at rare intervals that she paid a duty visit to her -brother. Yet, though she was, from a surface point of view, purely a -society girl, popular, and happy in a bright and vivid life, there were -temperamental depths in her, unsounded as yet, which showed her -sometimes--to her own wonder and discomfort--that she was a true -blood-sister to the priest in north-east London. At times, a wave of -scorn for the Church possessed her. She saw the worst side of religious -externals and poured bitter fun upon their anomalies. This is, of -course, a very easy thing to do. Any one can ridicule the unseen and its -ministers: it requires no special talent to be rude to God! At other -times, the girl saw this very clearly and was ashamed. She had a good -brain and despised all that was cheap and vulgar at the bottom; and when -her moods of wilfulness had passed, she stood upon the brink of devotion -and belief. - -Nothing serious animated any of the three. The day was wonderful. In a -sky like a hard, hollow sapphire the sun burned like a white-hot disc of -platinum. The island was deliciously cool; the murmur of a near river -mingled with the bourdon of the bees. The smooth turf on which they lay -was starred with chaste and simple flowers. - -"Isn't it _perfect_ to-day!" Agatha said. "Bee, go away from my face! -'Pleasant it is when the woods are green and the winds are soft and low, -to lie amid some sylvan scene'--Lucy, dear, what are you thinking -about?" - -"I was wondering if we were really reclining in what the poets of last -century called 'bosky shade.' Is this bosky, Mr. Poyntz?" - -"Decidedly bosky, I should say. But surely both of you can put the -island to a better use than merely to illustrate quotations from the -poets? It's far too fine for that." - -"Oh, do let me have 'bosky'," Lucy replied. "It's such a dear, comic -word. I've always loved it. It always seems a fat word to me. I'm sure -it's fat and it waddles--in the word world!" - -"Then what does Agatha's 'sylvan' do?" - -"Oh, sylvan?--well, I should think it was a slim, graceful, and very -young-ladyish kind of word. It wears a neat grey tailor-made coat and -skirt, and says, 'Papa is of opinion that,' or, 'Mamma has frequently -told me.'" - -They all laughed, pleased with themselves, the hour, and the charm that -perfectly absurd talk has for young and happy people. - -"Oh, don't talk of words, Miss Blantyre," Poyntz said, "I'm tired of -them. The long vacation draws near, when I want to forget all about -them. My words, the words I live by, or for, are beasts." - -"Quote, dearest," Agatha said. - -"Well, this is the sort of thing I see more often than anything else at -present," he replied: "'The humble petition of the vicar and -churchwardens of St. Somebody sheweth that, it being considered -desirable to make certain alterations and improvements in the church of -the said Parish, a meeting in Vestry duly convened for considering the -same, was held on the first of June, at which it was resolved that the -alterations shown in the plan annexed hereto and there produced, should -be carried out, a copy of which resolution is also hereto annexed.'" - -Both the girls cried out to him to stop. - -"What musty words, dry and rusty words!" Lucy said. "And, please, what -are they all about, and what do they mean?" - -"They mean this--some worthy parson has badgered his congregation for -money. It is the desire of his soul to have a rood-screen in his -chancel, with a gilt and splendid crucifix upon the top. So, armed with -a mouthful of words like that, he gets him to a sort of cellar near St. -Paul's, where a dear old gentleman, named the Right Worshipful T. H. -Tristram, K. C., D.C.L., sits, in a big wig and a red robe. The parson -eloquently explains his wishes, and the Right Worshipful tells him to go -and be hanged--or polite words to that effect. Then I and other young -legal 'gents' get up and talk and argue, and the Right Worshipful -listens until he's tired, and then says no again. The parson goes back -to his roodless temple and preaches against Erastianism, and I and the -other young legal 'gents' pouch a few guineas, and go and play pool at -the Oxford and Cambridge Club." - -"And then," Agatha went on,--"then father makes a speech and writes a -letter to the _Times_ and gets fearfully excited and worried for about a -week, neglects his meals, passes sleepless nights, and behaves in a -perfectly foolish manner generally. Then he goes down to the parish and -has a convivial meat tea with the poor parson, and before he goes gives -him a cheque for fifty pounds to go and have a holiday with after all -the strain!" - -"Exactly," said Lucy, "I will take up the parable. I have seen our -friend, the parson, in the unutterable north London slum, where my poor -dear brother Bernard spends all his time and money. He goes, as you -say, for a holiday, to recover from the scene in the cellar near St. -Paul's. He goes to Dieppe or Boulogne, where he attends the cathedral -three times a day, and tries to fraternise with the priests, who regard -him as a layman masquerading in borrowed plumes. In revenge, he goes and -makes things uncomfortable for the local English chaplain, who, in most -continental towns, is an undersized person with a red nose and an -enormous red moustache and a strong flavour of Chadband at home. So -'all's well that ends well.' But, really, what fearful nonsense it all -is! Isn't it wonderful that people should waste their energies so!" - -"If it amuses them it doesn't matter in the least," Agatha said. "Look -how happy it makes poor dear father. And I daresay he does good in his -way, don't you know. It's far better than racing or anything like that. -Poor dear Hermione Blackbourne was staying here not long ago, and she -was telling me what a wretched time they have at home. Lord Saltire -hardly ever pays the girls' allowances unless he's won a race, and the -poor dears have to study the sporting papers to know if they'll be able -to afford new frocks for Goodwood. Father's fads are at least harmless, -or, at any rate, no one has to suffer for what he gives away." - -"The old type of clergyman seems to have quite died out," Lucy said. -"When I was a little girl, the rector at home was a dear old man, who -dressed just like an ordinary person, and went otter-hunting three days -a week. Yet I'm sure he was just as earnest as any of these new faddy -people. We had a delightful old pew, with a fireplace and chairs, and -poor dear father used to get his nap. And as for altar lights and copes -and incense, I don't suppose dear old Mr. Jenkyns had ever heard of such -things. The amount of money that Bernard spends on his church in that -way is ridiculous." - -"The only good I can see in it," James Poyntz said, "is that it brings a -certain colour element into drab and dull lives. The people in your -brother's parish, who never see any thing artistic, must gain in that -way, I suppose. After all, Miss Blantyre, 'it's an ill wind that blows -nobody any good.' All this Church nonsense gives pleasure, however much -we may laugh at it. Take myself, for example. I'm intensely amused at -all the squabbles that go on between Christians. More evil passions are -stirred up and let loose over half a yard of green silk or the precise -manner in which half an ounce of flour and water is baked than the -politics of a century excite! It's perfectly true. There's a spirit of -bitter hatred in it all that is intensely interesting to the student of -character. There are hundreds of thousands of people in England who -would burn my poor father in front of St. Paul's to-morrow if they -could--good, respectable, honest British folk!" - -"Well," Lucy said, with affected gloom, "all this only reminds me of my -coming penance. In a day or so now, I must dive into Hornham for my -yearly stay with Bernard. I shall emerge quite thin and crushed. I -always do. The 'clergy-house,' as they call the vicarage, is a -lugubrious place that suggests a rather superior workhouse. When I go, -the drawing-room is solemnly opened by the housekeeper. Bernard gives a -couple of dinner parties and a garden party to a set of the most -extraordinary people you ever saw in your life. I have to be hostess and -chatter to weird people, with whom I haven't a single idea in common. -Lady Linquest drove down from Park Lane to the garden party last year. I -shall never forget it. She gave Bernard such a talking to, told him to -'dress like a gentleman,' and exchange to a nice country parish with -some county people close by, and marry. I wish he would, too! He's -wasting his life, his money, and his health in that awful place. I don't -wonder at aunt's being angry. Why can't he do as she says? He could have -high jinks in a nice little country church in one of the home counties -just as well as where he is now." - -"Beastly life, I should think," James Poyntz said. "Does he live all -alone?" - -"Oh, the two curates live with him, Father Stephens and Father -King--they're all 'fathers,' it seems. These are two intense youths, who -dress in cassocks and tippets all day long, and wear their berrettas -everywhere. I think it's positively indecent to sit down to a meal -dressed like that. But the worst of it is, that there's always some fast -day or other, and I feel an awful pig to be having chicken and claret -while the other three have oatmeal and apples. But I insisted on proper -meals last year, much to the disgust of a gaunt old cat of a -housekeeper, whom Bernard thinks the whole world of." - -She stopped, laughing at her own volubility, and lay back upon the -cushions, staring up at the green-leaf canopy above her head. All these -questions seemed very trivial and unreal at that moment, in that -pleasant place of sunshine, soft breezes, and the murmur of falling -water. She thought of the long, mean, suburban streets of Hornham with -humorous dismay. Thank goodness that she was only going to spend a -fortnight there, and then would be away in a gay continental -watering-place with Lady Linquest. But the few days were imperative. She -was fond of her brother and knew how bitterly disappointed he would be -if she were to withdraw from her promise to stay at St. Elwyn's. It was -a duty which must be done, and it was an unkind fate indeed that had -placed her brother in surroundings which were so uncongenial to her, and -endowed him with opinions so alien to her own. - -James Poyntz had lighted a cigarette. The smoke curled upwards in -delicate grey spirals, and he could see his sister's friend through -them, surrounded by a shifting frame which cut off the striking and -clever face from its immediate surroundings, giving it a vivid and -independent individuality. He could survey it more completely so. There -was something in Lucy Blantyre that had begun to appeal to the young -man with great and greater strength as the days went on. She was close -upon beauty, and she had all the charm of a high-spirited and well-bred -girl in perfect health, and knowing no trouble in life. But in the life -to which he had been born, girls like her were not uncommon. Despite the -fiction-mongers who fulminate against the vices of "society," and would -have their readers believe that the flower of English girlhood is to be -found in the middle class alone, Poyntz knew many gracious girls who -were worthy to stand by any man's side throughout life. But in Lucy -Blantyre he was beginning to discern something deeper and stronger. He -thought that he saw in her a wonderful capacity for companionship, a -real talent for wifehood. He could imagine that she would be more to her -husband than an ordinary wife, identified with his hopes and career with -all her soul's power, one for whom Milton's epithalamium itself would -not be unworthy, with its splendid "Hail, wedded love!" - -But, though such thoughts had been in and out of his mind for some time, -he was hardly in love with her as yet. His temperament was honest and -sincere, but cool and judicial also. He was the last man to take any -definite step without a full weighing of the chances and results. - -But the two had become great friends. Agatha Poyntz had her own thoughts -about the matter, and they were very pleasant ones. Nothing would have -pleased her more than the marriage of her brother and her friend, and -she had made _tęte-ŕ-tętes_ for them in the adroit, unobtrusive manner -that girls know. - -In all his conversations with Lucy, Poyntz had found a keen, resilient -brain that answered to his thoughts in precisely the way he wished. The -tinge of cynicism in her corresponded to the flavour of it in him, and -there was sometimes real wit and understanding in her mockery. - -She "suited" him--that is how he would have put it--and he was now -beginning to ask and examine himself if love were not being born, a love -which might make their union a perfect and lasting thing upon his way -through life. Of her sentiments towards him he knew no more than that -she sincerely liked him and that they were friends. - -The regular throbbing pant of a steam launch on the silver Thames -outside was heard, and Lucy turned suddenly in Poyntz's direction. She -saw that he was looking at her gravely and steadily. A very faint flush -came into her cheeks, almost imperceptible indeed, and then she smiled -frankly at him. - -He smiled also, pleased with himself and her, and with a sense that a -new intimacy was suddenly established between them, an odd sense of -which he was quite certain. - -Agatha looked at the little watch in a leather bracelet on her wrist. -"It's nearly lunch time!" she said; "I don't know how you people feel, -but the word has a very welcome sound to me. Jim, get up and punt us -home. You'll be able to argue with Father Saltus; I've asked him to -lunch with us to-day. I didn't know you were coming down." - -She spoke of Lord Huddersfield's domestic chaplain, a wise and courtly -elderly man, whom they all liked, without in the least realising the -part he played in Church affairs, regarding him, indeed, as a harmless -student and a pleasant companion, but no more. - -In fact, as the light and careless conversation of all of them showed, -not one of the three young people had the remotest idea of what they -were discussing. And though each one of them had a sense of humour, they -were not able to see the humorous side of their airy patronage of the -Catholic Church! This Mr. Saltus was known as one of the most profound -metaphysicians of the day. The greatest modern brains were influenced by -his writings in Christian apologetics; bishops, statesmen, great -scientists knew of him as one to whom it was given to show how all -thought and all philosophy were daily proving the truth of the -Incarnation. His work in the life of the Church was this, and he was -Lord Huddersfield's chaplain because that position gave him leisure and -freedom for his work, and kept him in touch with the very centre of -things. - -James Poyntz had arrived from London by an early train, and had joined -the girls at once. - -In a moment or two, the young man was propelling the long mahogany punt -with easy strokes towards the artificial cutting which led to the -Seaming boathouse. Then, laughing and talking together, the three -strolled over the wonderful lawns, pneumatic to the tread, brilliant as -emerald to the eye, towards the old house with its encircling oaks and -elms. - -The tall red chimneys rose up between the leaves, that triumph of the -Tudor style, which alone of all architectural systems has shown how -chimneys may aid and complete the beauty of a building. The house rested -upon the lawns as if it might float away at any moment, as they passed -round an ancient grey dove-cot and some formal box-trees, and came in -sight of the beautiful place. James Poyntz gave a quick breath of -pleasure as he saw it, the old riverside palace of his ancestors. There -were other houses which would one day be his--a great, grim Yorkshire -fortress, the gay villa at Nice by the old citadel of Mont-Albano, where -the Paglion sings its song of the mountain torrent, the decorous London -mansion in Berkeley Square. But of all, he loved the old Tudor house by -the river best. - -How well Lucy walked! her carriage was a pleasure to watch. Yes! she -harmonised with her background, she was in correspondence with her -environment, she would be a fit mistress of Scarning in some dim future -day. - -They sat down to lunch in an ancient, mellow room, panelled in oak, with -Tudor roses everywhere. It was beautifully cool and fresh after the -glare outside. Father Saltus was a tall and very portly elderly man. His -head was large, formed on a grand scale, and his mouth powerful but -good-humoured. His eyebrows were very bushy and extremely white, and -they overhung eyes which were of a dark grey, deep but not sombre, with -much that was latent there. - -The meal was progressing merrily when the butler entered and spoke to -the footman who had been waiting on them. Then he went up to Agatha. -"His Lordship has returned, Miss," he said, "and will be down to lunch -in a moment." - -Lord Huddersfield had been away for several days. The family house in -London was let, as the Baron did not entertain largely since his wife's -death. Agatha's season was spent under the wing of the St. Justs, her -mother's people. But Lord Huddersfield had chambers in Piccadilly, and -no one ever quite knew whether or not he would be at Scarning at any -given time. - -He entered in a moment, a slim, spectacled man, with a short beard, very -quietly dressed, a man who did not, at first glance, in any way suggest -the power he wielded or the strenuous personality he was. - -He kissed his daughter, shook hands with his son, Lucy, and the -chaplain, and sat down. They noticed that he was pale and worried. - -"Have any of you seen the papers?" he said in a strong, resonant voice, -which came oddly from a man so ordinary and undistinguished in -appearance. - -"I saw the _Times_ this morning, Father," Poyntz said, "but that is -all." The girls confessed that they had not touched the pile of journals -in the library, and Mr. Saltus said he had been writing letters all the -morning and so had not yet been able to see the news. - -"I am sorry," said Lord Huddersfield sadly. "I had hoped that you would -have seen the thing that has happened. I had hoped that I should not -have had to tell you, Miss Blantyre." - -His voice was so charged with meaning that Lucy shivered. Her eyes -became full of apprehension. "Why me, Lord Huddersfield?" she said, -"what has happened?" - -Agatha, who was thoroughly frightened, laid a sympathetic hand upon her -friend's arm. James, who was gazing anxiously at the girl, suddenly -turned to his father. - -"I think you had better tell your news right out," he said quietly. -"Don't keep Miss Blantyre in suspense, Father; it is mistaken kindness. -I am sure that she will be brave." - -Every one looked at Lord Huddersfield; the air was tense with -expectation. "Your good brother, Miss Blantyre," the peer began--Lucy -gave a quick gasp and the colour faded from her lips--"your good -brother, yesterday in church, was saying Mass when suddenly some local -residents rose in their places and made an open protest, shouting and -brawling at the very moment of the Prayer of Consecration!" - -Lucy gazed steadfastly at him, waiting. He said nothing more. "Go on, -please," she managed to whisper at last. - -"They were at once ejected, of course," Lord Huddersfield said. - -"And Bernard?" - -"Although his state of mind must have been terrible, despite his pain, I -learn from a private telegram that he continued the service to the end." - -The three young people stared incredulously; only Father Saltus suddenly -looked very grave. - -"But--why--is that all, Lord Huddersfield?" Lucy said with a gasp of -half-relief. "I thought you meant that something dreadful had happened -to Bernard." - -"Yes," he said, very surprised, "I have told you." - -James picked up his knife and fork, and continued his lunch without a -word. He was very angry with his father. - -Agatha shrugged her shoulders slightly. - -"Oh, that wasn't quite fair, Lord Huddersfield," Lucy said tremulously. -"You really made me think some awful thing had happened. Only a brawl in -church?" - -"I am very sorry, my dear," he answered quickly; "I fear I have shown a -great want of tact. I did not know. I forgot, that is, that you don't -quite see these things as we do. You don't realise what it means." - -"Shall I give you some chicken, Father?" Agatha said, looking at a dish -of mayonnaise before her. She thought that there had been quite a fuss -made about nothing. - -Lord Huddersfield sighed. He felt that he was in a thoroughly -uncongenial atmosphere, though he was sorry for the alarm he had caused. -Once his eye fell in mild wonder upon his guest. How unlike her brother -she was, he thought. - -There was an awkward silence, which James broke at length. - -"I always thought," he said, "that there would be trouble soon. The days -for locking clergymen up have passed by, but Protestant feeling is bound -to have its outlet." - -His quick brain had seized upon the main point at once. - -"Well, there will be more work for the lawyers," he continued. - -Lord Huddersfield frowned a little. "Of course, I can't expect you to -see the thing as I do, James," he said. "To me such a public insult to -our Lord is terrible. It almost frightens one. What poor Blantyre must -have felt, what every Catholic there must have felt, is most painful to -imagine." - -"I'm sure Mr. Poyntz has sympathy with any body of people whose most -sacred moment has been roughly disturbed," the chaplain said. "Whatever -a man's convictions may be, he must feel that. But the thing is over and -nothing can put it right. What I fear is, that this is only the -beginning of a series of sacrilegious acts which may do the Church -incalculable harm." - -"The newspaper report, which appeared everywhere but in the _Times_," -Lord Huddersfield replied, "stated that it was only the beginning of a -campaign. All the reports were identical and apparently supplied to the -papers by the same person, probably the brawlers themselves--who appear -to be people of no consequence whatever." - -"There will be a service of reparation?" asked the chaplain. - -"Yes, to-morrow," answered Lord Huddersfield. "I am going down to -Hornham and shall be present. We must discuss everything with Blantyre -and settle exactly what lines the _Church Standard_ will take up." - -"Of course, Mr. Blantyre will prosecute?" James said. - -"Oh, yes. My telegram told me that the summons had already been issued. -The law is quite clear, I suppose, on the point, James?" - -"Quite. Brawling in church is a grave offence. But these people will, of -course, pose as martyrs. Public opinion will be with them, a nominal -fine will be inflicted, and they'll find themselves heroes. I'm afraid -the Ritualists are going to have a bad time. In '68, the Martin _v._ -Mackonochie judgment was very plain, and in '71 the judicial committee -of the Privy Council was plainer still in the case of Herbert _v._ -Punchas. Then, after the Public Worship Regulation Act, the Risdale -judgment clinched the whole thing. That was at the beginning of it all. -Now, though prosecutions have been almost discontinued, the few cases -that have been heard before the ecclesiastical courts are all the same. -So far as I can see, if this pleasant little habit of getting up and -brawling protests in church becomes popular, a big fire will be lighted -and the advanced men will have to draw in their horns." - -Lord Huddersfield smiled. He attempted no argument or explanation. He -had thrashed out these questions with his son long ago. Father Saltus -spoke instead. - -"If this really spreads into a movement, as it may," he said, "ignorant -public opinion will be with the protestors for a month or two. But that -is all. The man in the street will say that every one has a right to -hold whatever religious opinions he pleases, and to convert others to -his views--if he can--by the ordinary methods of propagandism. But he -will also say that no one has a right to air his opinions by disturbing -the devotions of those who don't happen to agree with him. And what is -more, no religious cause was ever advanced by these means. I have no -doubt that these people will boast and brag that they are vindicating -the cause of law in the Church of England. But if they knew anything of -the history of that Protestantism they champion--which, of course, they -_don't_, for they know nothing whatever--they would know that the law is -the most impotent of all weapons to crush a religious movement." - -James nodded. "It is a truism of history," he agreed. - -"Exactly. To call in the aid of the law to counteract the spread of any -religious doctrine or ceremonial is to adopt the precise means that sent -the Oxford martyrs to the stake and lighted the Smithfield fires. From -the days when the High Priests called in the law's aid to nip -Christianity in the bud, the appeal to the law has never been anything -but an appeal to the spirit of intolerance and persecution against the -freedom of religious belief and worship." - -Agatha rose from the table. "Come along, Lucy dear," she said; "'all's -well that ends well,' and your brother's not going to have a bomb thrown -at him just yet. You will be in the thick of the disturbance in a few -days; meanwhile, make the most of the river and the sunshine! Jim, come -and punt us to the Eyot." - -She kissed her father and fluttered away singing happily a snatch of an -old song, _Green Grow the Rushes O!_ - -The others followed her. The two elder men were left alone, and for a -minute or two neither spoke. - -Then Saltus said: "They are all young, they have made no contact with -real life yet. God does not always call in early life. To some people, -the cross that is set so high over the world is like a great star,--it -is not seen until the surrounding sky is darkened and the sun grows -dim." - -"I am going into the chapel," Lord Huddersfield said, "to be alone for -an hour. There must be many prayers going up to-day to God for the wrong -these poor ignorant men have done." - -"Pray that they may be forgiven. And then, my dear Lord," he continued, -"suppose we have a talk over the situation that has been created--if any -situation beyond the purely local one _has_ been created." A fighting -look came into his face. "We shall be wise to be prepared, to have our -guns loaded." - -"Yes, Father," Lord Huddersfield said rather grimly, "we are not without -power and influence, I am happy to think." - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE - - -Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning. James Poyntz -travelled up to town with her. She was to go home to Park Lane for an -hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, -and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham. - -She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of -the journey to London. The last three days had marked a stage in their -intercourse. Both of them were perfectly aware of that. Intimacy between -a young man and a girl is very rarely a stationary thing. It progresses -in one direction or another. James began to talk much of his ambitions. -He told her how he meant to carve his way in the world, the place he -meant to take. The Poyntz family was a long-lived one; Lord Huddersfield -himself was only middle-aged, and might live another thirty years. James -hoped that it would be so. - -"I want to win my own way by myself," he said. "I hope the title will -not come for many years. It would mean extinction if it came now. You -sympathise with that, don't you?" - -She was very kind to him. Her answers showed a real interest in his -confidences, but more than that. There was acumen and shrewdness in -them. - -"You know," he said, "I do hate and detest the way the ordinary young -man in my position lives. It is so futile and silly. I recognised it -even at Oxford. Because of one's father, one was expected to be a silly -fool and do no work. Of course, there were some decent fellows,--Dover, -the Duke of Dover, was quiet and thought about things. But all my -friends were drawn from the social class which people suppose to be just -below our own, the upper middle class. It's the backbone of England. Men -in it take life seriously." - -He stopped after a time, and gazed out of the window at the flying -landscape. Suddenly he turned to her. "I'm so glad you are my sister's -great friend, Lucy," he said. - -It was the first time that he had spoken her first name to her. His tone -was charged with meaning. - -She looked up quickly, and saw that his eyes were fixed upon her. - -"You are all very kind to me," she said. - -"Every one would be kind to you. I have been very happy since you have -let me be your friend. Do you know that my work and my hopes seem dearer -than ever to me now that I have told you so much of them. We have got to -know each other very well, haven't we?" - -"Very well." - -"We shall know each other better. It is my hope. I wonder if I might -write to you now and then, and tell you some of my thoughts and how -things are with me? Would such letters bore you?" - -"I should value them, and think them a privilege. A woman is always -gratified when a man confides his thoughts to her. So many men never -allow a woman friend to see below the surface, and so many men--at any -rate, men that I am in the way of meeting--have no thoughts to tell one -even if they would." - -The train began to go more slowly as it rumbled through the dingy -environs, and shook over the myriad points of Waterloo Station. Neither -of them spoke again. There was no doubt in the mind of either as to the -meaning of the situation. - -The girl had gathered all his thoughts from his tone. It was very -pleasant to be with him, this sane and brilliant young man with a great -name and such powers. It made her happy to know how he regarded -her--that out of all the girls he knew he had chosen her for a friend. -He would some day ask her to be something more; that also she knew, and -knew that he was conveying it to her. She did not love him, love was a -word not very real to her as yet. Her mental eyes had never visualised -it, it was an abstraction. But she liked and admired him more than any -other man of her set: he was a _man_. Well, there was time enough yet to -think of all that. Meanwhile his deference was sweet; her heart warmed -to him as his, she knew, was warm to her at that moment. - -He saw her to the door of the waiting victoria, and stood chatting for a -moment in the hurry of the station, making the footman mount his box -again. - -Then he gave the signal to start, and stood upon the platform by his -hansom as she was driven rapidly away. Once she turned and waved a hand -to him. - -Lucy lay back in the carriage, pleased with herself and all the world. -She had come on to Victoria, instead of getting out at Vauxhall, -specially to enjoy the longer drive. It was a brilliant day, and as the -carriage came upon Waterloo Bridge, the wonderful panorama of riverside -London was uplifting. Away to her right, the purple dome of St. Paul's -shone white-grey in the sun. The great river glittered in the morning -air, and busy craft moved up and down the tide. The mammoth buildings of -the embankment, Somerset House with its noble façade, the Savoy, the -monster Cecil, the tiled roofs of Scotland Yard all came to the eye in -one majestic sweep of form and colour. And far away to the left, dim in -a haze of light, the towers of Westminster rose like a fairy palace, -tipped with flame as the sun caught the gold upon the vanes and spires. - -London! yes! it was, after all, the most beautiful city in the world, -seen thus, at this hour, from this place. How the heart quickened and -warmed to it. - -Suddenly the thought of Hornham came to her. She made a little -involuntary movement of disgust. For a whole fortnight she would be -there. It would be intolerable. Why could not Bernard come to Park Lane -for a fortnight? How much more sensible that would be. - -Well, it was no good thinking of it. The thing must be done. Yet, from -one point of view how curious it was. How strange that a drive of two -hours would plunge her into a world entirely foreign and alien in every -way to her world. - -She was driving up Grosvenor Place now, by the long walls of the King's -Palace Garden, over which the trees showed fresh and green. The stately -street, with the Park gates at the end of its vista, only accentuated -the contrast. She utterly failed to understand how any one could do what -her brother did. There was not the slightest reason for the endurance of -these horrors. His personal income was large, his family connections -were influential. He could obtain a fashionable West End living without -any trouble. She was still scornfully wondering as the carriage stopped -at Lady Linquest's house in Park Lane. - -Lucy found her aunt in a little room of china-blue and canary-yellow -which looked out over the Park. - -She was a tall woman, of full figure. The face was bright and animated, -though somewhat sensual, inasmuch as it showed that its owner -appreciated the good material things that life has to offer. At -sixty-two, when dames of the middle classes have silver hair and are -beginning to assume the gentle manners of age, Lady Linquest wore the -high curled fringe of the fashion, a mass of dark red hair that had -started life upon the head of a Bréton peasant girl. Art had been at -work upon her face and she was pleasant to look on, an artificial -product indeed, but with all the charm that a perfect work of art has. - -She made no secret of it to her intimate friends, and no one thought any -the worse of her in a society where nearly every one who has need of -aids to good looks buys them in Bond Street. Indeed, she was quite -unable to understand what she called "the middle class horror of paint." -"Why on earth," she would say, "any one can possibly object to an old -woman making herself look as pleasant as possible for the last few years -of her life, I can't make out. It's a duty one owes to one's friends. It -sweetens life. At any rate, _I_ don't intend to go about like old Mother -Hubbard or the witch in whatshername." - -"Lucy, my dear," said this vivacious dame as her niece entered, "you're -looking your best this morning. And when you look your best my -experience generally tells me that you've been up to some wickedness or -other! How's Agatha, and has James Poyntz been at Scarning, and how's -that poor dear man, Huddersfield, who always reminds me of a -churchwarden? He is the king of all the churchwardens in England, I -think." - -Lucy sat down and endeavoured to answer the flood of questions as -satisfactorily as might be, while Lady Linquest took her mid-morning -pick-me-up of Liebig and cognac. - -The good lady gave her niece a rapid _précis_ of the news of their set -during the few days she had been away. "So that you'll know," she said, -"what to talk about at General Pompe's lunch--your last decent meal, by -the way, for a fortnight! I shall give orders to the cook to put a -hamper in the carriage for you to take with you to Bernard's. All those -poor young men starve themselves." - -She rattled away thus while Lucy went to her own room to dress. For some -reason or other, why she could not exactly divine, she was dissatisfied -and ill at ease. The exhilaration of the railway journey, of the -wonderful drive through sunlit London, had gone. Her aunt, kind -creature as she was, jarred upon her this morning. How terribly shallow -the good lady seemed, after all! She was like some gaudy fly dancing -over a sunlit brook--or even circling round malodorous farmyard -stuff--brilliant, useless, and with nothing inside but the mere muscles -of its activity. James Poyntz's words recurred to her, his deep scorn of -a purely frivolous, pleasure-loving life was present in her brain. - -Lucy was genuinely fond of Lady Linquest, but somehow on this bright -morning to hear a woman with one foot in the grave talking nothing but -scandal and empty catchwords of Vanity Fair, struck with a certain chill -to her heart. - -To see her sitting there, curled, painted, scented, sipping her tonic -drink, ready for a smart party of people as empty and useless as -herself, was to see a thing that hurt, after the experiences of the -morning. - -Lucy had not taken her maid to Scarning. She had wanted to live as -simply as possible there, to live the outdoors riverside life. And she -was not going to take Angelique to Hornham either--where the girl would -be miserable and a nuisance to the grave little community there. She -felt very glad, as the chattering little French woman helped her to -dress, that she was not coming with her. The maid's voluble boulevard -French got on her nerves; the powder on her face, which showed violet in -the sunlight, the strong scent of verbena she wore, the expression of -being abnormally "aware"--all these were foreign to Lucy's mood, and she -noticed them with an almost physical sense of disapproval that she had -never before felt so strongly. - -The drive to the smart hotel near Piccadilly only took five or six -minutes, and the two ladies were soon shaking hands with old General -Pompe, their host. General the Hon. Reginald Pompe was an old creature -who was only kept from senile decay by his stays. He was unmarried, -extremely wealthy, and the fashion. In his younger days, his life had -been abominable; now, his age allowed him to do nothing but lick the -chops of vicious memories and prick his ears for scandals in which he -could not share. People said, "Old General Pompe is really _too_ bad, -but where one sees the Duke of ---- and the Prince of ---- we may be -sure that people like ourselves cannot be far wrong." - -The other guests comprised Lord Rollington, of whom there was nothing to -be said save that he was twenty-four and a fool; Gerald Duveen, who was -a fat man of good family, and more or less of a success upon the stage; -and his beautiful, bold-looking wife, a judge's daughter, who played -under the name of Miss Mary Horne, and of whom much scandal was -whispered. - -After a moment or two in the palm room, waiting for the Duveens, who -were a minute or two late, the six people went in to lunch. The special -table General Pompe always used was reserved for them, decorated with a -triumphant scheme of orchids and violets. Lumps of ice were hidden among -the masses of flowers, diffusing an admirable coolness round the table. - -The host drew attention to the menu, which he had composed. He mumbled -over it, and as he bent his head Lucy saw that his ears were quite -pointed, and that the skin upon his neck lay in pachydermatous folds, -dry and yellowish. - -"Baked red snapper, red wine sauce," said Mr. Duveen, with the purring -and very distinct voice of high comedy. "Hm--turtle steaks -_miroton_--sweetbreads--_Tadema_, quite the best way to do sweetbreads." - -Mrs. Duveen was talking in a low, rapid voice to Lady Linquest. Her -eyes were very bright, and malice lurked in the curves of a lovely mouth -as she retailed some story of iniquity in high places, one of these -private and intimate scandals in which the half-life of the stage is so -rich--actors and actresses more than most people being able to see -humanity with the mask off. How greedy the three men looked, Lucy -thought, as they devoured the lunch in prospect. "Pigs!" she said to -herself with a little inward shudder. - -Why was this? She had been at dozens of these functions before now and -had thought none of these thoughts. To-day a veil seemed removed from -her eyes: she saw things as they really were. And as they really were, -these people were abominable. - -Any of them would - - "Buy a minute's mirth to wail a week, - And sell eternity to gain a toy." - -They had the manners of organ-grinders and the morals of monkeys. She -caught some words of what Mrs. Duveen was saying now and again. Lord -Rollington began to tell her, with affected disgust, how he had been at -a burlesque theatre the night before, and the musical-comedy heroine of -the hour had been so intoxicated that she could hardly sing her song. - -"Too bad, you know, Miss Blantyre. I spotted it at once. It's always -disgustin' to see a girl take too much to drink, but when she's caperin' -about the stage like that one really has a right to complain. Don't you -think so? Now, if it had been a poor little chorus girl, she'd have been -fired out of the theatre in a second. For my part, I--" and so on for an -interminable five minutes. - -General Pompe began to flirt with Lucy in that elderly -"you-are-only-a-little-girl" sort of manner, that is so difficult to -repel and which is so offensive. She saw his horny eyes roving over her -person with appreciation. - -A great many of Lady Linquest's particular set were like this. Not all -of them, thank goodness, but so very many! And the worst of it was that -society mingled and overlapped so strangely. The sheep and the goats -were not separated in any way. People like the Huddersfields stood -almost alone, and even Agatha, when she was with the St. Justs--her -mother's family--constantly met this sort of people. But, then, Agatha -didn't seem to care, she didn't realise. She laughed at everything and -thought it "awfully good fun." In fact, Lucy realised Agatha was -exactly the same as she herself had always been--with the very slightest -intervals--until this moment. It was startling to think that the words -of Lord Huddersfield's son had worked this revolution in her point of -view. For she was quite persuaded that they were the reason of it. She -could find no other reason. - -She did not realise then, as she was to realise with humble thankfulness -and awe in the future, the august influence that was at work within her. - -She was not gay at lunch. Usually she was a most welcome member of any -such gathering as this. Her sayings were pointed, she entered fully into -the spirit of the hour, her wit adorned the charm of her personality, -and she was universally popular and voted "good fun" in the -comprehensive epitome of her associates. This was the highest praise -they knew, and they gave it her without stint. - -To-day the party fell flat--there was no doubt about it. The radiance of -the early morning had given place to a heat which became terribly -oppressive, and the sky was overclouded. Thunder was in the air, and -London awaited a storm. - -The electric lights began to glow in the restaurant. - -Lady Linquest did her best to rouse her niece to gaiety, but her efforts -were futile. The old man who was entertaining them grew sulky, and Lord -Rollington drank glass after glass of champagne. The beautiful actress -was frankly bored, and became more cynical and bitter with every -scandalous story she told. - -Only Mr. Duveen preserved his equanimity. He ate and drank and purred -with secure complaisance. It was his rôle in life. Ever since he had -been a little lick-trencher fag at Eton he had been thus. It was said by -his friends in society--after his back was turned--that on one occasion, -having discovered the Earl of ---- kissing his wife, he had murmured an -apology, saying that he had come to find his cigarette case, and -hurriedly retired from the room. This, no doubt, was scandal and untrue, -but it showed the estimation in which he was generally held. - -Lucy knew this unpleasant story--Lady Linquest had told her. She thought -of it as she watched the man pouring _mandarin_ into his coffee. Once -more she felt the shrinking and repulsion that had come over her more -than three hours ago. - -She knew, or once had known, her Dante. She had had but little time for -anything but frothy reading during the last year or two, but once she -had kept up her Italian. A passage from the _Inferno_ came into her -brain now,--a long-forgotten passage: - - "Quest i non hanno speranza di morte, - E la lor cicca vita č tanto bassa - Che invidiosi son d'ogni altra sorte." - -She saw the people of whom the Florentine spoke before her now, the -people for whom the bitterest fate of all had been reserved,--these who -"have no hope of death, and whose blind life so meanly drags that they -are envious of every other fate." - -Before she left Park Lane, it had been arranged that the small brougham -should call for her at the restaurant, and take her on to Hornham. Her -luggage was small. This smart society girl was going to take her plunge -into the great London _Hinterland_ with a single trunk, like any little -governess driving to her new situation, where she would learn how bitter -the bread of another may taste, and how steep are the stairs in the -house of a stranger. - -The carriage arrived just as lunch was over, and she left all of them -with immeasurable relief. - -Driving up Shaftesbury Avenue to find her northward route was like -driving into a black curtain. It was terribly hot and dark, the horses -were uneasy, and the people moving on the pavements seemed like phantoms -in some city of dreadful night. - -London began to grip and hold her then as it had never done before. Seen -under this pall, its immensity and the dignity it gained by that was -revealed in a new aspect. _Her_ London, her corner of the town, the mere -pleasure-city, became of no consequence, its luxury, its parks and -palaces, shrank and dwindled to nothing in her consciousness. - -She was attuned to thoughts more solemn than were wont to have their way -with her. Her eyes and ears were opened to the reality of life. - -She had lost her dislike for the visit she was going to pay. Below her -frequent irritation at her brother's way of life there had always been a -strong affection for him. And more than that, she had always respected -him, though often enough she would not admit it even to herself. As the -brougham turned into the surging arcana at Islington her curiosity -about the next few days was quickened: the thought of personal -discomfort--discomfort of a physical kind--had quite gone. She felt that -she was about to have experience of something new, her pulses quickened -to it. - -The vicarage of St. Elwyn's was one of those stately old red-brick -houses, enclosed in a walled garden of not inconsiderable extent, that -are still to be found here and there in north London. They date from the -florid Georgian times, when that part was a spacious countryside where -wealthy merchants withdrew from commerce in the evening of their days -and lived a decorous life among the fields and trees. Here and there, in -the vast overgrown and congested districts, one or another of these old -freeholds has been preserved inviolate--as may be seen in the ride from -Hackney to Edmonton--and becomes an alien in a wilderness of mean little -houses and vulgar streets. - -Father Blantyre had bought one of these few remaining mansions in -Hornham, at a high price, and had presented it to the parish of St. -Elwyn's as its vicarage. Here he lived with his two curates and a staff -of four servants,--a housekeeper, two maids, and a man-of-all-work. The -personal wants of the three clergymen were very simple, but the servants -were useful in many parochial affairs. In times when work was scarce, -the vicarage staff boiled soup, like any cheap restaurant-keeper. The -house was open at all times of the day or night to people who wanted to -be quiet and alone for a time; social clubs and guilds had their -headquarters there. - -Indeed, the place was the centre of a diversified and complex life--how -complex, neither Lucy, nor any outsider, had the least conception. - -The carriage stopped at the heavy square porch with its flight of steps, -and the footman ran up them and rang the bell. - -Lucy noticed with amusement that the man's face expressed a mild wonder -at the neighbourhood in which he found himself, and that he winked -solemnly at the coachman on his box. - -Lucy stood on the steps for a moment. The sky was quite dark, and the -little side street in which she was, showed in a dim and sulphurous -half-light--like the light round the House of Usher. A piano-organ close -by was beating out its vibrant mechanical music with an incongruous and -almost vulgar disregard of the menace of the heavens. - -The housekeeper opened the front door, and Lucy entered a big panelled -hall, now in a gloom that was almost profound, and with a tiled floor -that clicked and echoed as the high heels of her shoes struck upon it. - -"The vicar is in his study, Miss," the housekeeper said. She was a tall, -gaunt, elderly woman, with a face that always reminded Lucy of a horse, -and her voice was dry and hesitating. - -Lucy crossed the hall, opened a door of oak and another of green baize, -and entered her brother's room. - -It was a large, lofty place. The walls were covered with books in sober -bindings,--there must have been several thousands there. A soft carpet -covered the floor, in the centre of which stood an enormous -writing-table crowded with books and papers. - -Hardly any light came into the place through the long window, and two -candles in massive silver holders stood upon the writing-table, throwing -a soft radiance around. - -The light fell upon a tall crucifix of silver that stood upon the table, -a beautiful specimen of English Pre-Reformation work. A small couch had -been drawn up close to the table, and on it the priest lay asleep. The -face was lined and drawn with worry and with work, and all its secrets -were told as the man slept. One hand lay hanging from the side of the -sofa--a lean, strong hand, with a coil of muscle upon the back. Seen -thus in an abandonment of repose, Lucy's brother showed as a man worn -and weary with battle, scarred and battered, bruised, but how -irrevocably rich! - -A rush of tenderness came over the girl as she looked at him. Here was -the man who had not winced or cried aloud, whose spirit was unbowed -beneath the bludgeonings of life. - -A high serenity lay over the pain upon the face. It was a face vowed, a -saint's face, and even as he slept the great soul which shone like a -monstrance within him, irradiated the mask that hid it. - -Lucy saw all this, received some such impressions as those in two or -three moments. Some attraction drew her eyes from the sleeper to the -shining symbol of God's pain upon the table. Then they went back to -Bernard Blantyre. To her excited fancy there seemed some subtle sympathy -between them, an invisible shuttle that was flying to and fro. - -Then Blantyre awoke and saw her. He did not come from the kingdom of -sleep gradually, as most people do, loath to leave those silent halls. -He sprang suddenly into full consciousness, as soldiers upon fields of -battle, as old veterans used to sudden drums and tramplings are known to -do. - -His eyes lighted up with merriment and triumph, his mobile face was one -great smile. He caught her by the arms and kissed her repeatedly. "It's -splendid to have you again, me darling," he said, with a slight Irish -accent that came to both of them when they were excited. "Ye little -wretch, staying away so long! Why, ye're prettier than ever! Ye'll have -all the Hornham boys waiting for ye outside the church door after Mass, -for we don't see your sort down our humble way--the rale West End -product!" - -Laughing and chattering, putting on the most exaggerated brogue, the -brother and sister moved out into the hall. Father Blantyre called -loudly, "King! Stephens! where are ye? she's come!--I don't know where -my boys are at all, mavourneen--We'll dress um down for not being in to -welcome the new clergywoman. Now, come up to your room, sweetheart, and -Bob'll bring your box up. Bob! bring me sister's trunk up-stairs." - -The little man ran up the wide stairway, an odd, active figure in his -black cassock, laughing and shouting in an ecstasy of pleasure and -excitement. No schoolboy could have been more merry, more full of simple -joy. - -Lucy followed him, half laughing, half inclined to sob at this happy -welcome. She was carried off her feet by it all, by this strange arrival -under lurid skies at the dingy old house which suddenly seemed so -home-like. - -Reproach filled her heart at her long neglect as she heard her brother's -joy. Simplicity!--yes, that was it. He was utterly simple. The thought -of the people she had left so short a time ago was more odious than -ever. - -She found herself alone in her bedroom, a big, gloomy place with solid -mahogany furniture in the old style. There was nothing modern there save -a little _prie-dieu_ of oak by the bedside. But the sober colours and -outmoded massiveness of it all no longer troubled her. She did not give -a single thought to her own luxurious nest in Park Lane--as she had done -so often during her first visit to St. Elwyn's a year ago. - -When she went down-stairs once more, both the assistant priests had come -in and were waiting with the vicar in the study, where some tea was -presently brought. - -Stephens was a tall, youthful-looking man, rather slangy perhaps, with a -good deal of the undergraduate about him still, but obviously in -earnest. King was square-faced; the clean-shaved jaw showed powerful and -had a flavour of the prize-fighter about it, while his general -expression was grim and somewhat forbidding. He was much the elder of -the two. His expression, the outward shell, was no index to the man -within. A tenderer heart never beat in a man; a person more -temperamentally kind never lived. But he had more capacity for anger, -righteous anger, than either the vicar or Stephens. There were moments -when he could be terrible, and some savage strain in him leaped to the -surface and was only curbed by a will which had long been sanctified to -good. - -The two men seemed glad to see Lucy again. She had seen little of them -on her first visit; neither of them had made any impression on her. Now -they interested her at once. - -"Now, then, Bernard," Lucy said as she began to pour out the tea, "what -is all this I hear about a scene in church? Lord Huddersfield was full -of it. He was most distressed." - -"He has been awfully good about it," Blantyre said. "He was down here on -Tuesday morning going into the matter. A man named Hamlyn, the editor of -a little local paper, threw the church into a miserable state of -confusion during Mass last Sunday, just after I had said the Prayer of -Consecration. He read a document protesting against the Blessed -Sacrament. We had him ejected, and yesterday he was fined ten shillings -in the local police court. The magistrate, who is a pronounced -Protestant in his sympathies, said that though the defendant had -doubtless acted with the best intentions, one must not combat one -illegality with another, and that the law provided methods for the -regulation of worship other than protests during its process!" - -"Pompous old ass!" said Stephens. - -"Well, I'm glad they fined him," Lucy said. - -"'All's well that ends well!' You won't have the services disturbed -again." - -"On the contrary, dear, we are all very much afraid that this is the -first spark of a big fire. We hear rumours of an organised movement -which may be widely taken up by the enemies of the Church. All through -the ranks there's a feeling of uneasiness. Lord Huddersfield is working -night and day to warn the clergy and prepare them. We cannot say how it -will end." - -He spoke with gravity and seriousness. Lucy, who privately thought the -whole thing a ridiculous storm in a teacup, and was utterly ignorant of -the points at issue, looked sympathetic, but said nothing. She was not -in a flippant mood; she realised she was quite an outsider in the -matter, which seemed so momentous to the three intelligent men she was -with, and, unwilling to betray her lack of comprehension or to say -anything that would jar, she kept a discreet silence. - -"We all get shouted after already, when we go into the worst parts of -the parish," said Stephens cheerfully. "They've been rousing the -hooligan element. It's an old trick. Lazy bounders, who don't know a -Christian from a Jew and have never been in a church in their lives, -shout 'papist' after us as we go into the houses. Just before I came in, -I was walking up the street when a small and very filthy urchin put his -head round the corner of a house and squeaked out, 'Oo kissed ve Pope's -toe?' Then he turned and ran for dear life. As yet, I haven't been -assaulted, but King has! Haven't you, King?" - -Mr. King looked rather like a bashful bulldog, and endeavoured to change -the subject. - -"Do you mean any one actually struck you, Mr. King?" Lucy said, -absolutely bewildered. "How awful! But why should any one want to do -that?" - -The vicar broke in with a broad grin that made his likeness to a -comedian more apparent than ever. - -"Oh, King was splendid!" he said with a chuckle. "That ended very well. -A big navvy chap was coming out of a public-house just as King was -passing. He looked round at his friends and called out something to the -effect that here was another monkey in petticoats--we wear our cassocks -in the streets--and see how he'd do for um! So he gave poor King a clout -on the side of the head." - -"Oh, I _am_ sorry," Lucy said, looking with interest upon the priest, -and realising dimly that to be a clergyman in Hornham apparently ranked -as one of the dangerous trades. "What did you do, Mr. King?" - -King flushed a little and looked singularly foolish. He was a bashful -man with ladies,--they did not come much into his pastoral way. - -Lucy thought that the poor fellow had probably run away and wished that -she had not asked such an awkward question. - -"Oh, he won't tell ye, my dear!" Blantyre said, "but I will. When the -gentleman smacked um on the cheek, he turned the other to him and kept's -hands behind's back. Then the hero smacked that cheek too. 'Hurroo!' -says King, or words to that effect, 'now I've fulfilled me duty to me -religion and kept to the words of Scripture. And now, me friend, I'm -going to do me duty to me neighbour and thrash ye till ye can't see out -of your eyes.' With that he stepped up to um and knocked um down, and -when he got up, he knocked um down again!" - -Mr. King fidgeted uneasily in his seat. "I thought it was the wisest -thing to do," he said, apologetically. "You see, it would stop anything -of the sort for the future!" - -"And the fun of the whole thing, Miss Blantyre," Stephens broke in, "was -that I came along soon after and found the poor wretch senseless--King's -got a fist like a hammer. So we got him up and refused to charge him to -the policeman who turned up after it was all over, and we brought him -here. We sponged him and mended him and fed him, and he turned out no -end of a good sort when the drink was out of him. Poor chap gets work -when he can, hasn't a friend in the world; hadn't any clothes or -possessions but what he stood up in, and was utterly a waster and -uncared for. We asked him if he knew what a papist was, and found he -hadn't an idea, only he thought that they made love to workingmen's -wives when their husbands were at work! He'd been listening to our -friend, Mr. Hamlyn, who called a mass-meeting after the police-court -proceedings and lectured on the three men of sin at the vicarage!" - -A flood of strange and startling ideas poured into the girl's brain. A -new side of life, a fourth dimension, was beginning to be revealed to -her. She looked wonderingly at the three men in their long cassocks; she -felt she was in the presence of power. She had felt that when James -Poyntz was talking to her in the train, in the fresh, sunlit morning, -which seemed a thing of the remotest past now. Yet this afternoon she -felt it more poignantly than before. Things were going on down here, in -this odd corner of London, that were startling in their newness. - -"And what happened to the poor man?" she said at length. - -"Oh," answered the vicar, "very fortunately we are without a man of all -work just now, so we took him on. He carried your trunk up-stairs. He's -wearing Stephen's trousers, which are much too tight for um! and an old -flannel tennis coat of King's--till we can get his new clothes made. He -was in rags!" - -"But surely that's rather risky," Lucy said in some alarm. "And what -about the other servants? I shouldn't think Miss Cass liked it much!" - -Miss Cass was the housekeeper, the woman with the face like a horse. She -always repelled Lucy, who, for no reason than the old, stupid "Dr. Fell" -reason, disliked her heartily. - -To her great surprise, she saw three faces turned towards her suddenly. -On each was an expression of blank surprise, exactly the same -expression. Lucy wanted to laugh; the three men were as alike as -children are when a conjuror has just made the pudding in the hat or -triumphantly demonstrated the disappearing egg. - -The taciturn King spoke first. "I forgot," he said; "of course you don't -know anything about Miss Cass. How should you, indeed! Miss Cass is a -saint." - -He said it quite simply, with a little pride, possibly, that the -vicarage which housed him housed a saint, too, but that was all. - -"Yes," the vicar said, his brogue dropping away from him, as it always -did when he was serious, "Miss Cass is a saint. I'll tell you her story -some time while you're here, dear. It is a noble story. But don't you be -alarmed about our new importation. Bob will be all right. We know what -we are doing here." - -"It's wonderful, Miss Blantyre," Stephens broke out, his boyish face all -lighted up with enthusiasm. "You know, Bob'd actually never been in -church before yesterday morning, when he came to Mass." - -He stopped for a moment, out of breath in his eagerness. Lucy saw that -he--indeed, all of them--took it quite for granted that these things -they spoke of had supreme interest for her as for them. There was such -absolute _conviction_ that these things were the only important things, -that no excuse or apology was necessary in speaking of them. She found -she liked that, she liked it already. There was a magnetism in these -men that drew her within their circle. She saw that, whatever else they -were, they were absolutely consistent. They did not have one eye on -convention and the world, like the West End clergymen she knew,--some of -them at least. These men lived for one aim, one end, with tremendous -force and purpose. They simply disregarded everything else. Nothing else -occurred! Yes, this was a fourth dimension indeed. She bent herself to -listen to the boy's story, marking, with a pleasure that had something -maternal in it, the vividness and reality of his interest and hopes. - -"Before he went," the young man said, "I explained the Church's teaching -exactly to him. Don't forget that the poor chap hadn't the slightest -idea of anything of the sort. He was astounded. A mystery that I could -not explain to him, a mystery for which there were no _material_ -evidences at all, came home to him at once. _I saw faith born._ And they -say this is not an age of miracles! Think of the tremendous revolution -in the man's mind. He talked to me after the service. It was all -wonderfully real to him. He was absolutely convinced of the coming of -our Lord. There isn't a rationalist in London that could shake the -man's belief. I asked him why he was so sure--was it merely because I -had told him, because I believed in it? His answer was singularly -touching. 'Nah,' he said, scratching his head,--they all do when they -try to think,--'It wasn't wot you said, guvnor, it was wot I _felt_. I -_knowed_ as 'E wos there. Why, I ses to myself, _It's true!_'" - -"It is very wonderful," Lucy said. "It's more wonderful by far than a -man at a Salvation Army meeting or a revival. One can understand that -the sudden shouts and the trumpets and banners and things would -influence any one. But that a service which is inexplicable even to the -people who conduct it should influence this poor uneducated man is -strange." - -"Now, I don't think it strange, Lucy, dear," the vicar said; "it's far -more natural to me than the other. The wonderful power of the Church -lies in this, _that her mysteries appeal to quite simple people whose -minds are a blank on religious questions. They appeal to the simple -instantly and triumphantly._ They feel the power of the Blessed -Sacrament. And _only_ Catholicism can do this in full and satisfying -measure. We find that over and over again. The jam-and-glory teas, the -kiss-in-the-ring revivals, have a momentary and hysterical influence -with the irreligious. But it doesn't last, there is no system or -discipline, and above all, _there is no dignity_. Only priests realise -thoroughly how the poorer and less-educated classes crave for the proper -dignity and beauty of worship. It has always been so. It is the secret -of the power that the Roman Church has over the minds of men." - -"Then why are there so many Salvationists and Dissenters?" Lucy asked. - -"For a multitude of reasons. A dislike to discipline chiefly. People -don't go to church because the novelties of thirty or forty years ago -have filtered down into the omnibuses and people who are naturally -irreligious prefer to make a comfortable little code for themselves. The -Church says you _must not_ do this or that; its rules are thoroughly -well defined. Folk are afraid to come as near to God as the Church -brings them. Their cry is always that the Church comes between them and -God. Often that is a malevolent cry, and more often still it's pure -ignorance. The silly people haven't an idea what they're talking about. -It would be just as reasonable for me to say, 'I hate and abominate -Nicaragua, which is a pernicious and soul-destroying place,' when I've -never been nearer to Nicaragua than Penzance." - -"There is one thing that we do see," King continued in his slow, -powerful way. "Whenever we have open-minded men or women come to church -to pray and find help, they find it. Dozens and dozens of people have -come to me after they have become members of the Church and said that -they could not understand the anti-Church nonsense they themselves had -joined in before. '_We never knew_,' that is the cry always." - -"The thunder's beginning!" Father Blantyre said suddenly, realising -apparently that the talk was straying into channels somewhat alien to a -young society lady presiding at afternoon tea. - -"Lucy, me dear, it's tired you'll be of sitting with three blathering -old priests talking shop in a thunderstorm--there's a flash for ye!" - -A sheet of brilliant steel-blue had flashed into the room as he spoke, -showing every detail of it clear and distinct as in some lurid day of -the underworld. The books, the writing table, the faces of the three -clergymen, and the tall silver crucifix between the candles, which had -momentarily faded to a dull and muddy yellow, all made a sudden tableau -which burned itself upon the retina. Then came darkness once more and -the giant stammer of the thunder far overhead. - -The thunder ceased and they waited, expectant of the next explosion, -when the penetrating and regular beating of an adjacent bell was heard. - -"There's the bell for evensong!" Blantyre said; "I did not know it was -so late." He put on his berretta and left the room, the other men -following him. Lucy rose also. She felt that she would make one of them, -and going up-stairs to get a hat, she presently found herself in the -long, covered passage that connected the vicarage with the church. - -The idea of a house which was but an appanage of the church was new to -her. The passage had been built since her last visit. And as she entered -the huge, dim building, she saw clearly how powerful in the minds of her -brother and his friends its nearness must be. All their life, their -whole life, centred in this church. Its services were as frequent and -natural as their daily food. How strangely different it all was to the -life of the outside world! She herself had not been to church for six -weeks or more. Even people who "called themselves Christians" only -entered a pew and enjoyed a hebdomadal siesta in church. But these men -could not get on without it. Every thought and action was in communion -with the Unseen. And she was forced to acknowledge it to herself,--if -one actually did believe in a future life, in eternity, then this was -the only logical way in which to prepare for it. If life was really like -a sojourn of one night in an inn, then the traveller who made no -preparation for the journey, and spent the night in careless disregard -of the day, was an utter fool. But no one called worldly people -fools!--it was all very puzzling and worrying, and common-sense did not -seem like common-sense in Hornham. - -And was James Poyntz a fool? - -It was the last question she asked herself as she turned into the side -chapel where evensong was to be said. Some twenty kneeling figures were -there. The place was dimly lighted save for the tall gas standards by -the priests' seats in front of the altar. - -High up before the painted reredos hung a single lamp that burned with a -dull red glow. There were many sick folk in the parish of St. Elwyn's: -at all hours of the day and night, the clergy were sent for to help a -departing soul upon its way hence, and the Blessed Sacrament was -reserved upon this altar in the side chapel. - - * * * * * - -The simple and stately service was nearly over. The girl had listened to -the sonorous words as if she heard them now for the first time. As she -knelt, her heart seemed empty of the hopes, fears, and interests of -daily life. It seemed as a vessel into which something was steadily -flowing. And the fancy came to her that all she experienced was flowing -to her from the dim tabernacle upon the altar. It was almost a -_physical_ sense, it was full of awe and sweetness. She trembled -exceedingly as the service ended and her brother prayed for the -fellowship of the Holy Ghost. - -For a time after the echoing footsteps of the clergy had died away, she -remained upon her knees. She was praying, but without words; all her -thoughts were caught up into one voiceless, wordless, passionate -ejaculation. - -When at length she bowed low,--it was the first time she had ever done -such a thing,--before the altar, and left the church, it was by the west -door. - -She had a fancy for the street, and she found that the thunder had all -passed away and that a painted summer's evening sky hung over the garish -town. - -As she finally turned into the vicarage, she cast one look back at the -church. It rose among the houses high into the air. The sunset fired the -wet tiles of the roof and gilded the cross upon the lantern. She thought -of That which was within. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -WEALTHY MISS PRITCHETT AND POOR GUSSIE DAVIES ENTER THE VICARAGE GARDEN - - -"Todgers," Mr. Stephens remarked to Lucy, as they went down into the -garden after lunch on Saturday, "could do it when it chose." - -The last preparations for the garden party were being made. The big -marquee was erected, the tennis lawns were newly marked, there was a -small stand for the string band. - -Waiters, looking oddly out of their element in the brilliant sunshine, -which showed dress-coats, serviceable enough at night, tinged with a -metallic green like a magpie's wing, were moving about with baskets of -strawberries and zinc boxes of ice. - -The old-fashioned garden, an oasis in the wilderness of brick all -around, was brilliant with sunflowers, stocks, and geraniums; the lawns -were fresh and green. The curate was in tennis flannels and an Oxford -blazer, and Lucy meditated upon the influence of clothes, as her -betters had done before her. Stephens seemed to have put off his -priesthood with his tippet and cassock, and the jaunty cap covered a -head which seemed as if it had never worn a berretta. Lucy found, to her -own surprise, that she liked the man less so. It was a total inversion -of her ordinary ideas. She began to think that a priest should be robed -always. - -Miss Cass, the housekeeper, in a new cap, came up to them. Lucy had -talked to the woman for more than an hour on Friday afternoon, and the -prejudice caused by her appearance was removed. - -"I hope everything is satisfactory, Miss," she said. "It all seems to be -going on well. The men from Whiteley's know their business." - -"It all seems splendid, Miss Cass," Lucy said. "I'm sure it couldn't be -better. Have the band people come?" - -"Yes, Miss, and the piano-entertainer too. They're having some -refreshment in the library. His Reverence is telling them funny stories, -Miss." - -She hurried away to superintend further arrangements. - -"The vicar is always so fine," the young man said, with a delighted -enthusiasm in his chief that was always pleasant for Lucy to hear. "He -gets on with men so well; such a lot of parsons don't. There's nothing -effeminate about the vicar. He's a man's man. I'll bet every one of -those fellows in there will go away feeling they've made a friend, and -that parsons aren't such scalawags after all." - -A burst of laughter came from the door leading into the garden, as if to -confirm his words, and Father Blantyre descended the steps with a little -knot of men dressed in something between livery and uniform, carrying -oddly shaped cases of black waterproof in their hands. - -Laughing and joking, the men made their way towards the music stands. - -The vicar came up to Lucy. "How will it do?" he said. "It seems all -right. Just walk round with me, my dear, and I'll give ye a few tips how -to play hostess in Hornham." - -They strolled away together. "Now, ye'll be careful, won't ye, -mavourneen?" he said rather anxiously. "The folk coming this afternoon -require more management and tact than any I've ever met. They'll all -have what they think is the high society manner--and ye mustn't laugh at -um, poor dears. I love 'em all, and I won't have you making fun of -them. I like them better in church than in society, I'm quite free to -admit to you, and their souls are more interesting than their bodies! -Perhaps half a dozen people here this afternoon will be what you'd call -gentlefolk--the doctor, Dr. Hibbert, and a few others. The rest of them -will be fearfully genteel. The young gentlemen will be back early from -the city, and they'll come in flannels and wear public-school ribbons -round their hats, roses in their button-holes and crimson silk -cummerbunds!" - -"Good heavens!" Lucy said. - -"Yes, and they'll all want to flirt with ye, in a very superfine, polite -sort of way, and mind ye let um! They'll ask if they might 'assist you -to a little claret cup,' and say all sorts of strange things. But -they're good enough at heart, only they will be so polite!" - -"And the women?" - -Father Blantyre shrugged his shoulders. "You'll find them rather -difficult," he said. "You bet they see your name in the papers--they all -read the 'Fashionable Intelligence'--confound um!--and the attitude will -be a little hostile. But be civil for my sake, dear. I hate all this -just as much as you do. I can get in touch with them spiritually, but -socially I find it hard. But I think it's the right thing to do, to -entertain them all once or twice a year, and they do enjoy themselves! -And I owe them a deep, deep debt of gratitude for their loyalty during -this trying week. I have had dozens and dozens of letters and calls. -Every one has rallied to the church in a wonderful and touching way -since the Sunday affair. God bless them all!" - -Lucy squeezed his arm with sympathy. In an hour, the guests began to -arrive. - -Lucy and her brother met them by the garden door of the house. It was a -gay scene enough. A brilliant flood of afternoon sunshine irradiated -everything; the women were well and fashionably dressed, the band -played, and every one seemed happy. - -Lucy found it much easier than she expected. The guests were suburban, -of course, and not of the "classic suburbs" at that. But, she reflected, -there was hardly a man there who had not better manners than Lord -Rollington or General Pompe. And if they wore Carthusian or Zingari -ribbons, that meant no more than that they were blessed with a -colour-sense; while a slight admixture of "i" in the pronunciation of -the first vowel was certainly preferable to the admixture of looseness -and innuendo that she was sometimes forced to hear in much more exalted -circles. So she received tea and strawberries at the hands of gallant -and debonair young gentlemen engaged in the minor walks of commerce; she -chatted merrily with fluffy young ladies who, when they had gotten over -their first distrust of a girl who went to the drawing-room and stayed -with lords, finding that she wasn't the "nasty, stuck-up thing" they -expected, were somewhat effusively affectionate. She talked gravely -about the "dear vicar and those dreadful men" to ample matrons who for a -moment had forgotten the cares of a small suburban villa and a smaller -income, in the luxury of fashion, the latest waltz tunes, the champagne -cup, and a real social event. Indeed, everything went "with a snap," as -one young gentleman remarked to Lucy. She became popular almost at once, -and was surrounded by assiduous young bloods of the city "meccas." - -Father Blantyre, as he went about from group to group, was in a state of -extreme happiness, despite his somewhat gloomy anticipations. It was an -hour of triumph for him. His people, for whom he prayed and laboured and -gave his life and fortune, were one and all engaged to show him how -they would stand by him in the anticipated trouble. Everywhere he was -greeted with real warmth and affection, and before long the quick Celtic -temperament was bringing a mist before the merry grey eyes and a riot -and tumult of thankfulness within. - -On all sides, he heard praises of his sister. "The pretty dear," one -good lady, the wife of a cashier in a small Mincing Lane firm, said to -him. "I had quite a long talk with her, Father Blantyre. And a sweet -girl she is. We're not in the way of meeting with society folk, though -we read of all the gay goings-on in the _Mail_; but I said to Pa, 'Pa,' -I said, 'if all the society girls are like that, then there's nothing -much the matter with the aristocracy, and _Modern Society_ is a -catchpenny rag.' And Pa quite agreed. He was as much struck by her as I -was." - -And so on. Every one seemed pleased with Lucy. The guests began to -arrive less and less frequently, until at length the gardens were -crowded and no one else appeared to be coming. All the various games and -entertainments were in full swing, and Lucy was about to accept the -invitation of a tall boy in a frock coat and a silk hat to sit down and -watch a set of tennis with him, when there was a slight stir and -commotion at the garden door of the house. - -Miss Cass came hurriedly down the steps, as a sort of advance guard for -two ladies who were ushered into the garden by a waiter. The housekeeper -dived into the crowd and found the vicar, who turned and went with her -at once to meet the late-comers. - -"There's Miss Pritchett and Gussie Davies," said the young man to Lucy -in rather an awed voice, and then, as if to banish some unwelcome -impression, relieved his feelings by the enigmatic remark of "Pip, pip," -which made Lucy stare at him, wondering what on earth he meant. - -She noticed that nearly every one at this end of the garden was -watching, more or less openly, the meeting between the vicar and his -guests. She did not quite understand why, but guessed that some local -magnate had arrived, and looked with the rest. - -The elder of the two women was expensively dressed in mauve silk, and -wore a small bonnet with a white aigrette over a coffee-coloured fringe -of hair that suggested art. Her face was plump and pompous, a -parrot-like nose curved over pursy lips that wore an expression of -arrogant ill-temper, and the small eyes glanced rapidly hither and -thither. In one white-gloved hand, the lady held a long-handled -lorgnette of tortoise-shell and gold. Every now and then she raised -these glasses and surveyed the scene before her, in exactly the manner -in which countesses and duchesses do upon the stage. - -Her companion was young, a large, blonde girl, not ill-looking, but -without character or decision in her face or walk. She was dressed very -simply. - -Lucy turned to her companion. "Do you know them, then?" she said. - -"Rather," he replied. "I should think I did. That's Miss Pritchett, old -Joseph Pritchett's daughter, old Joseph, the brewer. He left her all his -money, she's tons of stuff--awfully wealthy, I mean, Miss Blantyre." - -"Does she live here, then?" - -"Oh, yes. In spite of all her money she's always been an unappropriated -blessing. She's part of Hornham, drives a pair in a landau. The girl is -Gussie Davies, her companion. She's not half a bad sort. All the Hornham -boys know Gussie. Nothing the matter with Gussie Davis! The old cat sits -on her fearfully, though. She can't call her soul her own. It's bally -awful, sometimes, Gussie says." - -Lucy gasped. These revelations were startling indeed. She was moving in -the queerest possible set of people. She hadn't realised that such folk -existed. It took her breath away, like the first plunge into a bath of -cold water. - -The artless youth prattled on, and Lucy gathered that the lady with -the false front was a sort of female _arbiter elegantarium_ -to Hornham, indubitably the richest person there, a leading light. -She saw her brother talking to the woman in an eager way. He seemed -afraid of her,--as, indeed, the poor man was, under the present -circumstances,--and Lucy resented it. With a quick feminine eye, she saw -that Miss Pritchett was assuming an air of tolerance, of patronage even, -to the vicar. - -At last, Bernard caught sight of her. His face became relieved at once -and he led the spinster to the place where she was sitting. - -Every instinct of the girl rose up in dislike and rebellion as the woman -drew near. She had felt nothing of the sort with the other people. In -this case, it was quite different. She prepared to repel cavalry, to use -the language of the military text-books. - -On the surface, the incident was simple and commonplace enough. A -well-bred girl felt a repulsion for an obviously unpleasant and -patronising woman of inferior social rank. That was all. It is a trite -and well-worn aphorism that no event is trivial, yet it is -extraordinarily true. Who could have said that this casual meeting was -to be fraught with storm and danger for the Church in England; that out -of a hostile handshake between two women a mighty scandal and tumult was -to rise? - -Miss Pritchett came up to Lucy, and Father Blantyre introduced her. -Then, with an apologetic murmur, he hurried away to another part of the -garden. - -"Won't you sit down?" Lucy said, looking at the chair that had been left -vacant by her late companion. - -"Thank you, Miss Blantyre, but I've been sitting in my carriage. I -should prefer to stand, if it's the same to you," said Miss Pritchett. - -Lucy rose. "Perhaps you would like to walk round the grounds?" she -asked. - -"Probably I know the grounds better than you," the elder woman answered -with a patronage which was bordering on the purely ludicrous. "This -residence was one of my dear father's houses, as were many of the -Hornham houses. When the vicar acquired the property, the brewery -trustees sold it to him, though I think it far from suitable for a -parish clergyman." - -"Well, yes," Lucy answered. "It certainly is a dingy, gloomy old place, -but what else can you expect down here?" - -Miss Pritchett flushed and tossed her head till the aigrette in her -smart little bonnet shook like a leaf. - -"One is liable to be misunderstood," she said. "Your brother's small -private means enable him to live in a house which the next vicar or any -ordinary clergyman could hardly hope for." - -"It _is_ very good of Bernard to come down here and spend his life in -such an impossible place," Lucy said. She was thoroughly angry now and -quite determined to give the woman a lesson. Her impertinence was -insufferable. To hear this creature speak of Bernard's income of three -thousand a year--every penny of which he gave away or spent for good--in -this way was unendurable. - -Miss Pritchett grew redder than ever. She was utterly incapable of -bearing rebuff or contradiction. Her local eminence was unquestioned. -She had never moved from Hornham, where her wealth and large interests -secured for her that slavish subserviency that a vain and petty spirit -loves. For months past, she had been gradually gathering up cause for -quarrel and bitterness with the clergy of St. Elwyn's. She had found -that once within the portals of the church she was just as anyone else. -She could not lord it over the priests as she wished to do. For once, -she was beginning to find that her money was powerless, there was no -"high seat in the synagogue" that it could buy. - -"The place has been good enough for _me_," she said angrily, never -doubting that this was final. - -"Ah, yes," Lucy answered. "That, Miss Pritchett, I can quite -understand." The Hornham celebrity was a stupid woman. Her brain was as -empty as a hen's, and she was not adroit enough to seize upon the real -meaning of this remark. She had an uneasy suspicion that it was -offensive, and that was all. - -"What you may mean by 'impossible' I am not aware," she continued. "I -speak plain English myself. But those that don't know of a place didn't -ought to speak unfavourable of it. As for your brother, I've always said -that he was a worthy person and acted as well as he might, until late -months, when I've felt it my duty to say a word or two in season as to -some of the church matters." - -"I hope he profited, Miss Pritchett." - -"I fear that he did not receive my words as he should, coming from a -lady of standing in the place--and him only here three years. I'm -beginning to think that there's something in the popular agitation. Upon -my word! Priests do take a good deal on themselves nowadays. It wouldn't -have been allowed when I was a girl." - -"Things have altered very much for the better during the last fifty -years," Lucy said pointedly. - -This the lady did immediately apprehend. She lifted the lorgnette and -stared at her companion in speechless anger. The movement was meant to -be crushing. It was thus, Miss Pritchett knew from her reading, that -women of the aristocracy crushed inferiors. - -It was too much for Lucy. She endeavoured to control her feelings, but -they were irresistible. She had not seen anything so funny as this -vulgar and pompous old thing for years. A smile broadened out upon her -face, and then, without further ado, she burst out into peal after peal -of laughter. - -The flush on Miss Pritchett's face died away. It grew perfectly white -with passion. - -She turned round. Her companion had been walking some three yards behind -them in a listless and dejected fashion, looking with greedy eyes at the -allurements on every side, and answering the furtive greetings of -various male friends with a pantomime, expressive of contempt, -irritation, and hopeless bondage in equal parts. - -Miss Pritchett stepped up to her, and caught hold of her arm. Her -fingers went so deep into the flesh that the girl gasped and gave a -half-smothered cry. - -"Take me to the carriage," Miss Pritchett said. "Let me leave this place -of Popery and light women!" - -The obedient Gussie Davies turned and, in a moment or two, both women -had disappeared. - -Lucy sought her brother. She found him eating a large pink ice in -company with a florid, good-humoured matron in maroon, with an avalanche -of lace falling from the edges of her parasol. "Hallo, dear!" he said. -"Let me introduce you to Mrs. Stiffe, Dr. Hibbert's sister. And where's -Miss Pritchett?" - -"She's gone," Lucy answered. "And, I'm very much afraid, in a towering -rage. But really she was so insolent that I could _not_ stand it. I -would do most things for you, Ber, but, really, that woman!" - -"Well, it can't be helped, I suppose," the vicar said with humorous -resignation. "It was bound to come sooner or later, and I'm selfish -enough to be glad it's you've given me lady the _congé_ and not me. Mrs. -Stiffe here knows her, don't you, Mrs. Stiffe?" - -"I do, Mr. Blantyre," the stout lady said. "I've met the woman several -times when I've been staying down here with my brother. A fearful old -cat _I_ call her! I wonder that you put up with her so long!" - -"Policy, Mrs. Stiffe--ye know we're all Jesuits here, the local paper -says so in yesterday's issue--policy! You see, when I first came here -Miss Pritchett came to church. She's a leading person here and I made no -doubt others would follow her. Indeed, they did, too! and when they saw -what the Catholic Church really was they stayed with us. And then, -again, Miss Pritchett was always ready to give us a cheque for any good -work, and we want all the money we can get! Oh, there's a lot of good in -Miss Pritchett!" - -"I fail to see it on a short acquaintance," Lucy remarked; "if she gave -generously, it was only to flatter her vanity. I'm sure of that." - -"It's a great mistake to attribute unworthy motives to worthy deeds," -the vicar said. "We've no right to do it, and it's only giving ourselves -away when we do, after all!" - -"Oh, it's all very well, Vicar," said good Mrs. Stiffe; "we know you -never say anything against any one. But if Miss Pritchett is such an -angel, what's the reason of her behaviour now? My brother told me that -things were getting very strained." - -"Ah, that's a different matter entirely," Blantyre said. "She began to -interfere in important things. And, of course, we couldn't have that. -I'd have let her manage the soup-kitchens and boss the ladies' guilds -till the sky fell. But she wanted to do more than that. Poor dear King -offended her in some way--he's not what ye'd call a ladies' man--and she -wrote to me to send him away at once! And there were other incidents. -I've been doing my best to meet her views and to keep in with her, but -it's been very difficult and I felt the storm would burst soon. I wanted -to keep her in the Faith for her own silly sake! She's not a very -strong-minded person beneath her manner, and she's just the sort of -woman some spiritualistic quack or Christian Science gentleman would get -hold of and ruin her health and happiness. I did hope she'd find peace -in the Church. Well, it can't be helped," he ended with a rather sad -smile, for his heart was tender for all his flock and he saw far down -into the human soul and loved it. Then he changed suddenly. "What am I -doing!" he cried, "talking parochial politics at a garden party! Shame -on me! Come on, Mrs. Stiffe, come on, Lucy, Mr. Chaff, the -piano-entertainer, is going to give his happy half-hour at Earl's -Court." - -They went merrily away with him. As they approached the rows of chairs -in front of the piano, he turned suddenly to his sister. - -"Why didn't ye knock her down?" he said suddenly, with an exaggerated -brogue and real comic force. Both ladies burst out laughing. - -"You ought to have been on the music-hall stage, Vicar," Mrs. Stiffe -said, "you're wasted in Hornham." - -"So I've been told," he said. "I shall think seriously of it. It's a -pity to waste a talent." - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -BOADICEA, JOAN OF ARC, CHARLOTTE CORDAY, JAEL, AND MISS PRITCHETT OF -HORNHAM - - -People of taste are never without wonder at the extraordinary lack of it -that many well-to-do folk display. It was but rarely that a person of -taste entered Malakoff Lodge, where Miss Pritchett dwelt, but when such -an event did happen, the impression was simply that of enormous -surprise. The drawing-room into which visitors were shown was an immense -place and full of furniture. In each of the corners stood a life-sized -piece of statuary painted in "natural colours." Here one saw an immense -negro, some six feet high, with coffee-coloured skin, gleaming red lips, -and a gaudy robe of blue and yellow. This monster supported a large -earthenware basket on his back, painted, of course, in correct -straw-colour, from which sprang a tall palm that reached to the ceiling. -In other corners of the room were an Egyptian dancing-girl, a Turk, and -an Indian fakir, all of which supported ferns, which it was part of -Miss Gussie Davies' duty to water every morning. - -The many tables, chiefly of circular or octagonal form, which stood -about the room, bore a multitude of costly and hideous articles which -should have been relegated to a museum, to illustrate the deplorable -taste of the middle classes during the early and mid-Victorian era. -Here, for example, was a model of the leaning tower of Pisa done in -white alabaster, some two feet in height, and shielded from harm by a -thick glass case. There, the eye fell upon a bunch of very purple grapes -and a nectarine or two, made of wax, with a waxen bee settling upon -them, all covered with glass also. Literary tastes were not forgotten. -Immense volumes of Moore's poems, the works of Southey or Robert -Montgomery lay about on the tables. These were bound in heavy leather -boards, elaborately tooled in gold representations of Greek lyres and -golden laurel crowns. The shining gilt edges were preserved from the -profanation of a casual opening by two or three immense brass clasps -which imprisoned the poet's thoughts within. - -The time in which these things were made was a sentimental age, and it -was well reflected in its _bijouterie_. Innumerable nymphs and -shepherdesses stood about offering each other hearts, madrigals, and -other dainties. But they had none of the piquant grace that Watteau -would have given them, or the charm the white-hot fires of Dresden might -have burnt into them. They were solid, very British nymphs, whose -drapery was most decorously arranged that one thick ankle might be -visible, but no more;--nymphs and shepherdesses who, one might imagine, -sat happily by the bank of some canal, singing the pious ditties of Dr. -Watts as the sun went down,--nymphs, in short, with a moral purpose. The -hangings of Miss Pritchett's room, the heavy window curtains that -descended from baldachinos of gleaming gold, were all of a rich crimson, -an extraordinary colour that is not made now, and the wall-paper was a -heavy pattern in dark ultramarine and gold. Indeed, there was enough -gold in this mausoleum to have satisfied Miss Killmansegg herself. - -One merit the place had in summer, it was cool, and when the barouche -that was the envy of Hornham drove up at Malakoff gates, Miss Pritchett -rushed into the drawing-room, and, sinking into an arm-chair of purple -plush, fanned a red and angry face with her handkerchief. - -The companion followed her meekly. - -"Wait there, Miss Davies," said the spinster sharply; "stand there for a -moment, please, till I can get my breath." - -Miss Davies remained standing before her patroness in meek obedience. -After a minute or two, Miss Pritchett motioned with her hand towards an -adjacent chair. Gussie Davies sat down. - -It was part of the spinster's life to subject her companion to a kind of -drill in this way. The unfortunate girl's movements were regulated -mathematically, and in her more genial and expansive moments Miss -Pritchett would explain that her "nerves" required that this should be -so--that she should have absolute control over the movements of any one -who was in the room with her. - -There had been spirited contests between Miss Pritchett and a long -succession of girls who had refused to play the part of automaton, but -in Gussie Davies, the lady had found a willing slave. She paid her well, -and in return was served with diligence and thorough obsequiousness. -Gussie was adroit, more adroit than her somewhat lymphatic appearance -would have led the casual observer to suppose. Properly trained, she -might almost have made a psychologist, but her opportunities had been -limited. However, for several years, she had directed a sharp brain to -the study of one person, and she knew Miss Pritchett as Mr. Sponge knew -his Mogg. Her influence with that lady was enormous, the more so in that -it was not at all suspected by the object, who imagined that the girl -was hers, body and soul. But, nevertheless, Miss Davies, who hailed from -Wales and had a large share of the true Cymric cunning, could play upon -her mistress with sure fingers, and, while submitting to every form of -petty tyranny, and occasionally open insult, she ruled the foolish woman -she was with. - -Gussie sat down. Miss Pritchett did not speak at once, and the girl -judged, correctly enough, that she was meant to open the ball. - -"O Miss Pritchett!" she said with a little shudder, "what a relief it -must be to you to be back in your own mansion!" - -Nothing pleased the spinster more than the word mansion as applied to -her house. Gussie used the term with discretion, employing it only on -special occasions, unwilling to be prodigal of so sure a card. - -"You may well say that, child," Miss Pritchett answered faintly. - -"Now you must let me ring for a glass of port for you," the young lady -continued. "You need it, indeed you do. I'll take the responsibility on -myself." - -She rose and rang the bell. "Two glasses," said Miss Pritchett when the -answering maid had received her order. "You shall have a glass, Gussie, -for I feel I am to blame in taking you to such a place. I have seen the -world, and I have met women of that class before, I am sorry to say. But -hitherto I have managed to shield you from such contamination." - -Gussie sighed the sigh of innocence, a sigh which the young men with -whom she larked about in Alexandra Gardens never heard. - -"I wish I had your knowledge of the world," she said. "But, of course, -I've never mixed in society, not like you." - -The port arrived and in a minute or two the experienced damsel saw that -her patroness was settling down for a long and confidential chat. The -moment promised a golden opportunity, of which she meant to take -advantage if she possibly could. She had a big scheme in hand; she was -primed with it by minds more subtle than her own. The image of Sam -Hamlyn was before her and she burned to deserve that gentleman's -commendation. - -"Yes," said Miss Pritchett, "as a girl, when I used to go to the Lord -Mayor's balls at the Mansion House with papa and mamma, I saw what -society really was. And it's worse now! That abandoned hussy at the -vicarage is an example of what I mean. I must not go into details before -you, child, but I know what I know!" - -"How _awful_, Miss Pritchett! I saw her making eyes at all the gentlemen -before you went up to her." - -"All's fish that comes to the net of such," replied Miss Pritchett. "An -earl's toy, the giddy bubble floating on the open sewer of a London -season, or the sly allurer of an honest young city gentleman. Anything -in trousers, child, is like herrings to a cat!" - -"How _awful_! Miss Pritchett," repeated Gussie, wondering what it would -be like to be an earl's toy, and rather thinking she would enjoy it. "I -suppose you'll go to the vicarage just as usual, though,--on parish -business, I mean." - -This, as the girl expected, provoked a storm, which she patiently -endured, certain that she was in a way to gain her ends. At length, the -flow of voluble and angry words grew less. Miss Pritchett was enjoying -herself too much to risk the girl's non-compliance with her mood. - -"There, there," she said eventually, "it's only your ignorance I know, -Gussie, but you do aggravate me. You don't understand society. Never -shall I set foot in that man's house again!" - -Gussie gasped. Her face expressed fervent admiration at such a daring -resolve, but slight incredulity as well. - -The bait took again. "Never, as I'm a living lady!" said Miss Pritchett, -"and I don't know as I shall ever drive up to the church doors in my -carriage on a Sunday morning more! Opinions may change. I _may_ have -been--I don't say I _have_ been, yet, mind you--I _may_ have been led -away by the false glitter of Roman doctrine and goings on." - -The idea seemed to please the lady. She saw herself picturesque in such -a situation. - -Gussie started suddenly. - -"What's the matter, child?" she was asked tartly; "do you think no -one's got any nerves? Keep still, do!" - -"I'm very sorry, Miss Pritchett, but when you said that, I remembered -something I was reading last night in the _Hornham Observer_." - -"I was keeping it for Sunday afternoon," said Miss Pritchett. "I did -mean to go to morning service and then read Mr. Hamlyn's side of last -Sunday's proceedings at home, comfortable like. But what's in the -paper?" - -"A great deal that will interest you, dear Miss Pritchett, though I do -not know if you will be pleased." - -"Pleased? What do you mean?" - -"Your name is mentioned several times." - -"Is it, indeed! We'll soon see about that! Fetch the paper at once and -read what it says. If Mr. Hamlyn's been foolish enough to talk about his -betters, I'll very soon have him turned neck and crop out of the place. -He's a man I've never spoken to more than twice, and he must be taught -his place in Hornham." - -Gussie went out to fetch the paper. She smiled triumphantly as she came -into the hall. All was going well and, moreover, her quick ear had -caught the slight trace of wavering and alarm in the concluding words -of her mistress. Miss Pritchett, like many other people, was never able -to rid herself of a superstitious reverence for print. She devoutly -believed the cheap romances that formed her literary food, and even a -small local newspaper was not without a strong influence on one whose -whole sympathies and interests were local. - -Gussie came back with the paper. "There's two whole pages about the St. -Elwyn's business," she said, "column after column, with great big -letters at the top. Shall I begin at the beginning?" - -"No, no; read the bits about me, of course. Read what it was that made -you jump like a cat in an oven just now." - -"That particular bit did not mention your name, Miss Pritchett, but it -chimed in so with what you said just now. I wonder if I can find -it?--ah, here it is-- - -"'And so I think I have accounted for the reason of the popularity of -such services as go on at St. Elwyn's among the poorer classes. A -wealthy clergyman can buy attendance at any idolatry, and who would -blame a starving brother, desperate for food, perhaps, for attendance at -a mummery which is nothing to him but the price of a much-needed meal? -Not I. Tolerance has ever been the watch-word of the _Observer_, and, -however much I may regret that even the poorest man may be forced to -witness the blasphemous and hideous mockery of Truth that takes place at -St. Elwyn's, I blame not the man, but the cunning of a priesthood that -buys his attendance and then points to him as a convert to thinly veiled -Romanism.'" - -Gussie stopped for a moment to take breath. Miss Pritchett's face was -composed to pleasure. This was hot and strong indeed! She wondered how -Father Blantyre liked this! - -Worthy Mr. Hamlyn, indeed, had heard of the little incident of the navvy -and Father King, and knew that the erstwhile antagonist was now housed -in the vicarage. Hence the preceding paragraph. Gussie went on: - -"'But what shall we say when we find rank and fashion, acute -intelligence and honoured names bowing down in the House of Rimmon? How -shall we in Hornham regard such a strange and--so it seems to -us--unnatural state of affairs? - -"'The Scarlet Woman is powerful indeed! It would be idle to attempt to -deny it. The drowsy magic of Rome has permeated with its subtle -influence homes where we should have hoped it would never enter. And why -is this? I think we can understand the reason in some measure. Let us -take an imaginary case. Let us suppose that there is among us a woman of -high station, of intellect, wealth, and charm. She sees a struggling -priesthood establish itself in a Protestant neighbourhood. The sympathy -that woman will ever have for the weak is enlisted; she visits a church, -not realising what its sham and ceremony leads to, under what Malign -Influence it is carried on. And then a gracious nature is attracted by -the cunning amenities of worship. The music, the lights, the flowers, -the gorgeous robes, appeal to a high and delicate nature. For a time, it -passes under the sway of an arrogant priesthood, and, with that sweet -submission which is one of the most alluring of feminine charms, bows -before a Baal which it does not realise, a golden calf that it would -abhor and repudiate were it not blinded by its own charity and -unsuspicious trust! Have I drawn a picture that is too strong? I think -not. It is only by analogy that we can best present the Truth. - -"'Nevertheless we do not hesitate to assert, and assert with absolute -conviction, that, if such a clouding of a fine nature were temporarily -possible, it would be but transient. Truth will prevail. In the end, we -shall see all those who are now the puppets and subjects of a Romanising -attempt come back to the clear sunlight of Protestantism, away from the -stink-pots and candles, the toys of ritual, the poison of a painted -lie.'" - -Gussie read the paragraphs with unction. She read them rather well. As -she made an end, her guilty conscience gave her a fear that the unusual -emphasis might have awakened some suspicion in Miss Pritchett's mind. -But with great relief she saw that it was not so. That lady was -manifestly excited. Her eyes were bright and there was a high flush on -the cheek-bones. Truth to tell, Miss Pritchett had always suspected that -there were depths of hidden gold in her nature. But they had never been -so vividly revealed to her before. - -"Give me the paper," she said in a tremulous voice; "let me read it for -myself!" - -Her unguarded words showed Miss Davies how completely the fortress was -undermined. The spinster read the words through her glasses and then -handed the paper back to her companion. - -"The man that wrote that," she said, "is a good and sincere man. He -knows how the kind heart can be imposed upon and deceived! I shall take -an early opportunity of meeting Mr. Hamlyn. He will be a great man some -day, if I am any judge." - -"He must have had his eye on the Malakoff," Gussie said. "Why, dear Miss -Pritchett, he has described you to a T. There is no one else in Hornham -to whom it could apply." - -"Hush, child! It may be as you say. This worthy man may have been -casting his eye over the parish and thought that he saw in me something -of which he writes. It is not for me to deny it. I can only say that in -his zeal he has much exaggerated the humble merits of one who, whatever -her faults, has merely tried to do her duty in the station to which she -has been called. And if Providence has placed that station high, it is -Providence's will, and we must not complain!" - -"How beautifully you put it, Miss Pritchett!" - -The chatelaine of Malakoff wiped a tear from her eye. The excitement of -the afternoon, the glass of port, the periods of Mr. Hamlyn's prose, -had all acted upon nerves pampered by indulgence and tightened with -self-irritation. - -"I believe you care for me, child," said Miss Pritchett with a sob. - -"How it rejoices me to hear you say so, Miss Pritchett," Gussie replied, -seeing that her opportunity had now come. "But your generous nature -gives way too easily. You are unstrung by the wanton insults of that -woman! Let me read you the concluding portion of Mr. Hamlyn's article. -It may soothe you." - -"Read it," murmured the spinster, now lost in an ecstasy of luxurious -grief, though she would have been puzzled to give a reason for it. - -Gussie took up the paper once more. Now that her battle was so nearly -won, she allowed herself more freedom in the reading. The Celtic love of -drama stirred within her and she gave the pompous balderdash _ore -rotundo_. - -"'And in conclusion, what is our crying need in England to-day? It is -this: It is the establishment of a great crusade for the crushing of the -disguised Popery in our midst. One protest has been made in Hornham, -protests should be made all over England. A mighty organisation should -be called into existence which should make every "priest" tremble in his -cope and cassock, tremble for the avalanche of public reprobation which -will descend upon him and his. - -"'I may be a visionary and no such idea as I have in my mind may be -possible. But I think not. Who can say that our borough of Hornham may -not become famous in history as the spot in which the second Reformation -was born! - -"'Much needs to be done before such a glorious movement can be -inaugurated; that it will be inaugurated a band of earnest and -determined men and women live in the liveliest hope. - -"'I am confident that a movement having its seed in the borough, if -widely published and made known to patriotic English people, would be -supported with swift and overwhelming generosity by the country at -large. The public response would appal the Ritualists and even astonish -loyal sons of the Church of England. But, in order to start this -crusade, help is required. Some noble soul must come forward to start -the machine, to raise the Protestant Flag. - -"'Where shall we find him or her? Is there no one in our midst willing -to become the patron of Truth and to earn the praise of thousands and a -place in history? - -"'Once Joan of Arc led the forces of her country to victory. A Charlotte -Corday slew the monster Marat, a Boadicea hurled herself against the -legions of Rome! Who will be our Boadicea to-day, who will come forward -to crush the tyranny of Rome in our own England? For such a noble lady, -who will revive in her own person the undying deeds of antiquity, I can -promise a fame worth more than all the laurels of the old British queen, -the heartfelt thanks and love of her countrymen, and above all of her -country-women--over whose more kindly and unsuspicious natures the -deadly Upas-tree of Romanism has cast its poisonous shade. Where is the -Jael who will destroy this Sisera?'" - -Miss Davies ceased. Her voice sank. No sound was heard but the snuffle -that came from the plush arm-chair opposite, where Miss Pritchett was -audibly weeping. Mr. Hamlyn's purple prose had been skilfully introduced -at the psychological moment. The woman's ill-balanced temperament was -awry and smarting. Her egregious vanity was wounded as it had rarely -been wounded before. She had been treated as of no account, and she was -burning with spite and the longing for revenge. - -Gussie said nothing more. She let the words of the newspaper do their -work without assistance. - -Presently Miss Pritchett looked up. She wiped her eyes and a grim -expression of determination came out upon her face. - -"I see it all!" she said suddenly. "My trusting nature has been terribly -deceived; I have been led into error by evil counsellors; the power of -the Jesuits has been secretly brought to bear upon one who, whatever her -failings, has scorned suspicion!" - -"Oh, Miss Pritchett, how _awful_!" said Gussie. - -"Yes," continued the lady with a delighted shudder, "the net has been -thrown over me and I was nigh to perish. But Providence intervenes! I -see how I am to be the 'umble instrument of crushing error in the -Church. I shall step into the breach!" - -"Oh, Miss Pritchett, how _noble_!" - -"Miss Davies, you will kindly put on your jacket and walk round to Mr. -Hamlyn's house. See Mr. Hamlyn and tell him that Miss Pritchett is too -agitated by recent events to write personally, but she begs he will -favour her with his company at supper to discuss matters of great public -importance. Tell Jones to send up some sweetbreads at once, and inform -cook as a gentleman will be here to supper, and to serve the cold -salmon." - -Gussie rose quickly. "Oh, Miss Pritchett," she cried, "what a great day -for England this will be!" - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE OFFICES OF THE "LUTHER LEAGUE"--AN INTERIOR - - -On the first floor of a building in the Strand, wedged in between a -little theatre and a famous restaurant, the offices of the "Luther -League" were established, and by late autumn were in the full swing of -their activity. - -Visitors to this stronghold of Protestantism mounted a short flight of -stairs and arrived in a wide passage. Four or five doors opening into it -all bore the name of the association in large letters of white enamel. -The first door bore the legend: - - "PUBLISHING AND GENERAL OFFICE INQUIRIES" - -This room, the one by which the general public were admitted to the -inner sanctuaries, was a large place fitted up with desks and glass -compartments in much the same way as the ordinary clerks' office of a -business house. A long counter divided the room, and upon it were -stacked piles of the newly published pamphlet literature of the League. -Here could be seen that stirring narrative, _Cowed by the Confessional; -or, The Story of an English Girl in the Power of the "Priests."_ This -publication, probably the cheapest piece of pornography in print at the -moment, was published, with an illustration, at three pence. Upon the -cover a priest--for some unexplained reason in full eucharistic -vestments--was pointing sternly to the armour-plated door of a grim -confessional, while a trembling lady in a large picture hat shrunk -within. - -This little book was flanked by what appeared to be a semi-jocular work -called _Who Said Reredos?_ and bore upon its cover the already -distinguished name of Samuel Hamlyn, Jr. The eye fell upon that popular -pamphlet in a wrapper of vivid scarlet--now in its sixtieth -thousand--known as _Bow to the "Altar" and Light Bloody Mary's Torture -Fires Again_. - -_As Soon Pay the Devil as the Priest_ lay by the side of a more -elaborately bound volume on which was the portrait of a lady. Beneath -the picture appeared the words of the title, _My Escape; or, How I -Became a Protestant_, by Jane Pritchett. - -Two clerks wrote in the ledgers on the desks, attended to visitors, and -looked after what was known in the office as the "counter trade"--to -distinguish it from the sale of Protestant literature in bulk, which was -managed direct from the "Luther League Printing Works, Hornham, N." - -A second room opening into the general office was tenanted by the -assistant secretary of the League, Mr. Samuel Hamlyn, Junior. Here the -walls were decorated with scourges, horribly knotted and thonged; -"Disciplines," which were belts and armlets of sharp iron prickles, -designed to wear the skin of the toughest Ritualist into an open sore -after three days' wear. There were also two hair shirts, apparently the -worse for wear, and a locked bookcase of Ritualistic literature with a -little _index expurgatorius_ in the neat, clerkly writing of Sam Hamlyn, -and compiled by that gentleman himself. - -In this chamber of horrors, the assistant secretary delighted to move -and have his being, and three or four times a day it was his pleasing -duty to show friends of the League and its yearly subscribers, the -penitential machinery by which the priest-ridden public was secretly -invited to hoist itself to heaven. - -The innermost room of all was where Mr. Hamlyn, Senior, himself -transacted the multifarious and growing business of his organisation. -The secretary sat at a large roll-top desk, and a substantial safe stood -at his right hand. An air of brisk business pervaded this sanctum. The -directories, almanacs, and account-books all contributed to it, and the -end of a speaking-tube, which led to the outer office, was clipped to -the arm of the revolving chair. - -Three portraits adorned the wall. From a massive gold frame the features -of that fiery Protestant virgin, Miss Pritchett, stared blandly down -into the room. Opposite it was a large photograph of Mr. Hamlyn himself, -with upraised hand and parted lips--in the very act and attitude of -making one of his now familiar protests. The third in this trio of -Protestant champions was a drawing of Martin Luther himself, -"representing the Reformer," as Mr. Hamlyn was wont to say, "singing for -joy at the waning power of Rome." The artist of this picture, however, -being a young gentleman of convivial tastes, had portrayed the -"Nightingale of Wittemberg" in a merry mood, remembering, perhaps, -Carlyle's remark, "there is laughter in this Luther," or perhaps--as is -indeed most probable--remembering little of the great man but his -authorship of the ditty that concludes: - - Who loves not women, wine, and song - Will be a fool his whole life long. - -Fortunately, Mr. Hamlyn, whose historical studies had been extremely -restricted, did not know of this effort--just as he did not know that to -the end of his life the student of Erfurt steadily proclaimed his belief -in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. - -About ten o'clock on a grey, cold November morning, the two Hamlyns -arrived at the offices of the Luther League together, walked briskly up -the stairs, and, with a curt "good morning" to the clerks, entered the -innermost room together. - -People who had known the father and son six months ago, seeing them now, -would have found a marked, though subtle, difference in both of them. - -They were much better dressed, for one thing. The frock-coats were not -made in Hornham, the silk hats were glossy and with the curly brims of -the fashion. Both still suggested a more than nodding acquaintance with -religious affairs in their costume, some forms of Christianity always -preferring to evince themselves by the style of a cravat or the texture -of a cloth. - -Confidence had never been lacking in either of the two, but now the -sense of power and success had increased it, and had also imposed a -certain quietness and gravity which impressed people. Here, at any rate, -were two men of affairs, men whose names were beginning to be known -throughout the land, and Mr. Hamlyn's manner of preoccupation and -thought was only natural after all in one who (as his son would remark -to Protestant visitors) "practically held the fortunes of the Church in -his hands, and was destroying the Catholic wolves with the sword of -Protestant Truth." - -The two men took off their overcoats and hung them up. Then Mr. Hamlyn, -from mere force of old habit, pulled at his cuffs--in order to lay them -aside during business hours. Finding that he could not withdraw them, -for increasing position and emolument had seemed to necessitate the -wearing of a white shirt, he sat down with a half sigh for the freedom -and comfort of an earlier day and began to open the large pile of -correspondence on the table before him. - -"We'll take the cash first, Sam," he said, pulling a small paper-knife -from a drawer. - -Sam opened a note-book in which the first rough draughts of matter -relating to this most important subject were entered, preparatory to -being copied out into one of the ledgers in the outer office. - -Hamlyn began to slit up the letters with a practised hand. Those that -contained the sinews of war he read with a running comment, others were -placed in a basket for further consideration. - -"'Well-wisher,' five shillings; 'Well-wisher,' Ł2 0 0, by cheque, Sam. -'Ethel and her sisters,' ten and six--small family that, I should think! -'Protestant,' five pounds--a note, Sam, take the number. It's curious -that 'Protestant' always gives most. Yesterday seven 'Protestants' -totalled up to fourteen, twelve, six, while five 'Well-wishers' worked -out at slightly under three shillings a head. What's this? Ah! cheque -for a guinea and a letter on crested paper! Enter up the address and -make a note to send half a dozen _Bloody Marys_, one Miss Pritchett's -_Escape_, and a few _Pay the Devils_. During the last week or two, the -upper classes have been rallying to the flag. They're the people. I'll -send this woman the ten-guinea subscription form and ask her to be one -of the vice-presidents. Listen here: - - - MARGRAVINE HOUSE, - LEICESTER - - Lady Johnson begs to enclose a cheque for one guinea to aid Mr. - Hamlyn in his splendid Crusade against the Ritualists. She would be - glad to hear full details of the "Luther League" and its objects. - She wonders why Mr. Hamlyn has confined his protests against - _Romanism_ in the guise of _English Churchmanship_ to the London - district, and would point out that in her own neighbourhood there - is a hot-bed of Ritualism which should be exposed." - -Sam went to the book shelf and took down a Peerage. "She's the wife of a -knight," he said, "one of the city knights." - -"Probably very well off," said Mr. Hamlyn. "We'll nail her for the -Cause! See that the books go off at once, and I'll write her a personal -letter during the day." - -He rubbed his hands together with a movement of inexpressible -satisfaction. His keen face was lighted up with the pleasures of power -and success. - -"She's got her own axe to grind," remarked Sam. "Had a flare-up with the -local parson, I expect." - -"Shouldn't wonder," replied his father indifferently. "Here's two -p.o.'s, one for seven bob and one for three. From a Wesleyan minister at -Camborne in Cornwall. I'll put him down to be written to under the local -helpers' scheme. His prayers'll be with us, he says!" Mr. Sam sniffed -impatiently as he wrote down the sum in his book. - -In a few more minutes, the contributions were all booked up and the -Church of England--as represented by these two eminent laymen--was -bulwarked against the enemies to the extent of some seventeen pounds. - -"Now," said Mr. Hamlyn, "let's take the press-cuttings next." He opened -a large envelope. - -A day or two before Mr. Hamlyn had varied his pleasant little habit of -turning up during the most solemn moments of a church service and -brawling until he was ejected with more or less force, being brought up -at a police-court a day or two afterwards and paying the fine imposed -upon him with a cheque from Miss Pritchett. During the blessing of a new -peal of bells in a provincial cathedral, he had risen and read a paper -of protest. He had read the paper in a low, hurried voice, and the -disturbance had been purely local and attracted but little attention in -the huge building. In a moment, almost, the secretary of the Luther -League had been conducted to the door of the building by vigilant -vergers. - -But the commotion in the press next morning had been enormous. Lurid -reports of this great protest appeared in leaded type, comment of every -kind filled the papers, and their editors were inundated with letters on -the subject. As an editor himself, Mr. Hamlyn well understood the -interior machinery of a newspaper office, and was perfectly well -acquainted with the various methods by which things get into print. He -began to examine the cuttings from the weekly papers that Durrant's had -sent him. - -"All goes on well," he said at length. "It really is astonishing the -space they give us! Who'd have thought it six months ago! Don't they go -for the League in some of them! Just listen to this, it's the finish of -a column in _Vigilance_: - -"'... and I shall therefore await the publication of the promised -balance-sheet of this precious "League" with more than usual interest. -Such an indecent and futile campaign as this deserves to be thoroughly -scrutinised.'" - -"That's nasty, Pa," said Sam. - -"It don't matter in the least. Our League is perfectly honest and -above-board, thank goodness! We shall publish the balance-sheet, of -course. We are doing a great and glorious work for Hengland, and the -labourer is worthy of his hire. We are perfectly justified in taking our -salaries. What does a parson do? And, besides no one reads _Vigilance_ -that's likely to give Protestant campaigns a penny. It's a society -paper. Religious people don't see it." - -"Quite so. And all the Protestant papers are with us; that's the great -thing." - -"Exactly, even the old established evangelical papers like the _Church -Recorder_ daren't say anything against us. You see our advertisements -are worth such a lot to 'em! Half the Low Church papers can't pay their -way, the big advertisers won't look at them. All the money goes to the -_Church Standard_ and the other Ritualistic rags. The _Standard's_ one -of the best paying properties in London. So the Low Church papers -_can't_ do without us. Wait a year, Sam, and we'll have our own paper, -put in some Fleet Street hack as editor, publish at a separate office, -and charge the account what we like for our own articles." - -"Our position is practically unassailable, as far as I can see." - -"It's just that, my boy--as long as people send in the money. But -gradually we shall find London getting dry. It's all right now that the -boom's on, but the novelty of the thing will wear off after a bit. And -what we want is to get ourselves so strong that the League will go on -_for ever_! Now, I look on it in this way: Much as I 'ate the Ritualists -and love true Henglish Protestantism"--Mr. Hamlyn's face grew full of -fervour as he said this--"much as I 'ate Romanising tricks and such, I'm -jolly well certain that neither we nor any one else is going to make -much difference to them! They're too strong, Sam. You'll find a red-hot -Ritualist would give up his arms and legs for his carryings-on. -Ritualism's getting stronger and stronger. _They've got the best men for -parsons_, and you see those chaps aren't in it for their own game, as a -rule. They live like paupers and give all they've got away. Well, that -gives 'em grip." - -"Silly fools," said Sam contemptuously. - -"Poor deluded tools of Rome," said Mr. Hamlyn, who, now that his great -mission was an accomplished fact, was really beginning to believe in it -himself. "Well, my point is this: Ritualism will never stop. It's too -well organised, and the clergy are too well educated. And most of 'em -are 'class' too. It all tells." - -"Well, then, if our efforts aren't going to do any good, in a year or so -the public will notice that, and the public will stop subscribing." - -"Not a bit of it, Sam, you don't see as deep as I do. As long as we keep -the question prominent, it will be all right. First of all, we shall -always get the Nonconformist contribution. In every town, the -Nonconformist minister can be trusted to stir up people against a -Ritualistic 'priest,' especially if he's vowed to celibacy. Married ones -get on better. But what I'm coming to is this: All over Hengland there -are parishes where the vicar is more or less of a Romaniser. But he's -personally liked, perhaps, or no one makes the protest. But in every -parish, experience shows there's two or three prominent folk who hate -the vicar. Now, where there's a spark a flame can be got. It's all very -well to go and protest in a parish where there's a strong feeling -against Ritualism--like St. Elwyn's, for example. But think of the -hundreds of parishes where people jog along quite content, not knowing -the darkness in which they're groping! Now, we'll stir these places up, -we'll raise the flag of the League in places which have been going along -quiet and peaceable for years. There won't be a church from which we -can't get some people away. The Luther League shall become a household -word from John o' Groat's to Land's End." - -"Good scheme, Father, if you can do it. But think of the work, and think -of the risks of letting any one else into the League. We might find -ourselves in the second place some day." - -"Not at all, Sam. Not as I've worked it out. You ought to know that I -never start anything without going careful into the details." - -"Sorry, Father. Let's have the plan." - -"I'm going to start a band of 'Luther Lecturers' to carry Protestant -Truth into the 'idden places. I'm beginning with six young fellows I've -got. They'll travel all over the country, holding open-air meetings of -agitation, with a collection for the League--making public protests in -such churches as I give the order to be gone for, and lecturing on what -Ritualism really is. Now, these chaps will have two lectures. I've had -'em written already. One's on the Mass, another's on the -confessional,--hot Protestant stuff. They'll go like wild fire. The -young men'll learn these lectures off by heart and deliver 'em with -local allusions to the vicars of the parishes as they come to. I've got -a supply of the illegal wafers as the Ritualists use for the Lord's -Supper. Each lecture'll have one or two to show in the meetings. He'll -pull it out and show the poor deluded people the god of flour and water -their priests tell 'em to worship. There's lots of real humour in the -lectures. They'll fire the popular imagination. Every crowd likes to -hear a parson abused. I got the idea of humour and fun in the lectures -from the Salvation Army. You see, we want to reach the class of folk as -don't mind standing round a street-corner meeting and listening. The -Army makes it pay wonderfully! But they only attack sin. They don't -bother what a man does as long as he's good. We're attacking Rome in the -Henglish Church, and it's remarkable what a lot of ridiculous things and -points I've got into these lectures. There's one thing, for instance, -that'll keep all a crowd on the grin--I mean the directions to a -'priest' if an insect gets into the 'consecrated' wine. It has to be -burnt. Can't you see the lecturer with his 'Now, my friends, I ask you -what a poor little spider's done to be used like that?' It's all an -unworked mine! And you see there's no answer to it! A Ritualist 'priest' -who comes to argue--of course, discussion will be invited--is bound to -get left. He'll be so solemn and that, that the ordinary man in the -street won't understand a word he's driving at. My men'll win every -time. You'll see." - -"As usual, Pa," said Sam, "you've hit on a good thing. It'll extend the -League wonderful. But what about your men--where'll you get 'em? and -what guarantee will you have that they won't rob the League?" - -"Oh, that's all thought out. I shall have quite young chaps and pay them -about eighteen shillings a week and travelling expenses. Each two or -three days they'll have to send in reports as to the work, and each week -forward the collection. I shall try, eventually, to get real earnest -young men who believe in our glorious Henglish Protestant 'eritage. -_They_ won't rob us. I shall get smart young chaps with plenty of bounce -and go, but not much education. It's not _wanted_ for popular -street-corner work. You get a Ritualist parson coming to try and answer -one of my chaps--take the crucifix question, now. My man will talk about -Popish idols and that--it's all in the lecture--and all the parson will -say is that a crucifix is legal in the Church of Hengland--I believe, as -a strict matter of fact, it _is_. Then my man turns round and tells the -crowd that a crucifix is nothing but a dolly on a stick--he gets the -laugh, see? The 'priest' can't explain all his humbugging reverence and -that in an open-air meeting, with one of my chaps ready with a joke -every time he speaks. I've got four out of my six men already, and if -the thing hums as I expect, I'll put twenty or thirty in the field at -once. They're easy found! There's lots of young chaps connected with -chapels that would far rather tour the country attracting attention -wherever they go, and do nothing but agitate, than work hard! There's -young Moffatt, Peter Moffatt's son. He's a plumber, but he 'ates work. -He's got cheek for twenty, and he'll do no end of good. As for the cost, -why, the men will pay for themselves over and over again. They'll be -well supplied from the central office--extracts from the papers and so -on--they'll take local halls and advertise in local papers. I shall -expect that each man, if he's any good _at all_, will pay all his own -expenses each week and forward a clear two pounds to me! A man that -can't do that, at least, with such backing as we can give him and such a -splendid war-cry--well, I wouldn't give twopence for him." - -"I see it all clear now," answered Sam, a flush of excitement coming -into his face. "And besides the money and extension of the League there -will be splendid opportunities for you and me to run down now and then -to support our men and get an 'oliday--take Brighton, for instance! It's -full of Ritualists. A couple of men could spend a month there." - -"And take from two to three hundred pounds, I should think," said the -secretary, thoughtfully, "besides dealing an 'orrid blow to the wolves -in the fold of the Protestant Henglish Church. We'll have some good -protests in Brighton! Then, when our lecturers are fined for brawling, -we'll instruct them _not to pay the fine_, but to go to prison for a -fortnight instead! Of course, it'll be considered 'andsomely in their -salaries. Then we'll send them round the country with a magic lantern -and a rousing lecture. 'Imprisoned by the Romanisers,' 'In Gaol for the -Protestant Faith!' or something like that." - -"That's _fine_," said Sam, in an ecstasy of enjoyment. "Why, Father, the -whole thing grows like a snowball! It _must_ grow." - -"Didn't I tell you, six months ago?" said Mr. Hamlyn. "Look at us then -and now! What were we then? Nothing, 'ardly. What are we now? Directors -of a big concern, becoming known all over Hengland, drawing good -salaries, and with all the pleasure of bossing a big show. Look at the -printing account the works have against the League, look at our expenses -when we've got thirty or more Luther lecturers all over the country! And -yet there's nothing risky in it. Nothing at all. No bogus-company -promoting, no snide article to sell. We've no limited-liability company -act to fear, no treasury investigations. We stand upon solid rock and -nobody can't touch us! And why? Because we are championing the freedom -of the people's religion, we are fighting for glorious Protestantism!" - -"Fancy no one thinking of it before!" said Sam. - -Mr. Hamlyn's shrewd, able face beamed with merriment. "Providence," he -said, "chooses its own instruments. Now, then, send me in the shorthand -clerk; I shall be at work all day. To-night I address a public meeting -in the 'Olborn Town Hall, and before ten I'm due to sup with Miss -Pritchett. She wants something definite done in St. Elwyn's, and I must -think out a slap in the face for Blantyre." - -"I'll run round to the bank," said Sam, "and pay this morning's little -lot into the general fund, and post the statement to the treasurer." - -"Right, my son. What was it?" - -"Seventeen pounds odd, Pa." - -"Protestants are waking up," said Mr. Hamlyn, "our work for the Cause -has a blessing upon it." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER - - -It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham. King and -Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his -churchwarden. - -Both men were smoking. By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of -whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water. The -candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face -was very worn and weary. He seemed a man who was passing through a time -of stress and storm. The bronzed countenance of the doctor wore its -usual aspect of serenity and strength. Both men had been talking -together earnestly for a great part of the night. A true and intimate -friendship obtained between them, and it was a plan that fortnightly -they should meet thus and make confidences to each other about that -which they held so dear. - -"It is just a year," Blantyre said, "since Hamlyn committed his first -sacrilege in our own church." - -"The time goes very fast," Hibbert answered, "yet look at the changes! -The man has become almost a power in the land, or at least he seems to -be. It is his talent for organisation. It's supreme. Look how this -wretched 'League' has grown. It has its spies and agents everywhere, its -committee has names of importance among its members, the amount of money -that rolls into Hamlyn's coffers must be very large." - -"I'm afraid so. But think of the turmoil and unrest one man can -create--the misery and pain churchmen feel every day now as they see the -jocose blasphemies of these people and see the holiest things held up to -an utterly vulgar and soulless ridicule. It's a wrong thought, Hibbert, -perhaps, but I do sometimes long to be out of it all, to start afresh on -such new work as God may give one in another life!" - -"Such a thought comes to all of us at times, of course. But it's -physical mainly. It's merely a languor of overstrain and a weak nervous -state. You know yourself how such thoughts come chiefly at night, and -how after your tub, in the morning light and air they all go." - -"Materialist! But you're right, Hibbert, quite right." - -"You go on taking the physic I've sent you and you'll pick up soon. But, -of course, this _is_ a very trying time. The parish is in a constant -turmoil. These Sunday evening Protestant meetings when folk are coming -out of church are a bad nuisance. That's a new move, too." - -"Yes. They found that the hooligan riot-provoking business was very -simply dealt with, and so they are trying this. It is that poor, silly -old creature, Miss Pritchett. The Hamlyns are hand and glove with her. I -suppose she is sincere, poor old lady! I hope so. She was an ardent -Catholic, and I hope she does honestly believe in the new substitute for -the Faith. I am very sorry for her." - -"I'm less charitable, Blantyre; she's a spiteful old cat. I am not -violating any professional confidence in telling _you_ that she won't -live long if she goes on living in the thick of this noisy Protestant -agitation. I do my best for her, of course, but she won't do as she's -told." - -"She's a nuisance," the vicar said, "but I hope she won't go yet. I -should like to make friends with her before she dies. And I should like -her to die in the Faith." - -"She won't do that, I'm afraid, Blantyre. She has gone too far away from -the Church. But, now, what do you honestly think the effect of this -Luther crusading business has been on the Church." - -"Well, I think there can be no doubt of that. I was talking it over with -Lord Huddersfield last week and we both agreed. The _Church_ has gained -enormously. People who were simply attracted by ceremonial and what was -novel to them have gone out, in a restless endeavour to find some new -thing. But that is all. Our congregations here, our communicants, have -grown very much. There is a deeper spiritual fervour among us, I am sure -of it. No churchman has taken Hamlyn seriously for a moment. He has -failed in every attempt he has made to interfere with our teaching or -our ceremonial, failed absolutely. All his legal cases have fallen -through, or proved abortive, or are dragging on towards extinction. The -days of ritual prosecutions are utterly dead. All the harm Hamlyn has -done the Church itself is to weary our ears and hearts with a great -noise and tumult, with floods of empty talk. He has stung our nerves, -he hasn't penetrated to any vital part." - -"Yes, that is so. It needs more than the bellowings of such a man, more -than the hostility of people who are not members of the Church, to hurt -her in any serious degree. The man and his friends have a large rabble -behind them, but they can only parade through the streets of England -beating their drums and rattling their collecting boxes. The Church is -safe." - -"It is. And yet in another way, all this business is doing fearful harm -to the _morale_ of the country, limited though it may be. The mass of -non-Christian people who might be gathered into the Church are looking -down upon these unseemly contests with a sneer. They feel that there can -be little good or truth in a system of philosophy which seems to them to -be nothing but an arena of brawling fools. Therein comes the harm. -Hamlyn isn't injuring church people, he is giving contraband of war to -infidelity. And just at this particular moment in the world's history -this is extremely dangerous. In thirty years, the danger will have -passed away; to-day, it is great." - -"And why particularly at this moment?" - -"Why, because the world is utterly changing with extraordinary rapidity. -That world which once adjusted itself so sweetly to our faith is -vanishing, is gone. The new world which is arriving is unassimilated, -unsorted, unexplained. The light hasn't entered it yet, it doesn't know -how to correspond. The trouble lies in that. The new politics, science, -philosophy, art, are only social habits. And these will not talk our -language yet, or confess Christ. And this squabble and turmoil will -retard the new adjustment for years, because outsiders won't even -trouble to examine our claims or make experience of our system. _And -people are glad of any excuse to ignore or at least avoid Christianity._ -You see, a new religion has sprung up." - -"Yes--go on." - -"It is the religion of pleasure, excitement, nervous thrill bought at -any cost. Renan, who had eyes and used them, saw that. He has given us -the hint in his _Abbess of Jouarre_. 'Were the human race quite -certain,' he says, 'that in two or three days the world would come to an -end, the instinct of pleasure'--_l'amour_ is his word--'would break out -into a sort of frenzy; in the presence of death, sure and sudden, -nature alone would speak, and very strange scenes would follow. The -social order is preserved by restraint; but restraint depends upon a -belief in a hereafter.' And already, 'If a man dies, shall he live -again?' is the burden of a new soliloquy on the lips of a new Hamlet. -Faith is becoming more and more an act, a habit, of heroism. So you see -the harm Hamlyn and his gang are indirectly doing. But do you know where -it seems to me the great counteracting influence to his work lies at the -moment?" - -"Where?" - -"You will wonder to hear me say so, but I firmly think for the moment it -lies in the ranks, and true love of our Lord, of the pious Evangelical -Party in the Church! They are Catholic without knowing it. They think, -and think sincerely, that the forms the Church has appointed, some of -her Sacraments even, obscure the soul's direct communion with God. They -are not in line with us yet. But there is a sterling and vivid -Christianity among them. There is a personal adoration of Jesus which is -strong and sweet, a living, wonderful thing. And, you see, all this -section of the Church is exempt from the attacks of the _extreme_ -Protestants--who seem themselves to have hardly any Christianity at all. -Nor do the really pious Evangelicals approve of this civil war. They -won't be mixed up in it. They are far too busy doing good works and -preparing themselves for the next world to join in these rowdy -processions of the shallow, the ill-informed, or the malevolent. They -don't approve of _us_, of course, but they have no public quarrel with -what they see is substantially powerful for good. Since Hamlyn's brigade -has been throwing mud at us, and we, of course, have defended ourselves -to the best of our ability, the minds of those who are eager to justify -their adhesion to the religion of pleasure cannot, at least if they have -any logic or sincerity, avoid a consideration of the quiet -Evangelicals." - -"It is a new idea to me," said the doctor, refilling his pipe, "but I -suppose you are right. They despise the whole business of agitation, and -yet don't make it a pretext as the rationalists are glad to do. The -whole thing is a miserable business! What annoys _me_, Vicar, is the -facility with which a rowdy, ignorant man of the lower classes has been -able to make himself a force." - -"It is hard. But one must remember that however sincere he is--and I -know nothing against his personal character--he only appeals to the -ignorant and rowdy. Have you seen his new leaflet?" - -"No, I think not. What is it?" - -"It came by post last night; apparently the whole district is being -circularised. Really, the thing is quite a curiosity. I will read you a -few paragraphs." - -He opened a drawer and took a small pamphlet from it, which was headed -"THE HORNHAM SCANDAL." "Listen to this: - -"'At St. Elwyn's, Hornham,' writes a lady member of the Luther League, -'I recently attended the so-called "High Mass." There were three priests -in vestments; there were eight candles burning at eleven o'clock on the -altar; there was incense and all the appurtenances of a Roman Mass; the -men bore that ignorant and unwashed appearance which is commonly to be -seen at any time in an Italian church. At times they crossed themselves, -but often they seemed to forget, and then suddenly to remember. I stayed -as long as I could, but it was not long, for I was sick at heart at the -thought of what our country is being mercilessly dragged into, and that -it is for services of this description that we hear from time to time -our foolish girls exclaim, "How I hate the name of Protestant."'" - -"Elegant style," said the doctor dryly, "but to call our congregation -'unwashed' is not only perfectly untrue, but a little touch of feminine -spite that shows the spirit in which these crusades are carried on. I -wonder how many of the five thousand were unwashed when our Lord fed -them!" - -"That is a quotation," said the vicar, "now hear the robuster prose of -the great Hamlyn himself: - -"'It appears that there are literally no lengths of lawlessness, -ecclesiastical insubordination, blasphemous poperies, or unscriptural -profanation of places of worship to which Ritualistic innovators will -not proceed. Among other Romanising acts of the vicar of St. Elwyn's, -the notorious "Father" Blantyre, is a direction to some of his -congregation who attend the Lord's Supper. These members have taken the -bread from him--or rather the superstitious wafer which is substituted -for bread--with the thumb and finger. "Oh, no," says our priest, "you -must hold out your hand for it." These are the "instructions" of -"Father" Blantyre to those about to attend the Lord's Supper for the -first time after confirmation: - -"'_As soon as the priest comes up to you, hold up your hands as high as -the chin, so that he may place the Blessed Sacrament in your hand while -he says the words, The Body of our Lord._ - -"'But we ask our Protestant brethren how, if the minister--falsely -called "priest"--places the bread in the hand of the communicant, how -the latter can comply with the direction "take this"? Let England awake -to this "priestly" and insidious Popish plan.'" - -"Well!" said the doctor, "of all the--" Words failed him. - -"Isn't it vulgar and childish!" said the vicar, "but how admirably -adapted to suit the ignorant folk who will read it. The adroit -substitution of a colloquial use of the word 'take' for its real meaning -of 'receive'! And then the continual effort to degrade the Mass, to rob -it of its mystery and holy character--it's clever, it's subtle. Hamlyn -is a man of parts!" - -"Is there any more?" - -"Oh, yes, plenty. So far I have only read the mildest parts. Here is a -distorted simile which I should hardly have thought even Hamlyn would -have printed. It is painful to read: - -"'One of our Luther Lecturers recently asked a poor, deluded young -female who is in the habit of attending the pantomime at St. Elwyn's why -she went there. The poor, deluded creature replied--doubtless with words -put into her mouth by her "Father Confessor"--that its "spirituality" -and "devotion" attracted her. Ah! Rome and Ritualism have ever known how -to appear as a pure and modest virgin, even when rotting (to use the -image of the Holy Spirit in the Word) with fornication. O foolish young -woman! How have you been bewitched with these sorceries? A clean thing -is to be got of an unclean thing!'" - -The doctor ground his teeth. "I wish we'd had the man in the regiment!" -he said. "Unclean! I'd have cleaned the brute!" - -The vicar sighed. "Of course it doesn't really matter," he said. "This -sort of stuff carries its own condemnation with it. Still it is most -distressing. It does wound one deeply to hear the highest and holiest -things spoken of in this way. All my people feel it. Some of them--poor -things--have come to me weeping to hear such words--weeping for shame -and sorrow. Here is the last paragraph. The pamphlet concludes with a -fine flow of rhetoric, and an invitation to me: - -"'The late Dr. Parker said: "Popery is the vilest blasphemy out of hell. -It is the enemy of liberty; it is the enemy of intelligence; it is the -enemy of individuality, of conscience, and responsibility; it is the -supreme wickedness of the world, the master effort of the devil." - -"'And so say we. Therefore, honest, English, Protestant people of -Hornham, look to it that these doings in your midst are put down with a -stern hand. A great meeting of ratepayers will shortly be held in the -Victoria Hall under the auspices of the Luther League. A lecture, with -lime-light views, will be delivered on the cloaked and hooded Popery -that stalks in our midst. An invitation will be extended to "Fathers" -Blantyre, King, and Stephens, the "Priests" of St. Elwyn's church, who -will be accommodated with seats upon the platform if they care to come. -We of the Luther League invite them to public controversy, to an open -debate upon the great questions at issue. Will they be present? Time -will show.'" - -Hibbert rose. "Well, it's time we were in bed," he said. "Good-night. I -should think over that sporting offer of Hamlyn's if I were you. A -public appearance might do good. I like a fight." - -"I doubt it," the vicar answered; "still, it may be worth considering. -One never knows. One doesn't want people to say that one is afraid." - -"Good-night, Vicar." - -"Good-night, Hibbert. Forget all about these surface worries and sleep -well." - -The vicar was left alone. - -He took a letter from his pocket. It was from Lucy, who wrote from Park -Lane. In the letter, she said that she purposed--if he would care to -have her--to come down to Hornham at once and spend some months at the -clergy-house. - -"If you can put up with a girl for a time in your bachelor stronghold! -I'm sick to death of this life; it has lost all its attractions for me. -I want to _live_, not play, and you, my dear old boy, will show me the -way. A letter is no way--for me--to tell you of my thoughts. But higher -things than of old are working in me. St. Elwyn's calls me, it seems -home; I so often think of the big quiet church and the ceaseless -activity that centres round it. I long for the peace there! I have much -to tell you, much to consult you about, and I am beginning to wonder why -I have left you alone so long. Good-night, dear." - -Putting down the letter, he looked at the clock. It was now far after -midnight, and he stayed the hand that was about to raise the glass that -stood on the table beside him. - -In a few hours it would be dawn, the dawn when in the dim hour he daily -went to meet the Lord in the Eucharist. How wonderful that was! What -unending joy the break of day had for this good man, as he began the -ancient and mysterious rite of the Church! There, there, beside the -altar, there was peace! In this desert world, that was so far from Home, -there was always that daily glimpse into the Unseen, that Communion in -which dead friends and great angels joined, when the Paraclete came to -the weary, sinful hearts of men like fire, when our Lord in his risen -majesty came to the world to hearten his soldiers, to fill his toiling -saints with power to continue to the end. - -If only the whole world _knew_ and realised this! Sometimes the priest -thought with simple wonder, that if only men knew, all trouble and -sorrow would be over. To him the material world was the unreal place, -the dream, the fable. Daily he _knew_ that the Unseen was ever near, -close, close!--how blind and sorrowful the world was, that did not know -or care for Jesus. - -He knelt down now to say his prayers. He prayed for the Church, his -congregation, for his sister, and his friends. Then he prayed that he -might be worthy to receive the Blessed Sacrament at dawn. - -And then, happy, comforted, and at peace, with the certainty of an -unseen glory all round him, with august watchers to shield him through -the night, he sought his couch and slept a deep, dreamless sleep with -crossed hands. - -"_From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks -of the Lord Jesus._" - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -A UNION OF FORCES - - -In Hornham, the vast majority of a poor and teeming population was quite -without interest in any religious matter. The chapels of the various -sects were attended by the residuum, the congregations at St. Elwyn's -were large--to the full holding capacity of the mother church and the -smaller mission building--and a fair proportion of people worshipped at -St. Luke's, the only other church in the neighbourhood. - -Mr. Carr, the vicar of St. Luke's, was a man of about thirty-five. He -had taken a good degree at Cambridge, spent a few years in various -curacies, and had been appointed vicar of St. Luke's, Hornham, which was -in the gift of an Evangelical body known as Simon's Trustees, about four -years before Mr. Hamlyn had thrown Hornham into its present state of -religious war. - -The vicar of St. Luke's was a man of considerable mental power. He was -unmarried, had no private means, and lived a lonely, though active, -life in his small and ill-built vicarage. In appearance, he was tall, -somewhat thin, and he wore a pointed, close-cropped beard and moustache. -His face was somewhat melancholy, but when he was moved or interested, -the smile that came upon it was singularly sweet. In the ordinary -business of life, he was reserved and shy. He had none of the genial -Irish _bonhomie_ of Blantyre, the wholesome breezy boyishness of -Stephens, or the grim force of King. He had a "personality"--to the -eye--but he failed to sustain the impression his appearance made in -talk. He was of no use in a drawing-room and very nearly a failure in -any social gathering. Those few members of his flock with whom, now and -again, he had to enter into purely social relations, said of him: "Mr. -Carr is a thorough gentleman, but the poor fellow is dreadfully shy. He -wants a wife; perhaps she'd liven him up a bit." - -Such was the man in private life. In his clerical duties, as a -priest--or, as he would have put it, a pastor--his personal character -was sunk and merged in his office as completely as that of Father -Blantyre himself. His sermons were full of earnest exhortation, his -private ministrations were fervent and helpful, and there was a power in -his ministry that was felt by all with whom he came in contact. - -He was distinctly and entirely what is known as an "Evangelical," using -that fine word in the best and noblest sense. He belonged to a school of -thought which is rapidly becoming merged in and overlapped by others, -sometimes to its betterment, but more frequently to its destruction, but -which standing by itself is a powerful force. - -He did not realise the state of transition in which he and other men of -his school must necessarily stand to-day. Their position, admirable as -it often is, is but a compromise. He did not as yet realise this. - -Of Blantyre and the people at St. Elwyn's he knew little or nothing. He -had met the clergy there once or twice upon official occasions, but that -was all. He was too busy with his own work to have much time to attend -to that of other people, but he had the natural distaste of his school -and bringing-up for ceremonial and teaching of which he had no -experience, and merely regarded as foreign, anti-English, and on the -whole dangerous. - -He was not a bigot, and the leading feature in his religion was this: He -assigned an absolute supremacy to Holy Scripture as the only rule of -faith and practice, the only test of truth, the only judge of -controversy. He did not think that there was any guide for man's soul -co-equal or co-ordinate with the Bible. He did not care to accept such -statements as "the Church says so," "primitive antiquity says so," or -"the Councils and the Fathers also say so,"--unless it could be shown to -his satisfaction that what is said is in harmony with Scripture. - -Disregarding as superfluous all external and "vicarious" form in -religion, he attached paramount importance to the work and office of our -Lord, and the highest place to the inward work of the Holy Spirit in the -heart of man. And he attached tremendous importance to the outward and -visible work of the Holy Ghost in the heart of man. His supreme belief -was that the true grace of God is a thing that will always make itself -manifest in the behaviour, tastes, ways, and choices, of him who has it. -He thought, therefore, that it was illogical to tell men that they are -"children of God, and members of Christ, and heirs of the kingdom of -Heaven" unless they had really overcome the world, the flesh, and the -devil. But he could not be stern or menacing in his dealings with -souls. The mercy of God was more in his thoughts, always and at all -times, than the wrath and judgment of God. - -His attitude toward the pressing questions that were agitating the -Church of England, all over England, was in logical correspondence with -his beliefs. There was much within the Church that he had not understood -or realised as yet, but he was no Hamlyn, to break down and destroy all -that has made the Church of England what it is. - -He neither undervalued the Church nor thought lightly of her privileges. -In sincere and loyal attachment to her, he would give place to none. His -apprehension of churchmanship was limited, that was all. - -Nor did he--as far as he knew--under-value the Christian ministry. He -looked upon it as a high and honourable office instituted by Christ -Himself, and on priests as God's ambassadors, God's messengers, God's -stewards and overseers. Nevertheless he looked upon what he knew as -"sacerdotalism" and "priestcraft" with unfeigned dislike and uneasiness. - -He believed in baptism as the appointed means of regeneration and that -it conveyed grace _ex opere operato_; a position in which he was a -little in advance of some of his school. His views on the Eucharist were -hardly so sound, though there was nothing in them absolutely -antagonistic to the truths which he had not yet realised. He certainly -did not regard Holy Communion as the chief service in the Church, its -central point. - -On outward things, he was sane enough. He liked handsome churches, good -ecclesiastical architecture, a well-ordered ceremonial, and a -well-conducted service. If any one had told Mr. Carr that he was as -nearly as possible "Catholic" in his views, that if they were logically -pushed forward to their proper development he would be practically one -with the St. Elwyn's people, he would first have been startled somewhat -unpleasantly, and then he would have laughed incredulously. - -And if some one had gone to Blantyre and told him that Carr was thus, he -would have smiled rather sadly to think that his informant had realised -the truths taught by the Anglican Church in a very limited way. - -This mutual misunderstanding between the only two schools of thought in -the Church of England that have enduring value is very common. The -_extreme_ Protestants are not church-people at all in any right sense -of the word. The "Broad" party are confused with their own shifting -surmises from day to day, and make too many "discoveries" to have real -and lasting influence. But the "High Church" people and the pious -"Evangelicals" are extraordinarily close to one another, and neither -party realises the fact, while both would repudiate it. Yet both schools -of opinion are, after all, occupied with one end and aim to the -exclusion of all others--the attaining of personal holiness. - -It was on a bright morning that Mr. Carr came down-stairs and -breakfasted, after he had read prayers with his two servants. There was -no daily service in St. Luke's, though evensong was said on Wednesdays -and Saturdays. He read his morning paper for a few moments, then put it -down and pushed his plate away. He was unable to eat, this morning. - -He got up and walked uneasily about the room. His face was troubled and -sad. Then he pulled a letter from his pocket and read it with a doubtful -sigh. This was the letter: - - "LUTHER LODGE, - "HORNHAM, N. - - "DEAR SIR: - - "Your letter duly to hand. I note that you are desirous of having a - private conversation with me, and shall be pleased to grant - facilities for same. I shall not be leaving for the Strand till - mid-day, and can therefore see you at eleven. - - "Faithfully yours, - "SAMUEL HAMLYN. - - "_Secretary of the Luther League,_ - "_Chairman of The New Reformation Association._" - -The clergyman read and reread the letter, hardly knowing what to make of -it. He had done so many times. The infinite condescension of it annoyed -him; the recapitulation of the writer's position seemed a piece of -impudent bravado, and reminded the vicar of St. Luke's of the unhappy -state that religious life was in at Hornham. - -Some days before, shocked and distressed beyond measure at the growing -turmoil in Hornham, startled by the continued evidences of it that he -met with in his pastoral life, he had written to Mr. Hamlyn asking for a -private interview. He had shrunk from doing anything of the sort for -weeks. His whole nature revolted against it. But he had dimly recognised -that in some measure he might be said to be in a middle position between -the two conflicting parties, and thought that his mediation might be of -some avail. Repugnant as it was to him, he resolved that he must do -what he thought to be his duty, and after he had made it the subject of -anxious and fervent prayer he had made up his mind to see if he could -not prevail with the leader of the "New Reformation" to cease his -agitation, in Hornham at any rate. He imagined that Hamlyn could hardly -realise the harm he was doing to the true religious life in the place. -It was not his business to argue with the reformer about his work -elsewhere. He knew nothing of that. But in Hornham, at any rate, he did -see that the civil war provoked nothing but the evil passions of hatred -and malice, had no effect upon either party, and prevented the steady -preparation for heaven which he thought was the supreme business of -Christians. - -Hamlyn's letter certainly didn't seem at all conciliatory. It disturbed -him. He had hardly ever spoken to the man in the past, but he had known -of him, as he necessarily knew of every tradesman in the borough. Social -considerations hardly ever entered his mind, but he had not thought of -Hamlyn as a potentate in any way when he had written to him. He knew him -for a plump, shrewd, vulgar man, who dropped his aspirates and said -"paiper" for "paper," and, indeed, had thought none the worse of him -for that. But the letter surprised him. It was almost offensive, and he -was as near anger as a gentle-minded man may be. - -At half-past ten o'clock, he sighed, realising that a most distasteful -duty had to be done, and prepared to leave the house. Before he left his -study, he knelt down and prayed for a blessing in his mission. He always -prayed before any event of any importance in life. An enormous number of -people still do, and it is a very great pity that some people do not -believe or realise the fact. Prayer is not the anachronism many -publicists would have us believe. If among all classes, Christians by -open profession, and people who make no profession at all, save only -contempt for Christianity, a census of prayers prayed during one day -could be taken, the result would be very remarkable indeed. It would -certainly startle the rationalists. Statistics show that every second a -child is born and a person dies. It is during the approach of such -occasions that even people who call themselves "atheists" generally -pray. Ask hospital nurses, doctors, or parish priests! There is no -greater humbug than the pretence that prayer as a general necessity and -practice is dead. There is more irreligion visible to-day than at any -other time in English history, perhaps. But that does not mean that -people do not pray. The majority live a jolly, godless life till they -are frightened. Then they pray. The minority pray always. - -Mr. Carr left his house with a more vigorous step after his petition. As -so many folk know, the help that comes from prayer is only -self-hypnotism--of course. But it is certainly odd what power some of -the least gifted and most ordinary people have of this self-hypnotism. -One had always thought it rather a cryptic science, the literature of -India, for example, regarding it as a supreme achievement. But it must -be very simple after all! And if the help that comes to the human heart -after prayer _is_ a result of this magnetic power, all we can say is -that in the depths of a Whitechapel slum, the outcast, forgotten, and -oppressed have each and all the most remarkable, delicate, and cultured -temperaments, not in the least seared or spoilt by privation and want. -The only point that one quite fails to understand is, why are the -leading reviews and scientific publications still discussing this art, -or talent, as something rare, abnormal, and as yet little understood? - -Mr. Carr drew near to "Luther Lodge." "Balmoral" had been deserted for -some time by the Hamlyn family, who very properly felt that it was -beneath the dignity of its celebrated head, and would also be harmful to -the glorious Protestant cause, if they remained among the -undistinguished inhabitants of Beatrice Villas. - -About the time that this decision had been arrived at, a substantial -square house, unornamental but sound--like Protestantism itself--was -vacated by its former inhabitant, the Mayor of Hornham, a -leather-dresser in a large way, who had sold his business to a company -and was retiring to the country. Mr. Hamlyn looked over the place--then -known as Hide-side House--and saw that it would exactly suit him and his -altered fortunes. He changed the name to "Luther Lodge," made some -extensive purchases of furniture, and established himself there with his -son and daughter. - -Carr drew near to the iron gates before the circular sweep of gravel -known to the past and present inhabitants of the house as the "drive." -The gates were hung from two stone pilasters, each surmounted by a small -but extremely rampant lion, fiercely Protestant of aspect and painted a -dull purple. The whole aspect of the place was chilling, as the -clergyman walked up to the door. The formal lace curtains in the -windows, the brilliant black-leaded boot-scraper which reflected the -sunlight in a dozen facets of vicious leaden fire, the great apple of -shining brass which was the bell-pull--all these affected him in an -unpleasant manner. He was supremely unconscious of any artistic likings -or knowledge, but the seeds of them were latent in him nevertheless, and -the place hurt his senses in a strange way. - -A trim maid came to the door, the extreme antithesis of the -filibustering "general" of a year ago, and showed him into the hall. - -"I'll see if master's disengaged," she said; "are you the gentleman as -has an appointment with master for eleven?" - -Mr. Carr confessed to being that gentleman and the girl left him -standing there. From some room in the upper part of the house, so it -seemed, the tinkling notes of a piano came down to him. Some one--it was -Miss Hamlyn herself--was singing fervently of "violets, violets, I will -wear for thee." - -After a considerable interval, the maid came back. "Master will see you -now, sir," she said, and ushered the visitor into Mr. Hamlyn's study. - -It was a fair-sized room with a long French window opening upon a lawn -in the centre of a small, walled garden. Many book-shelves filled with -grave and portly tomes lined the walls, a large writing-table stood in -the middle of the carpet. Some months before, a struggling firm of -"religious publishers" had failed, and their stock of theology was -thrown upon a flooded market as "Remainders." Mr. Hamlyn, as being in -the trade himself, was enabled to acquire a library suited to his -position at remarkably cheap rates. - -Mr. Hamlyn rose from his chair. - -"Glad to see you," he said hastily, and with great condescension and -good humour. "Fortunate I happened to have a morning free. Now, what can -I do for you? No spiritual trouble, I hope? Ritualists been prowling -round St. Luke's? If so, say the word, give me the facts, and I'll see -you are protected!" - -"It is on a question connected with the state of affairs in the district -that I called to see you, Mr. Hamlyn." - -"Quite so, Mr. Carr, just what I expected. Well, I've always heard good -accounts of you as a loyal Protestant minister--though I can't approve -of your using that pestilential book, _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, in -your church--and I will do what I can for you. Providence has placed a -scourge in my hand to drive the idolaters from the Temple, so tell me -your trouble." - -Carr had listened to this, which was delivered in a loud, confident -voice, with growing amazement. He hardly knew how to take the man. - -"I deplore very much," he said, making a great effort, "the state into -which Hornham has been thrown. I cannot, of course, approve of much that -I understand takes place at St. Elwyn's. Yet I am beginning to fear that -the remedy is worse than the disease. I am sure, Mr. Hamlyn, that your -great desire must be to see the people led to love the Lord Jesus and to -live godly, sober lives. Well, I find that the crusade of the Luther -League is unsettling the minds of weaker brethren. They are becoming -excited, forgetful of duty, carried away by the flood of a popular -movement. All this is hurtful to souls. Men should have peace to make -themselves right with God. Strife and anger hurt the soul and wound it. -Now I have no concern with any other place but this, in which my -ministry is set. But in Hornham, at least, I have come to ask you to -moderate your attacks upon the High Church party, to extend to them the -same tolerance they extend to us." - -Hamlyn stared at the speaker. - -"To moderate MY methods?" he shouted in a coarse voice. "Do you know -what you're asking? Do you realise who I am?" - -"Perfectly, Mr. Hamlyn," the clergyman answered with considerable -dignity. "I am speaking, I hope, to a brother Christian, and as such, in -the name of our dear Lord, I ask you to cease this strife and discord -among us. God will show his desires in his own way; prayer is a more -powerful weapon than public invective. And it is idle to deny that the -vicar of St. Elwyn's and his curates are doing good. I believe their -teaching on fundamental truths is wrong, I deprecate the ceremonial with -which they veil and cover the simple beauties of the Christian faith. -But Mr. Blantyre is a good and noble-hearted man. He gives his life and -his large income--it is a matter of common knowledge--to the service of -the poor and needy. He is utterly unselfish, he loves Jesus. Let him -work in his own way in peace." - -Mr. Hamlyn's face grew very red. The man was mentally bloated by -prosperity and success. Daily he was hailed by fools as the saviour of -his country, his name was on many lips, and his sense of proportion was -utterly gone. - -"Really!" he said, "of all the mad requests as was ever made me this is -the maddest! Are you in your senses, Mr. Carr--you a Protestant minister -of the Word? You can't be. You come to me, me, who Providence has set at -the head of Henglish Protestantism, and ask me to join a base conspiracy -to silence the clarion of Truth! to leave my 'igh ground of Principle -and grovel before a petticoated 'priest'! Why, you're asking me to let -the Pope and the devil into Hornham. Have you ever cast your eye upon -the works of the immortal John Bunyan? What about Mr. Facing-both-ways?" - -Mr. Carr kept his temper. He was there upon an important issue. What did -it matter if the man was rude? "But don't you think, as a Christian," he -said mildly, "that it is hard enough to fight the devil, the world, and -the flesh without private differences in the Christian camp?" - -"Who's speaking of Christians?" Hamlyn cried; "not I. Blantyre is no -Christian; he is doing the devil's work, which is the work of Rome. He -gives away his money because the devil showed him that it was a good -move, to win souls to Rome. As for his goodness, how do we know what -goes on in the confessional? I've heard----" - -Carr stood up. "Let me tell you at once, sir," he said in a hard voice -and with flashing eyes, "that any scandal and slander you make before me -about a man I know to be pure and good I will at once repeat to him, and -you will have to take the consequences." - -"Ah!" said the agitator sharply and suddenly and with his impudent smile -flashing over his face, mingled with a sneer, "I see now! I ought to -have seen it before. You are a wolf in sheep's clothing! While we all -thought you a faithful Protestant, you have secretly joined causes with -the enemy. The cloven 'oof 'as peeped out! You come as a sneaking -ambassador of Rome in the garb of a Protestant. The Jesuits have been -having a go at you, Mr. Carr, and they've got you! I shouldn't wonder if -you've got your 'air-shirt on now! Go back to them as sent you and say -that I've scourged 'em with whips in the past and I'll give 'em -scorpions now. This will make a fine story at our next meeting in the -public 'all!" - -Carr turned on his heel without a word and left the room. He crossed the -hall in a couple of strides, opened the door, and walked quickly over -the gravel sweep. As his hand was on the latch of the gate, the -reformer's voice hailed him. Mr. Hamlyn was looking round the corner of -the door; a genial grin--a clown's grin--lay upon his face. "Mr. Carr!" -he bawled with unabashed and merry impudence, "been to Mass yet?" - -Then, with a final chuckle, he closed the door. - -The peacemaker walked sadly away. He saw at once the sort of man he had -been dealing with, and recognised how futile any protest would be in the -case. He saw clearly how unassailable Hamlyn's position was, while the -country was full of people who would pay him to keep them in a state of -pleasurable excitement. It was better than the theatre to which Hamlyn's -subscribers loudly protested that their consciences would not allow them -to go! It was a sort of bull-baiting revived; the lust of the public at -seeing some one hunted was satisfied. - -How infinitely better the sober methods of the old-established -Protestant societies were! Legitimate propaganda, a dignified and -scholarly controversy, these were right and sane. But this clown's -business, this noise and venom, was utterly disgusting. He had caught a -glimpse into the machinery of the whole movement that sickened him. - -He went home to his lonely house and made a frugal lunch. Something -ought to be done, but what? He was not a man to fail in any efforts he -made in a good cause. He did not propose to cease his attempts to -restore Hornham to decent calm, even now. But he could not see, at the -moment, what was the next move he should make. - -During the afternoon he set out on a round of parochial visiting. He sat -by the bedsides of the sick, the querulous, the ungrateful, and told his -message of comfort. He heard much of Hamlyn's campaign. The new leaflet -with its violent language was thrust into his hand. Every one wondered -what would happen next. Would Mr. Blantyre face the Luther Lecturers in -the public hall? One old bedridden dame Carr found all agog with -excitement and spite. "It'd come to a fight," she expected, and "wot an -awful thing it was to have them wicked monsters the Papists so close. -She could 'ardly sleep o' nights thinking of it all." Carr found that -the poor old creature had not the remotest idea of what "Papist" meant, -of what anything meant, indeed; but she would hardly listen to his -prayers and Bible-reading nevertheless, so eager was she to discuss the -"goings on." - -About four, as he left the last house he purposed to visit just then, a -strange thought came to him suddenly. He was at the extreme end of his -parish, not far from St. Elwyn's. Would it not be a good thing to go and -visit Blantyre, to express his sympathy and to discuss whether some way -out of the present trouble could not be found? - -The idea strengthened and grew. He knew Blantyre was a decent -fellow--every one said so. But, nevertheless, he had the sense of -venturing into the lion's den! He should feel strange among these -priests with their foreign ways, their cassocks and berrettas; there -would be discomfort in the visit. - -It is curious how, in the minds of the least prejudiced, the dislike to -the definite and outward symbols that a priest wears still lingers. In -another generation, it will have been swept away, but it still survives -as a relic of the dark, secularising influences of the eighteenth -century. And, again, the man in the street does not like to be reminded -that there is a God and a class of men vowed to His service, and the -complete distinction of a priest's costume is too explicit a reminder. - -Carr thought the matter out for a minute or two and then made up his -mind. He would go and talk over the situation with Blantyre. With a -vivid sense of how his host of the morning would call his action "bowing -down in the house of Rimmon," a sense that only quickened his steps and -sent a contemptuous curl to his lip, he turned and walked towards the -clergy-house. - -He rang the bell, and a tall and rather hulking man in livery showed him -into a large drawing-room. This was the navvy, Mr. King's former -assailant, who had been promoted, at his own request, to a distinctive -costume, which he wore with pride and diligence. His only grief was that -he was not allowed to "wipe the floor with that there Hamlyn," but he -lived in hope that some fresh outrage would provide him with the -necessary permission. - -Carr looked round the room. There was nothing ecclesiastical about it, -no flavour of the monk at home. It had been newly papered; the walls -were covered with pictures so fresh and new in treatment that they might -have come from the Academy of that year. The vicar of St. Luke's -suddenly awoke to the fact that he was in a very charming room indeed. -There was a Steinway grand piano there, a beautiful instrument; he saw -that the Twelfth Nocturne of Chopin stood open upon it. Everywhere he -saw a multitude of photographs in frames of silver, copper, ivory, -peacock leather--every imaginable sort of frame. A great many of these -photographs were signed in the corner, and looking at some of them he -was surprised to see that they were of very well-known people. Here was -a well-known general, there a judge, again the conscious features of a -society actor beamed out at him. His eye, unobservant at first, began to -take in the details of the room more rapidly. There were a hundred -luxurious little trifles scattered about, numerous contrivances for -comfort. He was wondering to whom this room could belong, when the door -opened and his doubts were resolved. - -A girl came in, a girl with a beautifully modelled face, healthy and yet -without crimson in it. A pair of frank, dark eyes looked at him from -beneath an overshadowing mass of dead black hair. - -"How do you do, Mr. Carr," she said,--he had given the man his card,--"I -am Mr. Blantyre's sister; I've only just pitched my tent in Hornham. -Bernard will be in for tea in half an hour." - -Rather nervously, Carr explained that he had called on a matter of -parochial business. He remained standing, a little at a loss. This girl -was not like the young ladies of Hornham. - -"Well, you must have some tea," Lucy said with decision as she rang the -bell. Carr sat down. He anticipated a somewhat trying half hour until -the vicar should arrive. He was a gentleman, well bred in every way, but -his life, from the time of his school days, had been lonely and without -much feminine companionship. - -In five minutes he found, to his own great surprise, that he was talking -vividly and well, that he was quite pleased to be where he was. And the -girl seemed to be interested and pleased with him. It was a very new -sensation, this feeling of mutual liking, to the lonely man. The -conversation turned naturally to the unrest around them. Carr said -nothing as yet of his morning's experience. - -"Well, I must confess, frankly, Mr. Carr," Lucy said, "that until lately -I never took any interest at all in these things. They seemed humbug to -me. Now, of course, I know better. It's a _shame_! a black shame, that -Bernard and the others should be treated so by this disgusting man. If -he only knew what their life was! how self-denying, how full of -unceasing labour and worry, how devoted. Take Mr. Stephens, for -instance: he's only a boy, yet he's killing himself with work and -enthusiasm. He was up all last night with a man that has delirium -tremens, yet he said Mass at half-past seven, came to breakfast as merry -as a sand-boy, and was teaching in the national schools at nine. And -he'll be on his feet to-day until nearly midnight without a word of -complaint. He'll spend nearly the whole evening in the boys' club, -boxing and playing billiards with them--oh, you can't think how the -three of them work!" - -She went on with a series of anecdotes and explanations, told with great -vividness and power, in her new enthusiasm for the men among whom she -had come. And throughout all her talk, the clergyman heard frequent -references to the services that went on almost unceasingly in the great -church hard by. He heard names, strange and yet familiar, startling to -his ear, and yet which seemed quite natural and fitting in the place -where he was. One thing he began to see clearly, and with interest: -whatever these men were in opinion, a life of real and active holiness -went on among them. And he noticed also, with wonder, how everything -seemed to draw its inspiration from the church, how constantly the -clergy were there, hearing confessions, saying services, praying, and -preaching. The whole thing was new to him. - -They were the best of friends, talking brightly together, when the door -burst open and the impetuous priest rushed in. "Well, I'm glad to see -you!" he said with a broad grin of welcome. "Had tea?--that's right. I -see you've made friends with my clergywoman! I've been in church hearing -confessions, or I'd have been in sooner." - -His manner was extremely genial. He seemed genuinely glad to see his -brother vicar and not in the least surprised or puzzled. - -Carr looked attentively at him. So this merry Irishman, with the lined, -powerful face, the grey hair, and eyes which sometimes blazed out like -lamps--this was the great Ritualist, the Jesuit, the thief of English -liberty! - -He had a wonderful magnetic power, that was evident at once. His -sympathy for everything and everybody poured from him; he was "big," big -in every way. - -He chatted merrily away on a variety of topics while taking his tea. -Asking his sister for another cup, he suddenly turned to Carr. "That -reminds me," he said, "of a good story I heard yesterday. Father -Cartwright was here to lunch, he is one of the St. Clement Fathers at -the Oxford monastery. Not long ago a young nobleman--rather a _bon -vivant_, by the way--went down to spend a few days with the Fathers. He -made his arrival, very unfortunately for him, poor fellow! on a Friday, -when the fare's very frugal indeed. He had very little to eat, poor -chap, and went to bed as hungry as a hunter, quite unable to sleep he -was. Now, it's the custom for one of the Fathers to go round in the -night with a benediction, 'The Lord be with you.' They always say it in -Latin, _Dominus tecum_. The young man heard some one rapping at the -door. 'Who's there?' says he. '_Dominus tecum_,' was the answer. -'Thanks, very much,' said the nobleman, 'please put it down outside'!" - -While they were laughing at the story, Lucy rose and, shaking hands -with Carr, went away. - -The two clergymen were left alone. "You'll not mind talking in here?" -Father Blantyre said. "I've got a poor chap in me study I don't want to -disturb. I found um after lunch making a row in the street with a crowd -round him, a poor half-clothed scarecrow, beastly drunk--never saw a man -in such a state. I asked one of the crowd who he was and he said he was -a stranger, a ship's fireman, who'd been about the place for a day or -two, spending all his money in drinks, and he hadn't a friend in the -world. A policeman came along and wanted to lock um up, but I managed to -get him in here and he's sleeping it off. I shall give um egg in milk -when he comes round: his poor stomach's half poisoned with bad liquor -and no food. I always find egg and milk the best thing in these cases. I -wish he wasn't so dirty! We shall have to give 'm a hot tub before he -can go to bed." - -"What will you do with him?" - -"Oh, keep him here for a day or two to pull round, give um some clothes, -and pack 'm off to sea again where he can't get any drink." - -"Don't such men ever rob you?" - -"Hardly ever. It's not your real outcast who steals much. They're -generally so astonished to find a parson isn't as black as he's painted -that they don't think of anything else. They go away feeling they've got -a _pal_, made a friend! That's the awful want in their lives. A lot of -them come back, and write to me while they're away, too, queer letters -full of gratitude and bad language! But ye came to see me, my friend. -I'm so glad you've found your way here. Now, what can I do for you, or -are ye going to do anything for me?" - -His manner had changed. His tone was indescribably sympathetic and -gentle. If ever the wisdom of charity and the light of holiness shone -out on a man's face, Carr thought that he saw it now. - -He was entirely dominated by the man. In a burst of nervous words, he -poured out his thoughts. He told of his futile visit to Hamlyn, his keen -distress at the result, the misery the agitation gave him, and the harm -he believed it to be doing. - -Blantyre listened with few words. Now and then he made a warm and -penetrating remark. - -"It will pass," he said at length; "God will give us peace again. He is -trying the faith of the poor and ignorant among us. Our prayers will -avail. But we will concert together that we may take such measures to -stop the local evil as we properly can. I have been loath to move in the -matter, but now that you have come to me we will join forces and take -action. There are ways and means. I hate pulling wires and using -influence, but one must sometimes. I had hoped it wouldn't be necessary. -But something must be done. Lord Huddersfield will take action for us. -The street meetings can be stopped at once. Then we can inaugurate a -real press campaign and let the leader-writers loose. Hitherto it's been -our policy to say nothing much, except in the religious papers, of -course. But the time has come when we must fight, too. I was talking to -Sir Michael Manicho about it the other day. A word or two from him and -the country will be ringing with warnings. We can rob this Luther League -of its powers in a week. It will _go on_, of course, but with its fangs -drawn. The people who support it will, many of them, cease their -subscriptions. And there is the law also. The magistrates of London are -quite ready to take a strong stand. That is settled. And a word from -the Archbishop, perhaps, would be a help. Public opinion is very easily -turned." - -He spoke calmly, but with conviction and a quiet sense of power. Carr -began to see dimly what great forces were behind this man and others of -his kind. The tremendous organising machinery of the Catholic Church was -laid bare for a moment. - -A most confidential talk followed. Blantyre gave the other details and -names. He made it plain to Carr's astonished ears that those in high -places were waiting to act, waiting to see if the Church needed them. -The depth and force of it all astonished him. - -A bell began to ring. "There's evensong," said Blantyre, "I must be off. -It's my turn to say it to-night." - -"I will come, too," Carr answered. - -"Do, do! and take some food with us all afterwards, and we'll have a -longer talk. You can't think how happy I am that we have come together. -What? You've never seen our church? Why, then, you've a treat in front -of ye! Every one says it's beautiful. We all love it, we're all proud of -it!" - -He took him by the arm and led him away. - -Not a word of the differences that separated them, no suspicion, or -distrust, nothing but welcome and brotherhood! - -The tall, bearded man and the quick, shaven Celt in his cassock went -into the church together to pray-- - -"Give peace in our time, O Lord." - - - - -CHAPTER X - -LOW WATER AND GREAT EXPECTATIONS - - -In a couple of months after the meeting between Carr and Blantyre, -public opinion had spoken in no uncertain way about the "Luther League." -Public opinion in these days is very easily led in this or that -direction--but only for a time. There is a vast stratum of common-sense, -of love of justice, of wholesome sanity, in England, and it can always -be reached by a little boring. In the end, especially upon any question -which is in its essence sociological, a proper balance is found and the -truth of a matter firmly established. - -And Hamlyn's agitation was treated as a social question rather than a -religious one, at any rate by a secular press. Whether the doings of the -High Church party were legal or illegal according to the prayer-book -(such was the line the papers took) was a question to be decided by -experts in history and the authorities of the Church; a question, in -fact, that ought to be decided in a legitimate way. What was, however, -quite certain, was that the proceedings of Hamlyn and his party were -improper, vulgar, and indecent. It was simply misleading nonsense to -cover the Ritualistic party, a body of high-minded and earnest men, with -the noisy and venomous vituperation of the streets. Freedom of thought -was the heritage of every Englishman, and Hamlyn had simply elected -himself a grand inquisitor of matters that did not concern him and which -he was unable to understand. No dishonesty on the man's part was -alleged. But his history was unearthed by one or two enterprising -journalists, following the popular lead. It was shown that while nothing -had ever been said against his personal character--and nothing was said -now--he had risen from the position of a struggling local newspaper man -to comparative affluence and the control of a large and costly -organisation. The cash accounts of the League were scrutinised, and -unkind remarks were made upon the constant advertisements of the League, -with their cry for increased income and fresh subscribers. It was -pointed out that people who supported a crusade made without authority -by a self-constituted Peter the Hermit, over whom no proper control -could be exercised and whose methods of prosecuting it were a mixture of -buffoonery, uncharitable malice, and untruth, were incurring a serious -responsibility. - -In short, public opinion was told in plain language exactly how it ought -to regard the campaign. Great newspapers spoke out during one fortnight -with singular unanimity. Street meetings were promptly broken up by the -police, and after some of the Luther Lecturers had been to prison, -finding that public interest in their "martyrdom" was languishing, they -subsided into quiet, devotional meetings on the sands at popular -watering-places. Whenever Mr. Hamlyn hired a hall and lectured on the -iniquities of the local clergy, he was confronted by the spectacle of a -sharp-faced man who took down every word of his utterances with -scrupulous fidelity. It was always the same machine-like man, in -Liverpool or in Plymouth, in Bath or Dundee--there he was. The -agitator's eloquence was considerably checked. He was in no condition to -sustain an action for slander or libel in which, he well knew, some poor -clergyman would somehow be able to brief all the great hawk-faced -leaders of the bar, gentlemen with whom Mr. Hamlyn wished to have as -little as possible to do. - -At such open-air meetings as were permitted, some unobtrusive stranger -was generally to be found distributing leaflets among the crowd, which -resembled nothing so much as the literature of the Luther League itself -in its general "get-up" and appearance. On perusal, however, it proved -to be of quite a different tenor, being nothing else than extracts from -the best-known English newspapers on Mr. Hamlyn and his mission. This -was very trying and disturbed the harmony of many meetings. - -In the assemblies convened at halls hired for the occasion,--admission -by ticket only,--it frequently happened that some well-known local -resident, who could not be denied, made his appearance, and with a few -weighty words entirely changed the character of the meeting. The reports -from his myrmidons all over the country, which reached Mr. Hamlyn in the -Strand, showed a series of counter-moves which alarmed him in their -neatness and ingenuity. - -It had been for months a pleasing habit of the peripatetic Protestants -under the Hamlyn banner to visit churches and make notes of the -ornaments therein, afterwards lecturing on them in their own inimitable -and humorous manner to crowds in back streets. - -Mr. Moffatt, indeed--the young gentleman who had forsaken the plumbing -and gas-fitting industry to become incandescent and watery on the -Protestant war-path--had more than once broken a small crucifix with an -umbrella. The lecturers found, however, that, as if by some concerted -action, church doors were locked wherever they might go. The poor -fellows' hunger for the sight of candlesticks and sanctuary lamps was -hardly ever gratified now, and they were compelled to the somewhat -ignominious expedient of nailing the bulls of Mr. Hamlyn to the doors of -sacred buildings and going gloomily away. - -On one occasion, Mr. Moffatt, who was a young fellow of considerable -hardihood, arrived at a well-known sink of ritual during the week, where -the incense used in church cost, it was reported, as much as _eight -shillings a pound_! Failing in every effort to penetrate the building, -one Sunday morning he mingled with a group of worshippers and made an -attempt to enter the church. Being a somewhat tubby youth of no great -height, he followed closely on the footsteps of a ponderous gentleman -quite six feet high, and congratulated himself he was escaping -observation, just as one has seen a small dog slink nearer and nearer to -the tempting joint upon the dinner-table. His hopes were doomed to -failure. He was almost inside the porch when two stalwart church wardens -barred the way and read him a paper, which stated that, as he was a -known brawler who had been convicted of other illegal disturbances in -God's house, entry was refused him. - -At the moment, in his chagrin and surprise, Mr. Moffatt could think of -no better retort than an injunction to the reader of the document to -"keep his hair on." Then, gathering his faculties together, he commenced -a vigorous protest as to his rights as a "baptized, confirmed -communicant member of the Church of England" to make one of the -congregation. No answer whatever was vouchsafed him, and he was -compelled to stand meekly by while the usual members of the congregation -were admitted. - -He bethought himself of an appeal to the majesty of the law! "Very well, -then," he said, "I shall go and fetch a policeman. That's all." - -One of the church wardens opened the inner door of the church and -beckoned to some one. A sergeant of police, in his uniform, emerged -quietly. Mr. Moffatt started, muttered something about "writing to the -Bishop," and left the vicinity of the church without further ado. - -And it was thus all over the country. Hamlyn and his son realised that a -strong and powerful organisation was arrayed against them. Their tactics -were counter-checked at every turn. - -As a natural consequence of all this, the subscriptions to the League -fell away at a most alarming rate. The street and public hall -collections of the lecturers dwindled until they could hardly pay -themselves their own modest emoluments. The general subscriptions and -special donations to the head office were in a no less unsatisfactory -condition. - -A very great number of people, with an honest dislike and distrust of -practices which seemed to them against the law of the Church of England -(as they understood it), had hitherto sent Hamlyn considerable sums of -money. His campaign seemed to them a real and efficacious method of -dealing with the question, and his methods had not been very clear to -them in their actual detail. - -But when the most influential part of the press began to speak with no -uncertain voice, these people began to hurriedly repudiate any -connection with the Luther League and to tie their purse-strings in a -very tight knot indeed. Then, again, there was a second not -inconsiderable class of people whose support was withdrawn. These were -more or less of the Miss Pritchett order. They had some real or fancied -grievance against the vicar of the parish in which they lived, and the -machinery of Hamlyn's League was found to be at their service for the -purposes of revenge. Under the cover of religious truth they were able -to gratify a private spite--a method of campaign as old as history -itself. The aims of these people had been achieved. That is to say, Mr. -Hamlyn or his friends had made themselves more or less a thorn in the -sides of the local clergy, had "banged the field-piece, twanged the -lyre," and departed with as much money as they were able to collect in -the cause of Protestant Truth. - -And those people who had first moved in the matter saw that, after all, -the _status ante quo_ had not been altered in the least, that nothing -had happened at all! One or two people of no importance whatever might -have left the Church, but the general result was, as a rule, an -increase of the attacked congregation and, inevitably, an enormous -increase of personal popularity of the priest and of loyalty to him and -his teachings. - -So this second class of worthies also became hard-hearted to the -perfervid advertisements of the League, buttoned up their pockets, and -tried to behave as though the names of those twin greatnesses, Martin -Luther and Samuel Hamlyn, had never crossed their lips. - -In the offices in the Strand, all these causes were thoroughly -appreciated and understood. The prosperity, or rather the consciousness -of it, which had seemed to ooze from Mr. Hamlyn's features, was no more -to be seen. The countenance of the Protestant Pope wore an anxious and -harassed expression when he was alone with his son, and their talks -together were frequent and of long duration. - -One disastrous morning the post brought nothing in the way of fuel for -the Protestant fire except a single miserable little post-office order -for seven shillings and sixpence, a donation from "A Baptist Friend." - -Protestant Truth was in a bad way. Both the Hamlyns thought so as they -sat down gloomily for a private conference in the inner room. - -"There's a good balance in the bank, of course," Hamlyn said. "We've got -staying power for some time yet, and the salaries are safe. But it's the -future we've got to look to. The righteous cause can't go on nothing." - -"Don't you worry, Father," said Sam, "that Exeter Hall speaking has -pulled you down a bit. You're not your real self. I haven't a doubt that -you'll think of something to wake things up in a day or two." - -"Hope so, I'm sure, though I can't think of anything at present. But -seven and six! It's the first day Protestantism's dropped below a matter -of two pound odd." - -"There's plenty of other posts during the day, Pa." - -"That's true. One day or three days don't matter. But it shows how -things are going. The Romans have been too cunning for us, Sam. The -wiles of the Scarlet Woman are prevailing; honest, straightforward -Protestants are being undermined." - -"But think of the letters of sympathy we've 'ad since the great -Ritualistic conspiracy has come up. The real hearty Protestants are as -faithful as they ever were." - -"Yes, they are," said Mr. Hamlyn reflectively; "we can always fall back -on them, and we've got some thousands of names and addresses on the -books. The League'll _go on_ safe enough, there'll always be labourers -in the vineyard and them as will pay the overseer his just dues. But -it's 'ard, after the splendid success we've had, to sink down into a -small commonplace affair with just a bare living. The real red-hot -Protestants, who are really _afraid_ of Rome and that, are so few! These -disgusting newspapers been showing up everything and the lukewarm people -have been falling away. All the real money is flowing back into Roman -channels. If there were more really earnest Protestants we might keep on -as good as ever. But there's not. We haven't sold a gross of _Bloody -Marys_ during the month. It's a pity we had to suppress the -_Confessional_; that was a real seller--and did a lot of good," Mr. -Hamlyn added as an afterthought. - -"We couldn't well do no other after the 'int we got from the _Vigilance_ -people," said Sam. - -"I suppose not. But it was a great pity." - -"You're due at Malakoff House to-night, aren't you, Pa?" - -"Yes, at seven. I'm very uneasy in my mind about Miss P., Sam." - -"Gussie says she's worse than she knows herself. She hasn't been out of -bed for a fortnight now." - -"She's not long for this world, I'm afraid," Hamlyn answered. "While -she's alive we are fairly safe. But when she's in Glory where shall we -be?" - -"That's the question, Father. Gussie knows nothing and can't find out -anything, neither. A really handsome legacy invested in some good stock -would put us right again whatever might happen." - -"It would. But just at present the old lady's awful to deal with. You -see, I'm in an awkward position, Sam. I'm not such a fool as to tell her -how we've been bested lately--that's to say, I can't bring myself to -wound a faithful Protestant heart by stories of persecution of them as -is doing the Lord's work against Rome. Miss P. don't know anything about -the checks we've received of late. Well, then, she's always bothering me -to know why we aren't keeping it up in Hornham, why we aren't going for -Blantyre and that lot. She hears everything that goes on in the parish, -though Gussie Davies does her best to stop it. But she don't seem to -trust Gussie as she did, which is a pity. Miss P. quite sees that, for -some reason or other, things have gone quiet in the parish, and she's -getting restive. Something must be done soon, that's quite evident. Some -big thing to wake her up--and everyone else, too." - -"It doesn't matter much how far we go now." - -"Not a bit. The further the better, as a matter of fact. The lecturers' -hands are so tied now, what with all these cunning moves of the -Romanists, that _they_ can't do anything. It seems we've alienated all -the moderate people and we've only the extreme ones to rely on. Well, -then, we must wake _them_ up, that's all. The papers can't well say -worse of us than they do already, so it really is the best policy to -give the whole country a regular startler. I can't think of anything new -at present, but I shall. I expect a bit of inspiration'll come before -long. Anyway, I shall tell Miss Pritchett to-night to wait and have -patience a little longer, as there's something in the wind that will do -all she wants. It's her illness. She _must_ have continual bits of -excitement to keep her going, it's a regular disease with her now. If I -can think of a good scheme to liven up things generally, in the first -flush of it she'll be so pleased that we might venture a word or two -upon her testamentary dispositions. I should feel so much happier about -the Cause if I knew the League was down in her will for a thumping sum. -Of course, anything of the sort would have to be said most careful. -She'd get up and be healthy again in a week if she thought we thought -she was going to peg out!" - -Mr. Hamlyn concluded his remarks with a somewhat resentful sigh, and, -whistling down the speaking-tube for the correspondence clerk, began to -dictate his morning's letters. - -It was about seven o'clock when the secretary arrived at Malakoff House, -tired and dispirited. The whole day had gone unsatisfactorily. An -evening paper had come out with a leaded column about the League which -was far from complimentary. The various callers at the office were all -more or less disagreeable, and even the volatile Samuel had been plunged -into a state of furtive gloom that radiated mis-ease upon all who came -near him. - -Mr. Hamlyn was shown into the drawing-room and in a minute or two, -Gussie Davies came to him. The girl was white and tired of feature. -Dark semicircles were under her eyes, but her manner had a nervous -excitement that was infectious. - -Both of them spoke in that agitated whisper that some people affect in -the neighbourhood of those who are seriously ill and whom they think -like to die. It is a whisper in which there is a not unpleasurable note, -a self-congratulation at being near to the Great Mystery, as spectators -merely. - -"How is she?" whispered Hamlyn. - -"Bad," answered Gussie. "Dr. Hibbert's been and I had a chat with him -afterwards. He daren't speak as plain as he'd like, for fear of -frightening her. But he says she must _not_ keep on exciting herself. It -will be fatal if she does. Another two months of this St. Elwyn's -excitement will kill her, Mr. Hamlyn. I'm sure of that." - -"What's she been saying?" - -"Oh, the same old thing: Why doesn't Mr. Hamlyn do something decisive? -Why doesn't he strike these proud priests some crushing blow? You know -she's heard that Miss Blantyre has come to live at the vicarage, and -that makes her keener than ever." - -"Well, I must think of something, that's all," said the secretary in a -decisive whisper. "I'll promise her a new move almost at once. I -suppose you've had no chance to get in a word about the will?" - -"Not a chance. I can't find out anything either. All I know is that her -solicitor hasn't been here since she joined the League. So that looks as -if there isn't anything done _yet_." - -"I don't suppose there is, my dear. But if I can keep her quiet _now_, -and do something big in the parish in a few days, then I suppose we -might broach it?" - -"Certainly, Mr. Hamlyn, I should say so." - -"Good. One more question, Gussie, before I go up. Do you think it wise -to mention a contribution to the working fund just now? One can never be -too zealous in the cause of Protestant Truth, but I want to deal wisely -with her." - -"Oh, I think you'll be safe enough for a hundred or two," Gussie said, -"as long as you promise her a good rumpus soon! She ain't mean, I will -say that for her." - -Mr. Hamlyn nodded in a brisk, business-like way, rang for the maid, and -was shown up to the sick-room. - -Gussie remained in the drawing-room. She wondered how successful her -friend and lover's father would be. She had immense faith in his -abilities and already looked forward to the time when, released for ever -from her duties at Malakoff House, she would, as Mrs. Hamlyn, Junior, -become a leading lady of True Protestantism. Not that the girl hated her -employer. She had no affection for Miss Pritchett--and it would have -been wonderful if she had--but her feeling was not stronger than that. -As for the money question, the money that the rich old lady was giving -to the Luther League, Gussie saw no harm in that. The money was for a -good cause, so she believed, and the Hamlyns, _pčre et fils_, had much -better have the handling of it than any one else! - -Mr. Hamlyn was a considerable time. The girl wandered about the room, -agog to hear his news, thinking with a certain terror of the grim old -woman up-stairs. For what had been tartness and acerbity had become -grimness now, in the pompous old-fashioned bed-chamber, where she lay -waiting the beating of those great black wings which all, save she, knew -were drawing near. - -Although Gussie Davis knew all the foibles of her mistress and could -play upon them with adroitness and success, she felt, nevertheless, a -fear of the old woman. Miss Pritchett, with all her absurdities, her -petty jealousies, her greed for flattery, was a woman with a -personality. She was very rich, and she had chosen to remain among the -surroundings of her youth and be great among the small. Yet even a petty -supremacy awes the petty, and the sly Welsh girl was indubitably awed. -She was not wholly bad, not unfeeling in her way, but she was weak. In -the hands of the Hamlyns, she had been as putty from the very first. -They were strong men. There was no doubt about that. With all the -temperamental vulgarity and greed of both father and son, there was -indubitable strength--and, in the case of the elder, considerable -magnetic power. - -They had been kind to her also. She was genuinely fond of Sam, and he -was fond of her. The accident of her position, that she was able to help -and forward their plans, made no difference as to that. Hamlyn, Senior, -liked her. He would, she knew, be kind and fatherly to her when she was -married to Sam. He was that now. - -For, if Hamlyn had been able to employ his cleverness to good advantage -in the exploitation of any other thing save of religion, he would have -been counted as a shrewd business man and nothing more. Nothing worse -than that at any rate. He had no personal vices. He did not in the least -realise that he was living a life that was shameful. Religion meant no -more to him than any other way of making money would have meant. That -was all. And, oddly enough, Blantyre himself shrewdly suspected this, -while Carr looked upon the agitator as infamous. - -Hamlyn was perfectly aware that he was a humbug, but he thought that his -humbug was perfectly legitimate in the war of life. - -The priest at St. Elwyn's whom he had so bitterly attacked and wounded -was a psychologist. Most priests are. Men who sit in churches and hear -the true story of men's lives learn an infinite tenderness. Men come to -them for comfort, to hear the comfortable words that our Lord has spoken -for the sinful who are penitent, to receive from them that absolution -which is nothing more than the confirmation, in a concrete and certain -way, of the promise of God. It is only the people who have never -confessed their sins, not to a priest, but to God through a priest, who -speak against the Sacrament of Penance. - -They do not know they are tilting at windmills. And the bitter shame -that sometimes comes to a man as he tells another man the true story of -his life is in itself the truest evidence that he means to amend it. No -one would do that without penitence. There is a motive for every action; -the motive would be wanting if confession were made without a resolve to -lead a new life. If those who fulminate against the Church's method, and -sneer at the members of the Church who follow it, as dupes and fools, -could understand that it is discipline that purifies and exalts, they -would sneer no longer. It is all very well to be a _franc-tireur_, no -doubt. But it is better to be a member of the regular forces. It is not -so jolly for a time, perhaps, but in event of capture, the former is -shot at sight, the latter becomes a prisoner of war with all the rights -and traditions of his lot. - -Simile was one of Mr. Hamlyn's pet weapons, but in his noisy syllogisms, -he left out the first two premises and confined himself to the -conclusion--generally an emphatic epithet. - -Mr. Hamlyn came down-stairs at last. His face was grave, but peaceful. -Perspiration showed upon it. He had been having a hard time. - -"I say, my dear," he whispered, "I wonder if you've got a cup of tea -handy. I've had a thick time!" - -It is better to take the stimulant of tea than the more usual brandy and -soda. Hamlyn was a strong teetotaller, and that counted to his credit at -a moment like this. For the man had obviously been through an unnerving -experience. He was not his ready and impudent self. - -The tea was brought. It revived him. - -"Well!" he said in a low voice, "I don't want to go through many scenes -like that again, Gussie! She's getting worse and worse. Her brain can't -last much longer if she goes on like this! However, I managed to calm -her down. She's going off to sleep now. I told her I'd wake Hornham up -in a few days--and I'll _have_ to do it, what's more!" - -"Did you get a cheque?" said the practical Gussie. - -"Yes," said Mr. Hamlyn in a slightly more relieved voice. "She gave me a -couple of hundred in the end. At heart, she's devoted to the cause of -Protestant Truth. But she's getting horribly restive, my dear. I'm sorry -for her. She's a wreck of what she used to be--but she's a wreck that -wants a lot of salvage!" - -The colour came back into the plump, clean-shaven face as the tea did -its work. - -"I forgot, my dear," he said; "I brought you a box of chocolates. It -clean went out of my 'ead," he waved an exhausted hand towards his small -brown leather bag, which stood on the table between a plaster model of -the leaning tower of Pisa and a massive volume entitled _Every Young -Lady's Vade Mecum_. - -Gussie smiled her thanks and opened the bag, while Mr. Hamlyn poured out -another cup of tea. - -Gussie felt in the bag. It was full of papers, but there were two -parcels there. She took them out. They were of much the same size. Each -was neatly tied up in white paper. - -She pulled the string from one of them. A number of thin -semi-transparent white wafers fell out upon the table. - -"Oh, I'm sorry!" she cried, "I thought this was the box of chocolates." - -Hamlyn looked up wearily. To his immeasurable surprise, he saw that the -girl's face had grown very pale. She shrunk away from the table. - -"What's the matter, my dear?" he said, thoroughly alarmed. - -She suddenly flushed a deep scarlet. - -"What are these?" she said, pointing with a shaking finger to the things -on the table. - -"Them?" said Mr. Hamlyn in cheerful surprise. "Mass wafers, my dear. I -buy them in a shop in Covent Garden. We distribute them among the Luther -Lecturers, for object lessons to the poor deluded Ritualists." - -The girl had crouched to the wall of the room. Hamlyn was seriously -alarmed. Her face was almost purple, her eyes started out of her head. - -"They're not con--_consecrated_?" she gasped. - -Hamlyn could not understand her emotion. "No," he said; "why, Gussie, -what a superstitious little thing you are. And if they were, what then?" -Frank amazement showed on his face. - -"Oh, nothing, Mr. Hamlyn," the girl said at length, becoming more normal -in her manner. - -In a few minutes, Hamlyn left the house, leaving the girl in her -ordinary manner, eating the chocolates that he had brought her. - -His able mind was busily at work. He knew that during Miss Pritchett's -adhesion to St. Elwyn's Gussie had, perforce, been one of the -congregation there and had been taught and trained by the clergy. - -"No wonder," he thought bitterly to himself; "no wonder that they can -win along the line, when they can sow seeds like that in a girl's mind. -Why, she's a thorough little Protestant at heart. To think that those -things should have startled her so! It's a lingering prejudice, I -suppose. They _are_ a queer lot--the Romanists!" - -As he communed thus with himself, a swift thought came to him. At the -moment of its arrival in his brain, he almost staggered. Then, pulling -himself together, he walked rapidly to his own house. - -He thought he saw his way to a _coup_ that would make all his previous -efforts as nothing. How wonderfully simple it was! Why had he never -thought of it before--_what_ a fool he had been! Here was the solution -of all the difficulties he was in. The answer seemed to have come to his -conversation with Samuel in the morning. - -He went to his study and fortunately found that Sam was already there. -Miss Maud Hamlyn sat in the room also, but when she saw her father's -face, she left the room at once. It wore the "business look" she knew -well, and, though she but dimly understood what her brother and father -were engaged in, she knew it had brought great prosperity and honour to -all of them, and was loath to intrude upon any profitable confabulation. - -"Have you got it, Pa?" said Samuel, eagerly. - -"Yes, I _'ave_," answered the secretary, "and very fine it is too!" - -"How much?" asked Sam. - -"What do you mean?" - -"The cheque, Miss Pritchett's latest." - -"Oh, _that_," said Hamlyn. "Two hundred, what we expected. I meant -something else. I've got the new scheme to wake things up! The best -thing we've done yet, my boy!" - -Sam rubbed his hands. "What did I say this morning? I knew you'd do it, -Pa. Well, let's have it." - -Mr. Hamlyn sat back in his chair, willing to dally a moment with his -triumph and enjoy the full savour of it. - -"Why we never thought of it before," he said, "beats me entirely! -Something suggested it to me to-night, and I've been wondering at our -neglecting such a move." - -"What _is_ it then?" - -"What about one of us going to the Mass and bringing away the -consecrated wafer? Then a big public meeting's called and I _show_ the -people what we've got! The 'flour-and-water god' of the Romanists! Not -the usual plan of producing a wafer we've bought from a shop, but the -_real thing_, Sam! Then they'll all be able to see that there's no -difference between before and after! It'll explode the whole thing and -give the League an advertisement better than anything that's gone -before!" - -Sam looked very grave indeed. "It's a little bit _too_ much, I'm afraid, -Father," he said. - -"What do you mean, my son?" answered the secretary in extreme and real -surprise. - -"Well, I don't know," Sam said doubtfully, "but I shouldn't like to -meddle with it myself." - -Mr. Hamlyn leaned forward. "Sam," he said, "you're a fool. You're as bad -as Gussie Davies! Leave the matter to me. Who's awakened Protestantism -in Hengland? ME! Who knows how to work a popular cause? ME! Who's going -to boom the Luther League up to the top again? ME!" - -"Have it your own way, Father," Sam said, "you generally do come out on -top." - -"Ring the bell for some tea," said Mr. Hamlyn, "and let's talk out the -details. We'll 'ave to get it where we aren't known by sight." - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE NEWS THAT CARR BROUGHT - - -As the days wore on, and Lucy Blantyre became accustomed to her -surroundings, she found that she was in thorough tune with them. During -the year she had been away from St. Elwyn's, she had spent most of the -time abroad, at first with Lady Linquest, afterwards with friends. The -old life of fashionable people and "smart" doings palled horribly. -Travelling was a diversion from that, and, in some sense, a preparation -for the more useful life that she determined to live in the future. - -She had quite made up her mind to that. Nothing would induce her to go -back to live in Park Lane once more. Life offered far more than the West -End of London could offer; so much was plain. She kept up a regular -correspondence with her brother and was fully informed of all that took -place in Hornham. Her thoughts turned more and more affectionately -towards the dingy old house, centre of such ceaseless activities, the -old house with the great church watching over it. - -Down there it seemed as if provision was made for all one's needs of the -mind. Stress and storm beat upon it in vain, and it combined the joys of -both the cloister and the hearth. - -In her limited experience, there had been nothing like it. A year or two -ago, she would have smiled incredulously if any one had told her that -she would like going to church twice or three times on a week-day. But -during her stay at St. Elwyn's how natural and helpful it had seemed, -how much a part of the proper order of things. The morning Eucharist -while day in the outside world was beginning, the stately and beautiful -evensong as men ceased their toil, these coloured all the day, were -woven into its warp and woof. She knew that the _abnormal_ life was the -life of the majority, the life of those who lived in a purely secular -way, who never worshipped or prayed. - -When any mind, in its settling of its attitude towards the Unseen, gets -as far as this; when it realises that, despite the laughter of fools and -the indifference of most people, the _logical_ use of life is to make -it in constant touch with God, then, as a rule, the personal religious -conviction will come in due time. It had not come to Lucy yet in full -and satisfying measure, it had not come even when she determined to make -her home with her brother for a time and help in any way she could. - -During the year of travel, she was also in regular communication with -James Poyntz. Insensibly his letters to her had become the letters of a -lover. He told her all his thoughts and the details of his work and -hopes, and, mingling with what were in fact a series of brilliant -personal confessions, there began to be a high note of personal devotion -to her. One does not need the simple alphabet of lover's words to write -love letters. Poyntz used no terms of endearment, and as yet had made -her no definite proposal of marriage. But the girl knew, quite -certainly, exactly how he felt towards her. There was no disguise in his -letters, and the time was drawing near when he would definitely ask her -to share his life. - -She had not yet definitely summed up her attitude towards him. She was -at the crossing of the roads; new influences, new ideas were pouring -into her brain from every side. It was necessary to readjust herself to -life completely before she could settle upon any course. - -She knew that to be Lady Huddersfield was to take a high seat in Vanity -Fair. The Huddersfields belonged to the old order of society, to that -inner circle of the great who never open their door indiscriminately to -the Jew and the mining millionaire. People laughed at them and called -them pompous and dull, but there was a high serenity among them -nevertheless. She might have married half a dozen times had she so -chosen. Her income was large enough to make her a small heiress, at any -rate to be an appreciable factor in the case, besides which her birth -was unexceptionable. It was known that when Lady Linquest fluttered away -to another world, the old lady's money would come to her niece. But -position merely, rank rather, did not attract a girl who already went -wherever she chose. And among the men in society who had offered her -marriage, or were prepared to do so, she found no one capable of -satisfying her brain. Poyntz did this. She found power in him, strength, -purpose. She knew that, in whatever station of life he was, the man was -finely tempered, high in that aristocracy of intellect which some people -say is the only aristocracy there is. - -She was conscious of all this, but, especially since she had been -settled in the vicarage as a home, she was becoming conscious of many -other influences at work upon her. Religion, the personal giving of -one's self to God, was tinging all her life and actions now. Hour by -hour, she found herself drawing nearer to the Cross. Her progress had -become a matter of practical experience. It was impossible to live with -the people she was among, to watch every detail of their lives, to find -_exactly where the motive power and the sustaining power came from_, -without casting in her lot with them in greater or less degree. Every -day she found some hold upon the outside world was loosened, something -she had imagined had great value in her eyes suddenly seemed quite -worthless! Looked at in the light that was beginning to shine upon her, -she was frequently surprised beyond measure to find how worthless most -things were! Her brain was keen, cool, and logical. Hitherto she had -refused to draw an inference--no proof, by the way, of any want of -logical skill;--now she was drawing it. - -She was great and intimate friends with the two assistant priests, -Stephens and King. Stephens was engaged to a girl in the country, King -belonged to some confraternity of celibates. Both were high-minded men, -who appreciated to the full the charm of cultured feminine society and -found her drawing-room a most pleasant oasis now and then. And every one -at the clergy-house began to see a great deal of Mr. Carr. The lonely -man found companionship and sympathy there. He found intellectual men, -university men like himself, with whom he could talk. He had been -intellectually starving in Hornham, and good brains rust unless they -have some measure of intercourse with their kind. - -He was constantly with his new friends. One Sunday Father Blantyre -preached at St. Luke's. The church was crowded, to hear a man whom a -great many there believed capable of almost any form of casuistry and -sly dealing. But when the little Irishman got into the pulpit he gave -them a simple, forcible discourse on some points of conduct, delivered -with all his personal charm, his native raciness and wit; many wagging -tongues were silenced in the parish. Carr's experiment was a bold one, -but it succeeded. An ounce of fact is worth a pound of hearsay. -Blantyre was so transparently honest, so obviously incapable of any of -the things imputed to him by the Luther Leaguers, that the most -prejudiced folk at St. Luke's said no more than that it was a pity such -a decent fellow, who could preach such a good sermon, wasted so much of -his time over unnecessary fads! - -For some reason or other,--she could not quite explain it to -herself,--Lucy looked on Carr with different eyes from those with which -she viewed Stephens or King. He seemed less set apart from the ordinary -lot of men than they were. His ordinary clerical costume may have had -something to do with it, the contrast between his clothes and those of -the laymen not being so marked as in the case of the High Church clergy. -And his manner also was different in a subtle way. Lucy liked the manner -of King and she liked the manner of Carr, but they were markedly unlike -each other. The former spoke of everything from the Church's point of -view, the latter more from the point of view of an ordinary layman who -loves and serves our Lord. - -Lucy had no fault to find with the ecclesiastical attitude. She had long -before realised what were the spiritual results of rebellion and -schism; they were too patent in Hornham. She was definitely Catholic. -Therefore she approved of King as a priest and liked him as a man. But -Carr seemed to be more upon her own level, not set apart in any way. She -knew he was just as much a priest as the other, but he came into her -consciousness from a purely human standpoint, while the other did not. - -Viewing him thus, she had come to find she liked him very much indeed. -He was a very "manly" man, she found, with a virile intellect which had -had too little play of late years. She came to know of his life and -found it as full of good works as her brother's. The methods differed, -the Church and its services took an altogether secondary place in these -ministrations; the charities of a poor man were necessarily more -circumscribed than those of his rich neighbour, but the spiritual -fervour was as great. - -Lucy could not help wondering why a man who had such abundant means to -his hand of holding and influencing his people used so few of them. Why -was his church not beautiful? How did he exist spiritually without the -sacramental grace so abundantly vouchsafed at St. Elwyn's? - -She had a glimpse deep down into the man once. One evening at St. -Elwyn's, when Carr had come to supper, the conversation turned upon a -rather serious epidemic of typhoid fever that had only just been -overcome in Hornham and which had caused a widespread distress among the -poorer classes. - -"I'm getting up a fund," Father Blantyre said, "to relieve some of the -worst cases and to send as many as possible of the convalescents off to -the seaside. Now, Lucy, my dear, what will you stump up? This girl's -rolling in money, Carr! She's more than she knows what to do with!" - -Lucy noticed--no one else did--that Mr. Carr flushed a little and -started as Blantyre finished speaking. - -She turned to her brother. "I'll give you a hundred pounds, dear," she -said. - -"Good girl!" he shouted in high good humour. - -Lucy turned to Carr. "I suppose you've a great many destitute cases in -St. Luke's?" she asked. - -"Very many, I'm sorry to say," he answered sadly. "I've done what I -could, but I've hardly any money myself until next quarter-day, and our -people are nearly all of them poor." He thought with gentle envy of -these wealthy folk who were able to do so much, while he, alas! could do -so little. - -"I'll subscribe something to St. Luke's, too," Lucy said. "I'll give you -the same, Mr. Carr. I'll write you a cheque after supper." - -"That's a sportswoman!" said Father Blantyre; "good for you, Lucy!" - -Carr flushed up. The destitution in his parish had been a constant grief -to him during the last few weeks. He had not known where to turn to -relieve it. He had prayed constantly that help might be forthcoming. He -broke out into a nervous torrent of thanks which came from his very -heart, becoming eloquent as he went on and revealing, unconsciously -enough, much of his inward self to them. They were all touched and -charmed by the man's simplicity and earnestness. He showed a great love -for the poor as he talked. Sympathy for suffering and kindness towards -it are not rare things in England. We are a charitable folk, take us in -the mass. But this quality of personal love for the outcast and -down-trodden is not so often met with. It is a talent, and Carr -possessed it in a high degree. - -A step in their intimacy was marked that night; all felt drawn more -closely to the Evangelical vicar. He stood alone; his life seemed -cheerless to them all and their sympathy was his--though he had never -made the least parade of his troubles. Moreover, the three clergy of St. -Elwyn's were beginning to find out, with pleased surprise, how near he -was to them in the great essentials, how Catholic his views were. -Already much of Carr's dislike to the ceremonial of St. Elwyn's was -fading away. He had witnessed it, found that there was absolutely no -harm in it, that it did _not_ stand between the soul and God, but even -sometimes assisted in the journey upwards. He did not endorse it as yet, -he did not contemplate anything of the sort for himself or his people, -but he saw the good there and found nothing to disgust or harm. - -Later on that evening, Dr. Hibbert came in, and there was music. Lucy -played and sang to them, and Carr, who had a fine baritone, sang an old -favourite or two, college songs, _Gaudeamus Igitur_, _John Peel_, and -the like. - -Then, while the four other men took a hand at whist--if only Mr. Hamlyn -could have seen the "devil's picture books" upon the table!--Carr had a -long, quiet talk with Lucy Blantyre. He found himself telling her much -of his work and hopes, of his early life in a bleak Northumberland -vicarage, of Cambridge, and the joyous days when he rowed three in the -King's boat and all the skies were fair. - -Now and then, when he would have withdrawn into himself again, fearing -that he was boring her, she encouraged him to go on. With her cheque in -his pocket, he went home in a glow that night. He thought constantly of -her, and when he went to bed, he looked curiously in the mirror, turning -away from it with a sigh, a shake of the head, and the chilling memory -that the girl was rich, allied to great families, a personage in London -society, and that a poor gentleman toiling in Hornham could never be a -mate for such as she was. - -Three or four days after the incident of the subscription, Lucy received -a letter from Agatha Poyntz, who was staying with the St. Justs in -Berkeley Square. The letter begged Lucy to "come up to town" for an -afternoon. A theatre party had been formed, which was to consist of -Agatha herself, Lady Lelant, a young married cousin of hers, and James -Poyntz. Lucy was begged to come and complete the party. They were to go -to tea afterwards at the Savoy or somewhere, and Lucy could drive home -in the evening. The letter was quite imperative in its demand for Lucy's -presence, and the girl had a shrewd suspicion who it was that had -inspired it. Her last few letters from Poyntz had been almost, so she -fancied, leading up to just some such occasion as this which was now -proposed. - -She thought it all over during the morning of that day. Her mind -wavered. A few weeks ago she knew that she would not have hesitated for -a moment. Whatever her answer might eventually be to what James Poyntz -had to say, she would have gone to the tryst and listened to him. To -hear him pleading, to see this scion of an ancient and honourable house, -this big-brained man, pleading for her, would be sweet. Every woman -would feel that. But now she hesitated very much. She hardly owned it to -herself, but a very different figure was coming to have a continual -place in her thoughts. A graver figure, a less complex figure, and one -invested with a dignity that was not of this world, a dignity that the -peer's son had not. - -For now, most indubitably, a new element was coming into her life, one -that had not been there before. - -And there was yet another cause for her hesitation. She had come to see -that the supremely important thing in life was religion; she knew that -it was going to be so for her. She wasn't bigoted, she realised the -blameless life that many people who did not believe in our Lord appeared -to live. But that was not the point. Works were good, they were a -necessary concomitant of any life that was to be bound up with hers. But -faith was a paramount necessity also. She had no illusions about James -Poyntz. She did not think, as less keen-sighted girls have thought of -atheist lovers, that she could ever bring him to the Faith. She knew -quite well that it would be impossible, that he was one of those folk to -whom the "talent" of faith does not seem to have been given, and who -will have to begin all over again in the next world, learning the truths -of Christianity like children. - -While she was thinking out the question of acceptance or refusal, her -eye caught a date on her tablets. It was the date of the theatre party -and also of a meeting to be held during the afternoon in the public -hall at Hornham, at which Father Blantyre had consented to hold public -argument upon the legalities of ritual and the truth of Catholic dogma -with some of the Luther Lecturers. - -Hamlyn had intended that this meeting should take place in the evening, -for two reasons. In the first place, during the afternoon he was himself -to address a great meeting in London, to which all the "red-hot -Protestants" on the lists of the League had been specially invited by -ticket, and at which a great sensation was hinted at, in much the same -way as music-hall managers announce the forthcoming appearance of some -entirely new spectacle, trick, or performer. - -Mr. Hamlyn had hoped to arrive in Hornham from the Strand flushed with a -great victory, the news of which would have preceded him during the -afternoon. - -Moreover, in the evening an audience would assemble with which the -Luther Lecturers would be thoroughly at home--Mr. Sam Hamlyn would have -seen to that--and the place would be packed by rowdy non-churchgoers who -would come with the intention of witnessing a row, even if they -themselves had to create it. Thus a "great Protestant demonstration of -North London" would be absolutely assured. - -Unfortunately, Mr. Hamlyn received the plainest of plain hints from the -local chief of police that he would get himself into particularly hot -water if he proceeded with his little scheme, and that the words of one -of his men--the ingenuous Mr. Moffatt indeed, who, locked out of every -church in England, had lately returned to his parental roof for a -holiday--to a certain rough section of the community, in connection with -this very meeting, would be brought up against him. - -The police had no objection to a meeting during the afternoon. The -dangerous element would still be pushing their barrows of plums and -pears through the city streets, and though the meeting would, no doubt, -be skilfully packed with partisans, many women would be present and -nothing more than a wordy war would be likely to result. - -Lucy saw the date and considered that the question of the matinée was -decided for her. She mentioned the invitation at lunch, and was very -much surprised to find that her brother strongly deprecated her -intention of being present at the discussion and welcomed this -invitation. - -"I don't want you to go, dear," he said; "I beg of you not. It will be -rough and bitter. I know it. I shrink from it myself, but I must show -them that we are not afraid to meet them openly. But it would do nothing -but distress you. Write to Miss Poyntz this afternoon and say you'll go. -Then you can hear all about the meeting in the evening when you get -back." He was so obviously in earnest that Lucy could not but agree. - -It seemed fate sent her to meet James. Well, it must be, that was all. -Circumstances must be faced, and if she did not know her own mind now, -it was possible that the event itself would decide it for her. - -But she addressed the letter with marked nervous excitement, and the -"Hon. Agatha Poyntz" was more tremulous than her writing was wont to be. - -There were two days more to wait, a Sunday intervened, and she hardly -left the church during the whole day, seeking counsel and help where -only they are to be found. - -On Monday, she arrived at the theatre at about two. She had refused to -lunch with her friends and drove from Hornham in a hansom cab, meeting -them at the door of the building. - -They went at once to their box and found that there were some five -minutes to wait before the rise of the curtain. - -The theatre was curious after the glare of the sun outside, fantastic -and unreal. Hardly anybody talked, though there was a good house, and -the strange quiet of a matinée audience seemed to pervade the four -people in the box also. - -Lucy leaned back in her chair with the sensation of dreaming. This -morning she had knelt in the side chapel at St. Elwyn's! A moment before -she had been alone in the cab, among the roar and bustle of Trafalgar -Square. Now she was in a dream. Agatha and Adelaide Lelant smiled at her -without speaking--just like odd dream people. James Poyntz sat just -behind her. She was acutely conscious of his presence. Now and then he -bent forward and made some remark or other in a low voice. That also -seemed to come from a distance. She seemed to have left all the real -things behind in Hornham. - -The scents, the dresses of the fashionable people in the stalls, the -dim, apricot light, seemed alien to her life now, a reminder of -experiences and days long since put away and forgotten. - -The little band below had been playing a waltz of Weber's, a regret -which was strangled into a sob as the curtain rose suddenly upon the -first act of the play. - -How acutely conscious one was at first of the artificial light! The big -frame of the proscenium enclosed a rich garden scene, beautifully -painted. But it was full of hot yellow light, until the eye forgot the -outside day it had lately quitted. Lucy thought that for the sake of -illusion it was a mistake to come to the play in the afternoon. She said -so to James. - -"Well," he whispered, "for my part, there is never any illusion in the -stage for me. It is a way of passing an idle hour now and then. That is -all. I came here not to see the play, but to see you." - -She turned towards the stage again with a slight flush. - -Behind the footlights the perfectly dressed men and women went through -their parts. All appeared as if they had put on for the first time the -clothes they wore; both men and women had the complexion of young -children--peaches and cream--unless the light fell on the face at an -awkward angle. Then it glistened. - -And all the people on the stage talked alike, too. They did not speak -quite like ladies or gentlemen, but imitated the speech of ladies and -gentlemen wonderfully! The play did not interest Lucy. It was a -successful play, it was played by people who were celebrated actors, but -she was out of tune with the whole thing. It wasn't amusing. Between the -acts, Lady Lelant chatted merrily, of such news as there was to be -gleaned during a passage through town. She spoke of the movements of -this or that acquaintance, whom this girl was engaged to, why Lord -Dawlish had quarrelled with the Duke of Dover. Lucy had no interest in -these matters any more. She realised that with astonished certainty. She -didn't care a bit. After all, these smart people and their doings were -not, as she had thought in the past, any more interesting than the group -of church people at St. Elwyn's. Indeed they were less so. Dr. Hibbert, -one or two of the nursing sisters, some of the choir men, King, -Stephens, Carr--all these people had more individuality, _lived, -thought, felt, prayed_ more intensely than Lady Lelant's set, Lady -Linquest's set, any purely fashionable set. There was not a doubt that -in the mere worldly economy of things, in the state politic, every one -of these Hornham people _mattered more_ than those others. And, where -hearts and wills are weighed, to the critical Unseen eyes, their value -was greater still. Lucy was glad when the play began again, and she was -relieved of the necessity for a simulated interest in things she had -long since put away from her. - -The last act of the mimic story dragged on. Agatha and Lady Lelant were -absorbed in it. Lucy withdrew a little from the front of the box. She -cared nothing for the play, nor did her companion. Both of them knew of -things imminent in their twin lives greater than any mimic business -could suggest to them. - -He began to tell her in a low voice of his joy in seeing her again. It -thrilled her to hear the lover-like tones creeping into a voice so -clear, cold, and self-contained in all the ordinary affairs of life. It -was an experience that disturbed and swayed all the instincts of her -sex. For she knew that this was no ordinary conquest that she had made, -no ordinary tribute to her mind and person. She might have received the -highest compliment that he was about to pay her from many a man as -highly placed and socially fortunate as he. There was no exhilaration, -no subtle flattery of her pride and the consciousness of her womanhood -in that. But she knew him for what he was. She had learned of the -intellect and power of the man--herein lay an exquisite pleasure in his -surrender. And she liked him immensely. Physically, he pleased her eye, -and her sense of what was fitting in a man. Mentally he compelled her. -And now and again in their intimacy, an intimacy that had grown -enormously during the last year, fostered on their mutual epistolary -confidences, she had found a sudden surrender, a boyish leaning on her, -a waiting for her approving or helpful word, that was sweet to her. - -At last the curtain fell. - -"Now, then," Poyntz said, "we'll go and have tea on the terrace at the -Sardinia. There will be a band, a really good band, and the embankment -will look beautiful just now. Come along, young ladies; we'll walk, -shall we? It won't take us five minutes." They left the theatre. - -"Ah!" Lucy said with a sudden gasp of relief, "how good the air is after -that dark place and the stage. My eyes feel as if they had been actually -burnt." - -The long lights of the summer afternoon irradiated everything. There -are moments in summer when the busiest London street seems like a street -in fairy-land. It was so now as they walked to the great riverside -hotel; a tender haze of gold lay over all the vast buildings, the sky -began to be as if it were hung with banners. - -They passed from the roar of the street to the great courtyard, with its -gay awnings of white and red, its palms and tree-ferns in green tubs, -its little tables like the tables of a continental café. Little groups -of people of all nationalities sat about there. The party heard the -twanging accent of the United States, the guttural German, the purring, -spitting Russian. - -They entered the hotel, walked down a corridor, descended some steps, -and came out upon the terrace. - -Lucy had a finely developed social instinct. She knew what was going on -instinctively, and it was plain to her at once that the moment had come. -Agatha Poyntz and her cousin had disappeared as she sat down at a small -table with James, hidden by shrubs from the rest of the terrace. - -Below and beyond were gardens in which children were playing, the wide -embankment, and the silver Thames itself, all glowing under the -lengthening sun rays. - -What did she feel at that moment? She found that she was calm, her -pulses were quiet, her breathing untroubled and slow. - -He leaned forward and took her hands strongly in both of his. At first, -his words came haltingly to him, but then, gathering courage, he made -her a passionate declaration. - -Her heart cried out vaguely to some outside power for guidance; her -inarticulate appeal was hardly a prayer, it was the supreme expression -of perplexity and doubt. - -"For months, all my work and life have been coloured by thoughts of you, -have had reference to you. I can conceive, since I have been writing to -you, and you to me, I have had hopes and dreams that have become part of -my life! If you could accept this, this devotion, this strong feeling of -love which has grown up in me, I feel that our companionship would be a -beautiful thing. Lucy, I am not eloquent in love as some men are said to -be, I can only tell you that I love and admire you dearly and have no -greater hope than to share everything with you, my lady, my love!" - -The strong, self-contained young man was deeply moved. He continued, in -a monologue of singular delicacy and high feeling, to pour out the -repressed feelings of the past year, to offer her a life that was more -stainless--she knew it well--than that of most young men. - -She was deeply touched, interested, and rather overawed. But there was -no thrill of passion in her that could answer to the notes of it that -were coming into his voice and shaking it from its firmness, sending -tremulous waves quivering through it. - -Her hand shook in his hold, but it was passive. Emotion rushed over her, -but it was a cool emotion, so to say; she was touched, but her blood did -not race and leap at his touch, she felt no wish to rest in his arms, to -find her home there! - -At last she was able to speak. There was a pause in his pleading, his -eyes remained fixed upon her face in anxious scrutiny. - -She withdrew her hand gently. - -"You have touched me very deeply," she said. "But I can't, oh, I _can't_ -answer you now. This is such a great thing. There is so much to think -over, so much self-examination. It might all look quite different to -one to-morrow! Let me wait, give me time. I will write to you." - -His ear found the lack of what he sought in her voice. Even to herself -her tones sounded cold and conventional after his impassioned pleading. -But she found herself mistress neither of reason nor of feeling as she -spoke. She was bewildered, though not taken by surprise. - -He seemed to understand something of her state of mind. If his -disappointment was keen, he showed nothing of it, realising with the -pertinacity of a strong, vigorous nature that nothing really worth -having was won easily, thankful, perhaps, that he had won as much as he -had--her consideration. - -"You know how great a thing this is to me," he said. "You would never be -unkind or hard to me and it would be an unkindness to prolong my -suspense. When will you give me my answer?" - -"Oh, soon, soon! But I must have time. I will write to you soon, in a -fortnight I will write." - -"That is so long a time!" - -"It will pass very swiftly." - -"Then I accept your decree. But I shall write to you, even if you don't -answer me until I get the letter, oh, happy day! on which you tell me -what my whole heart longs to hear. You will read my letters during the -time of waiting? Promise me that, Lucy." - -"Yes, yes, I promise," she said hastily, seeing that Agatha and Adelaide -Lelant were coming towards them. - -Her brain was whirling; James himself was agitated and unstrung by the -vehemence of feeling, the nerve storm, that he had just passed through. -And in the minds of Miss Poyntz and Lady Lelant the liveliest curiosity -and interest reigned, as it naturally would reign, under such -circumstances, in the minds of any normal young women, gentle or simple, -with blue blood or crimson. - -But the four people had learned the lessons their life-long environment -had taught. Their faces were masks, their talk was trivial. - -When at length Lucy rose to go, declining to drive home with Lady -Lelant, they all came into the big, quiet courtyard of the hotel, "to -help her choose her hansom." Every unit of the little party felt her -departure would be a relief, she felt it herself. The two girls did not -know what had happened and were eager to know. James wanted to be -alone, to go through the interview step by step in his brain, -reconstructing it for the better surveyal of his chances, and to plan an -epistolary campaign, or bombardment rather. - -Lucy felt the desire, a great and pressing desire, for home and rest. -She arrived at the vicarage an hour or so after. As the cab had turned -into the familiar, sordid streets she had felt glad! She smiled at her -own sensations, but they were very real. This place, this "unutterable -North London slum," as she used to call it, was more like home than Park -Lane had ever been. - -How tired she felt as she went up-stairs to her room! Her face was pale, -dark circles had come out under her eyes, she bore every evidence of -having passed through some mental strain. - -After a bath she felt better, more herself, after these experiences of -the afternoon. And to change every article of clothing was in itself a -restorative and a tonic. It was an old trick of hers, and she had always -found it answer. When she went down-stairs again she was still pale, but -had that freshness and dainty completeness that have such enormous -charm, that she always had, and that her poorer sisters are so unable -to achieve in the _va et vient_ of a hard, work-a-day life. - -She wanted to see Bernard, she hungered for her brother. With a pang of -self-reproach, she remembered, as she came down-stairs, that this had -been the afternoon of the public debate with Hamlyn's people. It was an -important event in the parish. And from her start from the clergy-house -to her arrival back at its doors, she had quite forgotten the whole -thing! In the absorption with her own affairs, it had passed completely -from her brain and she was sorry. Of late, she had identified herself so -greatly with the affairs and hopes of the little St. Elwyn's community, -that she felt selfish and ashamed as she knocked at the door of the -study. She waited for a moment to hear the invitation to enter. It was -never safe to go into Bernard's room without that precaution. Some -tragic history might be in the very article of relation, some weary soul -might be there seeking ghostly guidance in its abyss of sorrow and -despair. - -Some one bade her enter. She did so. The room was dark, filled with the -evening shadows. For a moment or two, she could distinguish nothing. - -"Are you here, Ber?" she said. - -"The vicar is up-stairs, Miss Blantyre," came the answer in King's -voice, as he rose from his seat. "I'm here with Stephens." - -"Well, let me sit down for a little while and talk," Lucy said. "May -I?--please go on smoking. I can stand Bob's pipe, so I can certainly -stand _yours_. I want to hear all about the meeting in the Victoria -Hall." - -They found a chair for her; she refused to have lights brought, saying -that she preferred this soft gloom that enveloped them. - -Her question about the meeting was not immediately responded to. The men -seemed collecting their thoughts. By this time, she was really upon -something that resembled a true sisterly footing with these two. Both -were well-bred men, incapable of any slackening of the cords of -courtesy, but there was a mutual understanding between them and her -which allowed deliberation in talk, which, in fact, dispensed with the -necessity of conventional chatter. - -King spoke at length. "Go on, young 'un," he said to Stephens, waving -his pipe at him, as Lucy could see by the red glow in the bowl. "You -tell her." - -"No, _you_ tell her, old chap." - -Lucy wanted to laugh at the odd pair with whom she was in such sympathy. -They were just like two boys. - -King sighed. Conversation of any sort, unless it was actually in the -course of his priestly ministrations, was always painful to him. He was -a man who _thought_. But he could be eloquent and incisive enough when -he chose. - -"Well, look here, Miss Blantyre," he said, "to begin with, the whole -thing has been an unqualified success for the other side! That is to say -that the people in the hall--and it was crammed--have gone away in the -firm conviction and belief that the Luther Lecturers have got the best -of the priests, that, in short, the Protestants have won all along the -line." - -"Good gracious! Mr. King, do you really mean to say that one of these -vulgar, half-educated men was able to beat Bernard in argument, to -enlist the sympathies of the audience against _Bernard_?" - -"That's exactly what has happened," King answered. "The vicar is -up-stairs now, utterly dejected and worn out, trying to get some sleep." - -"But I don't understand how it could be so." - -"It is difficult to understand for a moment, Miss Blantyre. But it's -easily explained. One good thing has happened: Every priest in the -kingdom will have his warning now----" - -"Of what?" - -"Never to engage in public controversy with any man of the type sent out -to advertise the Luther League. I'll try and explain. You'll know what I -mean. The controversy upon any sacred and religious subjects, subjects -that are very dear to and deeply felt by their defender, is only -possible if their attacker pursues legitimate methods. What happened to -day is this: - -"The audience was mostly Protestant, with a strong sprinkling of people -who cared nothing one way or the other, but had come to be amused, or in -the expectation of a row. And even if the meeting wasn't 'packed,'--and -I've my doubts of that,--you see Catholics don't like to come much to -anything of the sort. It is so terribly painful to a man or woman whose -whole life is bound up in the Sacraments, who draws his or her 'grace of -going on' and hope of heaven from them, to sit and hear them mocked and -derided by the coarse, the vulgar, the irreligious. It's an ordeal one -can hardly expect any one to go through without a burning indignation -and a holy wrath, which may, in its turn, give place to action and words -that our Lord has expressly forbidden. One remembers Peter, who cut off -the ear of the High Priest's servant, and how he was rebuked. That's why -there were not many Catholics present, and besides, the chief had asked -many of the congregation to stay away. He wouldn't let Dr. Hibbert go; -he knew that he'd lose his temper and that there would be a row." - -Lucy listened eagerly. "And what did happen?" she cried. - -"Tell Miss Blantyre, Stephens," King answered. "I'm not lazy, but -Stephens has got colour in his descriptions! It's like his sermons, all -poetry and fervour and no sound discipline! And besides, he's got the -'varsity slang of the day. It's nasty, but it's expressive. When I was -up, we talked English--go on, young 'un." - -His voice sank, his pipe glowed in the gloom. Stephens took up the -parable. "Well, I can't go into all the details," he said. "But the -first thing that happened was that the lecturer stood upon the platform, -shut his eyes, and prayed that Hornham might be delivered from the -curse of priesthood and the blasphemy of the Mass!--this while the vicar -was on the platform. The man was going to begin right away, after this, -when Mr. Carr stopped him and said that he wished to offer up a prayer -also. The fellow frowned, but he dare not stop him. So Carr prayed for a -quiet and temperate conduct of the meeting! Then the man began. It was -the usual thing, mocking blasphemy delivered in the voice of a -cheap-jack, with a flavour of the clown. - -"The man had two sacramental wafers and he kept producing them out of a -Bible, like a conjuring trick! They were of different sizes, and he -said: 'Now, here you see what the Ritualists worship, a biscuit god! And -you'll notice there's a little one for the people and a big one for the -priest--priests always want the biggest share!' Roars of laughter from -every one, of course. Then the fellow went on to speak of the fasting -communion. 'For my part,' he said, with a great grin, 'I like to have my -breakfast comfortable in the morning before I go to church, and I -honestly pity the poor priests who have to starve themselves till -mid-day. I shouldn't wonder if the Reverend Blantyre'--with a wink -towards the vicar--'often has visions of a nice bit of fried bacon or an -'addock, say, about eleven o'clock in the morning.'" - -Lucy gasped. "How utterly revolting," she said, "and people really take -that sort of thing seriously?" - -"Oh, yes, the sort of people to whom these Luther Leaguers appeal. You -see it's their only weapon. They can't argue properly, because they are -utterly without education, and they only supplement the parrot lectures -they've been taught with their own native low comedy. Our friend this -afternoon wound up his oration by inviting the vicar to ask -questions--he didn't want him to speak at length, of course. 'Now,' he -said, 'I call upon the Reverend Blantyre to ask me any questions he -chooses. And I'll just ask him one myself--if God had meant him to wear -petticoats, wouldn't He have made him a woman?' This was rather too -much, and there were some hisses. The vicar was in his cassock. But the -vicar laughed himself, and so every one else did. It seemed to restore -the good humour of the meeting, which was just what the lecturer didn't -want. - -"Well, to cut a long story short, every question the vicar put was the -question of a cultured man, that is to say, it assumed _some_ knowledge -of the point at issue. Each time he was answered with buffooneries and a -blatant ignorance that gave the whole thing away at once to any one that -_knew_. But there was hardly any one there that did, that was the point. -The whole audience imagined that we were being scored off tremendously. -They got noisy, cheered every apish witticism of the lecturer--oh! it -was a disgusting scene. I'll give you an instance of what was said -towards the end. The vicar was appealing to the actual words of the -Gospel in one instance. 'The Greek text says,' he was beginning, when -the man jumps up--'Greek!' he shouted, 'will Greek save a man's soul? -_Do you suppose Jesus of Nazareth understood foreign tongues?_' - -"There was a tremendous roar of applause from the people at this. They -thought the lecturer had made a great point! They actually _did_! Well, -of course, there was hardly any answer to that. In the face of such -black depths of ignorance, what _could_ any one do? It would be as easy -to explain the theory of gravity to a hog as to explain the Faith to a -grinning, hostile mob like that. The vicar sat down. The clown always -has the last word in argument before an audience of fools or children. -It must be so." - -"How did it all end up?" - -"Oh, the lecturer got upon his hind legs again and made a speech in -which he claimed to have triumphantly refuted the sophistry of the vicar -and to have shown what Ritualism really was. Then, encouraged by the -general applause, he was beginning to be very personal and rude, when -there was a startling interruption. Bob got up from the back of the -hall--we didn't know he was there--and began to push his way towards the -platform, with a loudly expressed intention of wringing the lecturer's -neck there and then. I got hold of him, but he shook me off like a fly. -'Let me be, sir!' he said, 'let me get at the varmin, I'll give him a -thick ear, I will!' Then King saw what was going on and rushed up. Bob -remembered what King gave him last year and he tried to dodge. By this -time, the whole place was in an uproar, sticks were flying about, people -were struggling, shouting, swearing, and it looked like being as nasty a -little riot as one could wish to see." - -"How _horrible_!" Lucy said with a shudder. "I wish Bernard had never -been near the place." - -"Well, then, all of a sudden," the curate continued, "a mighty voice was -heard from the platform. It was Carr! I never heard a man with such a -big, arresting voice. He was in a white rage, his eyes flashed, he -looked most impressive. He frightened every one, he really did, and in a -minute or two he got every one to leave the hall quietly and in order." - -"How splendid!" Lucy said. She thought that she could see the whole -scene, the squalid struggle, the strong man dominating it all. Her hands -were clenched in sympathy. Her teeth were locked. - -"He's a big man," the young fellow replied, "a bigger man than any one -knows. He'll be round here this evening, I expect. You must get him to -tell you all about it, Miss Blantyre." - -A few minutes afterwards every one went to church. It was a choral -evensong that night, and sung somewhat later than the usual service was. -Blantyre did not appear. Lucy would not have him wakened. She knew that -sleep was the best thing for over-tired nerves, that he would view the -futile occurrences of the afternoon less unhappily after sleep. - -It was after nine o'clock when the vicar eventually made his appearance. -He was worn and sad in face, his smile had lost its merriment. Lucy had -made them all come into her room for music. They wanted playing out of -their depression, and in ministering to them she forgot her own quandary -and perplexities. At last the light, melodious numbers of _Faust_ and -_Carmen_ had some influence with them, and about ten the three men were -visibly brighter. They were in the habit of taking a cup of tea before -going to bed; to-night Lucy made them have soup instead. - -It was a few minutes after the hour, when the bell rang; in a moment or -two, Bob--extremely anxious to efface himself as much as possible after -the event of the afternoon--showed Mr. Carr into the drawing-room. - -His face was very white and set. "I am extremely sorry," he said, "to -call on you so late, but have you seen the evening papers, any of you?" -No one had seen them. - -"I'm afraid there is something that will give you great pain, a great -shock. It has grieved me deeply, it must be worse for you, my -friend--thinking as you do of the Eucharist." - -"What is it?" Father Blantyre said. - -Carr held out an evening paper. "Briefly," he said, "while we were at -the meeting down here, Hamlyn, Senior, had a special gathering of -extreme Protestants in Exeter Hall. He produced a _consecrated wafer_ -and exhibited it, stating that he had purloined it from the Holy -Communion service the day before. This was corroborated by two men who -went with him and were witnesses of the act." - -Every vestige of colour left the faces of the three priests of St. -Elwyn's. Suddenly Blantyre gave a little moan and fainted, sinking on to -a couch behind him. - -They brought him round without much trouble, and King helped him -up-stairs to bed, refusing to let him go into the church as he wished. -Lucy saw that tears were falling silently over the grim, heavy face of -King. - -When the vicar was safely bestowed in his room, Stephens and King, -saying nothing to each other, but acting with a common impulse, went -into the church. In the side chapel, where the dim red glow of the -sanctuary-lamp was the only light, they remained on their knees all -night, praying before the Blessed Sacrament. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE REPARATION OF JANE PRITCHETT, EX-PROTESTANT - - -On the following morning, Blantyre went away. He was absent from Hornham -for two days, and it was understood that he had gone to visit Lord -Huddersfield. Hamlyn and his doings were not in any way mentioned by the -two other clergy. - -The days of his absence were a time of great unrest and mental debate -for Lucy. - -She was at a crisis in her life. She had definitely come to a moment -when she must choose between one thing or another. It is a commonplace -of some preachers to say that this moment of definite choice comes to -every one at least once in their lives. But the truth of the assertion -is at least doubtful. Many people are spared the pain of what is more or -less an instantaneous decision. They merge themselves gradually, in this -or that direction, the right or the wrong. And they are the more -fortunate. - -For Lucy, however, the tide was at the flood. She must push out upon it -and hoist her sail, but whether she should go east or west, run before -the wind or beat up into the heart of it--that she must now decide. - -She had no illusions about her position. To marry James Poyntz meant one -thing, to refuse him meant another. In the first place, she wanted to be -married. Physically, socially, mentally, she was perfectly aware that -she would be happier. Her nature needed the complement of a husband. She -was pure, but not virginal, in temperament. She put it to herself -that--as she believed--she had a talent for wifehood. - -Here was a young man who satisfied all her instincts of what was fitting -in a man she could marry. She did not love him, but she admired, liked, -and respected him. Something of the not unhealthy cynicism--the sane -cynicism--of a woman of the world had entered into her. She wasn't a -sentimentalist, she didn't think that the "love" of the poet and -story-teller was the only thing in the relation of a wife to a husband. -She had seen many marriages, she had watched the firm, strong affection -that came after marriage, and she saw that it was a good, worthy, and -constant thing. - -She had been much in France. Lady Linquest had friends and relatives -among the stately families of the Faubourg St. Germain. Those weddings -in France that were decorously arranged by papa and mamma, how did they -turn out? On the whole well enough, happily enough. It was only the -ignorant lower middle-class of England that thought France was a mighty -_lupanar_ and adultery a joke. - -And in marrying Poyntz she would marry a man whom she was worthy of -intellectually. He would satisfy every instinct she possessed--_every -instinct but one_. - -And here, she knew, here lay the root of the whole question. - -The very strongest influence that can direct and urge any soul towards a -holy life is the society and companionship, even the distant -contemplation, of a saintly man or woman. - -The force of example acts as a lens. It focuses all the impulses towards -good and concentrates them. In making clear the beauty of holiness, it -shows that it is not a vague beauty, but an ideal which may be realised -by the observer. - -Lucy had been living with saintly folk. Bernard was saintly--if ever a -man was; the bulldog, King, was a saint and walked with God. Stephens -was a schoolboy, full of slang and enthusiasm, blunders and love of -humanity, but he was saintly too. Miss Cass, the housekeeper with the -face of a horse, who called "day" "dy" and the Mass "Mess," she was a -holy woman. Before the ugly, unlettered spinster, the society girl, with -all her power and charm, had learned to bow in her mind. - -That was Lucy's great virtue. She was frank with herself. She glossed -over nothing, she pretended nothing. It is the person who postures and -poses before himself who is in the chiefest danger. And Carr, well, Carr -was a saintly man also. He hadn't got the more picturesque trimmings -that the others had. His spiritual life was not so vividly expressed in, -and witnessed to, by his clothes and daily habit of life. But he was a -saintly man. As she thought of him Lucy thought of him as man _and_ -saint. - -All these people lived for one thing, had one aim, believed one thing. - -They lived to serve our Lord, to do His work, to adore Him. - -Why, even Bob, the navvy, whom Father King had knocked down as a beery -blackguard and set up again as a butler, even Bob was feeling a slow -and ponderous way towards sainthood! He could not boast a first-rate -intelligence, but, he _loved_ our Lord. - -Yes!--ah, that was the most beautiful thing of all. To _love_ Him. - -"Do I _love_ Him?" Lucy asked herself during those two days. - -And the answer that came to her was a very strange one. It was this. She -loved our Lord, but she could not make up her mind to give up everything -earthly and material for Him. She wanted a compromise. - -In fact, she was near the gates of the spiritual life, but she had not -entered them. - -She did not disguise one fact from herself. If she married Poyntz she -would immediately be withdrawn, and withdrawn for ever, from the new -influences which were beginning to permeate her, to draw her towards the -state of a Christian who is vowed and militant. - -She knew the influence that as her husband James would have. His ideals -were noble and high, his life was pure and worthy. But it was not the -life that Christ had made so plain and clear. The path the Church showed -was not the path James would follow, or one which as his wife she could -well follow. - -She believed sincerely, as her brother himself would have told her, that -a man like Poyntz was only uneducated in spiritual things, not lost to -them for ever. - -But she was also sure that he would make no spiritual discoveries in -this world. - -Marriage with him meant going back. It meant turning away from the -Light. - -The struggle with the training of years, the earthly ideals of nearly -all her life, was acute. But hour by hour, she began to draw nearer and -nearer to the inevitable solution. - -Now and again, she went into the silent church. Then, kneeling before -the Blessed Sacrament, she saw the path quite clear. - -Afterwards, back in her room again, the voices of the material world -were heard. But they became weaker and more weak as the hours went on. - -On the day that Bernard was to return, she received a long and -passionate letter from her lover. - -He had the wonderful gift of prose. He understood, as hardly any of us -understand, how to treat words (on certain occasions of using them) as -if they were almost notes in some musical composition. His letter was -beautiful. - -She read it page by page, with a heart that had begun to beat with -quickened interest, until she came to a passage which jarred and hurt. -James had made an end of his most impassioned and intimate passages, and -was making his keen satiric comment upon general affairs--quite as he -had done in his letters before his actual avowal. - -"I saw my father to-day in St. James, and we went to his club and -lunched together. I respect him more and more, for his consistency, -every time I meet him. And I wonder more and more at his childishness at -the same time. It seems he had just left your brother. As you are in the -thick of all the mumbo-jumbo, perhaps you will have heard of the -business that seems to be agitating my poor dear sire into a fever. It -seems that, a day or two ago, an opposition hero who has consecrated his -life to the Protestant cause--none other than the notorious Hamlyn -himself--purloined a consecrated wafer from some church and has been -exhibiting it at public meetings to show that it is just as it ever -was--a pinch of flour and no more. My father has made himself utterly -miserable over the proceedings of this merry-andrew. As you know, I take -but little interest in the squabbles of the creeds, but the spectacle -of a sane and able man caught up in the centre of these phantasies makes -me pause and makes my contempt sweeten into pity." - -As Lucy read the letter, she thought of the scene on the night when Carr -had brought the news. She thought of her own quick pain as she heard it, -of how her brother was struck down as with a sword. And especially there -came to her the vision of the two priests, King and Stephens, praying -all night long before the Host. - -She pushed the letter away from her, nor did she read it again. It -seemed alien, out of tune with her life. - -She went into the church to pray. - -When she came away, her resolution was nearly taken. - -Bernard came home about three in the afternoon. His manner was quiet. He -was sad, but he seemed relieved also. - -Lucy was walking in the garden with him, soon after his return, when -Stephens and Dr. Hibbert came down from the house and walked quickly up -to them. - -"Vicar," the doctor said, "Miss Pritchett is dying." - -Blantyre started. "Oh, I didn't know it was as bad as that," he said. -"Is it imminent?" - -"A matter of twenty hours I should say," the doctor replied; "I bring -you a message from her." - -Blantyre's face lighted up. Great tenderness came over it as he heard -that the woman who had injured him and sought to harm the Church had -sent him a message. - -"Poor woman," he said; "what is it--God bless her!" - -"She has asked for you and the other clergy to come to her. She wishes -me to bring you and such other members of the congregation as will come. -She wishes to make a profession of Faith." - -"But when, how--" the vicar asked, bewildered. - -The doctor explained. "The Hamlyns are with her; she is frightened by -them, but not only that, she bitterly repents what she has done. Poor -soul! Blantyre, she is very penitent, she remembers the Faith. She -asks--" He drew the vicar aside. Lucy could hear no more. But she saw -deep sympathy come out upon her brother's face. - -The three men--Stephens had remained with the doctor--came near her -again. - -"My motor is outside," the doctor said hurriedly. - -"How long would it take?" asked the vicar. - -"----if the Bishop is in--back in an hour and a half----" - -The vicar took Stephens aside and spoke earnestly with him for a few -moments. The young man listened gravely and then hurried away. Before -the vicar and the doctor joined Lucy again--they stood in private talk a -moment--she heard the "toot" of the motor-car hum on the other side of -the garden wall. - -Wondering what all this might mean, she was about to cross the lawn -towards the two men, when she saw Father King and Mr. Carr coming out of -the house. These two joined the vicar and Dr. Hibbert. The four men -stood in a ring. Blantyre seemed to be explaining something to the -new-comers. Now and then the doctor broke in with a burst of rapid -explanation. - -Lucy began to be full of wonder. She felt ignored, she tried not to feel -that. Something was afoot that she did not quite understand. - -In the middle of her wonder the men came towards her. - -Bernard took her arm. "Mavourneen," he said, "will you come with us to -poor Miss Pritchett? She's been asking if you'll come and forgive her -and part good friends. She may die to-night, the doctor says. You'll -come?" - -"Of course I'll come, dear." - -"She has repented of her hostility to the Church, and desires to make a -public statement of her faith before she dies. And she has asked for the -Sacrament of Unction.... Stephens has gone to the Bishop of Stepney on -the doctor's motor-car. In an hour we will go to Malakoff." - -The doctor took King by the arm and led him away. They talked earnestly -together. - -Blantyre turned to Carr. - -"Will ye come with us all to the poor soul's bedside?" he asked. - -"Yes," Carr answered. "I don't know what you purpose exactly--and I -don't care! I trust you as a brother now, Blantyre, I am learning every -day. I'm a conservative, you know, new things are distasteful to me. But -I am learning that there are medicines, _pro salute animć_." - -"New things!" Blantyre said; "ye're an old Protestant at heart still. -Did they teach ye _no_ history at Cambridge except that the Church of -England began at the Reformation? Now, listen while I tell you what the -service is. You remember St. James v. 14, 15?" - -Carr nodded. He began to quote from memory, for his knowledge of the -Scriptures was profound, a knowledge even more accurate and full than -perhaps any of the three priests of St. Elwyn's could claim, though they -were scholars and students one and all. - -"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and -let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of our Lord; -and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise -him up, and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." - -"Well, I suppose that is fairly explicit?" Blantyre said. "Mr. Hamlyn -would tell us that Unction is a conjuring trick invented by the Jesuits. -And you have always thought it Popish and superstitious. Now, haven't -you, Carr, be honest!" - -"Yes." - -"Well, you will see the service to-day. We follow the ancient order of -the Church of England. Why did you object, Carr? I'd like to get at -your mental attitude. What is there unscriptural, bad, or unseemly about -Unction? Here's a poor woman who has strayed from the fold. She wishes -to die at peace with every one, she wishes that the inward unction of -the Holy Spirit may be poured into the wounds of her soul, she wants to -be forgiven for the sake of our Lord's most meritorious Cross and -Passion! If it is God's will, she may be cured." - -He spoke with great fervour and earnestness. - -Carr bowed his head and thought. "Yes," he said, "I have been very -prejudiced and hard, sometimes. It is so easy to condemn what one does -not know about, so hard to have sympathy with what one has not -appreciated." - -Blantyre caught him by the arm and they walked the lawn for a long time -in fraternal intercourse. - -Lucy sat down with the doctor, but her eyes often turned to the tall, -grave figure, whose lengthening shadow sometimes reached to her feet and -touched them. - -At last they heard the panting of the returning motor-car. Stephens had -arrived with the oil that the Bishop had blessed. - -The whole party got into the car, which was a large one, and they set -off rapidly through the streets towards Malakoff House. - -How strange it was, Lucy thought, this swift career of moderns in the -wonderful machine of their age, this rush to the bedside of a dying -woman with the last consolation of the Church! It was full of awe, but -full of sweetness also. It seemed to show--and how plainly--the divine -continuity of the Faith, the harmonic welding of the order and -traditions of our Lord's own time with the full vivid life of the -nineteenth century. - -They were shown into the grim house. Truly the shadow of death seemed to -lie there, was exhaled from the massive funereal furniture of a bygone -generation, with all its faded pomp and circumstance. - -The mistress of it all was going away from it for ever, would never hold -her tawdry court in that grim drawing-room any more. - -Dr. Coxe, Hibbert's assistant, came down-stairs and met them. - -"I have got the two Hamlyns out of the house at last," he whispered. -"They were distressing the patient greatly. I insisted, however. We had -a row on the stairs--fortunately, I don't think the patient could hear -it. I'm sorry, doctor, but I had to use a little physical persuasion to -the young one." - -"Never mind, Coxe," Hibbert answered. "I'll see that nothing comes of -it. They won't dare to do anything. I will see to that. Is Miss -Pritchett ready? Can we go up?" - -"Yes," the young man answered, looking curiously at the four priests and -the grave girl who was with them in her gay summer frock. "Miss Davies -is there." - -He was a big, young Scotsman, with a profound contempt for religion, but -skilled and tender in his work, nevertheless. - -"Will you come up?" Hibbert whispered, taking him a little apart from -the others. - -"I'd rather be excused, old man," he answered. "Call me if I'm wanted. I -can't stand this mumbo-jumbo, you know!" - -Hibbert nodded curtly. He understood the lad very well. "Will you follow -me, Father?" he said to Blantyre. - -Blantyre put on his surplice and stole. Then they all went silently up -the wide stairs, with their soft carpet and carved balusters, into the -darkened chamber of death. - -The dying woman was propped up by pillows. Her face was the colour of -grey linen, the fringes of hair she wore in health were gone. - -A faint smile came to her lips. Then, as she saw Lucy, she called to her -in a clear, thin voice that seemed as if it came from very far away. - -"Kiss me, my dear," she said; "forgive me." - -Lucy kissed the old, wrinkled face tenderly. Her tears fell upon it in a -sacrament of forgiveness and holy amity. - -"I want just to say to all of you," Miss Pritchett said, "that I have -been untrue to what I really believed, and I have helped the enemies of -the Faith. I never forgot your teaching, Father, I knew all the time I -was doing wrong. I ask all of you to forgive me as I believe Jesus has -forgiven me." - -A murmur of kindliness came from them all. - -"Then I can go in peace," she gasped. Then with a faint and pathetic -shadow of her old manner she turned to Gussie. "Hush!" she said. "Stop -sniffling, Miss Davies! I am very happy. Now, Father----" - -Her eyes closed and her hands remained still. They saw all earthly -thoughts die out of the wrinkled old face, now turned wholly to God. - -They all knelt save the vicar, who had placed the oil in an ampulla upon -a table. - -Then he began the 71st Psalm. "In Thee, O Lord, have I put my trust, let -me never be put to confusion: but rid me, and deliver me, in Thy -righteousness, incline Thine ear unto me, and save me." - -There was no sound in the chamber save that of the ancient Hebrew song. - -"Forsake me not, O God, in mine old age, when I am grey-headed: until I -have showed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to all them -that are yet for to come. - -"Thy righteousness, O God, is very high: and great things are they that -Thou hast done; O God, who is like unto Thee?" - -Then, all together, they said the antiphon: "_O Saviour of the world, -who by Thy Cross and precious Blood hast redeemed us, save us and help -us, we humbly beseech Thee, O Lord._" - -The central figure in the huge four-post bed lay still and waxen. But -when the priest came up to it with the oil, the eyes opened and looked -steadfastly into his face. - -He dipped his thumb into the silver vessel and made the sign of the -Cross on the eyes, the ears, the lips, the nostrils, and the hands, -saying each time as he did so: - -"_Through this unction, and of His most tender mercy, may the Lord -pardon thee whatever sins thou hast committed._" - -The whispering words that brought renewal of lost innocence to the dying -woman sank into Lucy's heart, never to leave it. In the presence of -these wondrous mysteries, death, and death vanquished by Christ, sin -purged and forgiven in the Sacrament, her resolution was made. She knew -that she would fix her eyes upon the Cross, never to take them from it -more. - -She saw her brother bending over the still figure, his white surplice -ghostlike in the gloom of the hangings, as he wiped the anointed parts -with wool. - -Then Stephens brought him a basin of clear water and he washed his -hands. - -Raising his arm, he said: - -"_In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, may -this anointing with oil be to thee for the purification of thy mind and -body, and may it fortify and defend thee against the darts of evil -spirits._ Amen." - -Two more prayers were said and then came the Blessing. - -All rose from their knees. As Lucy slipped from the room, she saw the -doctor was bending over the waxen figure in the bed. - -She heard her brother and his two assistant priests beginning other -prayers, in a louder voice, a sort of litany, it seemed. - -She found Carr was beside her descending the stairs. - -"What is that?" she whispered. - -"The prayers for the commendation of a departing soul; she is going. God -rest her and give her peace." - -"Amen," said Lucy. - -They came down into the hall, where they stood for a moment quite alone. -Both were greatly agitated, both felt drawn together by some great -power. - -"How beautiful it is!" Carr said at length. "Our Lord is with her. May -we all die so." - -"Poor, dear woman!" - -"In a few moments she will be in the supreme and ineffable glory of -Paradise. I want to see trees and flowers, to think happily of the -wonderful mercy and goodness of God among the things He has made. I -should like to walk in the park for an hour, to hear the birds and see -the children play. Will you come with me?" - -"Yes, I will come." - -He took her hand and bowed low over it. - -"I have a great thing to ask of you," he said. - -They walked soberly together until they came to the railed-in open -space. To each the air seemed thick with unspoken thoughts. - -The park was a poor place enough. But flowers grew there, the grass was -green, it was not quite Hornham. They sat upon a bench and for a minute -or two both were silent. Lucy knew a serenity at this moment such as she -had hardly ever known. She was as some mariner who, at the close of a -long and tempestuous voyage, comes at even-tide towards harbour over a -still sea. The coastwise lights begin to glimmer, the haven is near. - -In her mind and heart, at that moment, she was reconciled to and in tune -with all that is beautiful in human and Divine. - -She sat there, this well-known society girl, who, all her life, had -lived with the great and wealthy of the world, in great content. In the -"park" of Hornham, with the poor clergyman, she knew supreme content. - -In a low voice that shook with the intensity of his feeling and yet was -resolute and informed with strength, Carr asked Lucy to be his wife. - -She gave him her hand very simply and happily. A river that had long -been weary had at last wound safe to sea. That she should be the wife of -this man was, she knew, one of the gladdest and most merciful ordinances -of God. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE ARCHBISHOP AND THE HAMLYNS - - -"Gussie Davies says that she's sure that Miss Pritchett hasn't added a -codicil," said Mr. Sam Hamlyn, coming into the inner room at the offices -of the Luther League. - -Mr. Hamlyn, Senior, had been at work for some hours, but his son had -only just arrived in the Strand. It was the day after Miss Pritchett's -death, and Sam had remained in North London to make a few inquiries. - -"What a blessing of Providence," said the secretary. "There's something -to be said for a ritualistic way of dying, after all! If it 'adn't been -for her messing about with the oil and that, she'd have sent for her -solicitor and cut the League out of her will! The priests have been -'oist with their own petard this time." - -"I wonder how much it'll be," Sam said reflectively. - -"I don't anticipate a penny less than two thousand pound," said Mr. -Hamlyn, triumphantly. "P'raps a good bit over. You see, we got 'er just -at the last moment. It was me taking the consecrated wafer did it. She -woke up as pleased as Punch, it gave her strength for the afternoon, and -had the lawyer round at once. I never thought she'd go off so sudden, -though." - -"Nor did I, Pa. Well, it's a blessing that she was able to contribute -her mite towards Protestant Truth before she went." - -"What?" said Mr. Hamlyn sharply; "mite?--has Gussie Davies any idea of -'ow much the legacy is, then?" - -"I only spoke figuratively like, Father." - -"How you startled me, Sam!" said the secretary, his face resuming its -wonted expression of impudent good humour. - -"How's the cash list to-day?" Sam asked. - -"Pretty fair," answered his father, "matter of five pound odd. It's me -getting hold of that wafer, it's sent the subscriptions up wonderful. I -wouldn't part----" - -Sam, who was sitting with his back to the door of the room, saw his -father's jaw drop suddenly. His voice died away with a murmur, his face -went pale, his eyes protruded. - -The younger man wheeled round his chair. Then he started up, with an -exclamation of surprise and fear. - -Both the Protestant champions, indeed, behaved as if they had been -discovered in some fraud by an agent of the law. - -Two people had come suddenly into the room, without knocking or being -announced. The secretaries saw the blanched face of a clerk behind them. - -During its existence, the Luther League had welcomed some fairly -well-known folk within its doors. - -This afternoon, however, a most unexpected honour had been paid to -it--probably the reason of Hamlyn's extreme uneasiness. - -A broad, square man of considerable height, with a stern, furrowed face, -wearing an apron and gaiters, stood there, with a thunder-cloud of anger -on his face. - -It was His Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury. - -Lord Huddersfield was with him. - -The Archbishop looked steadfastly at Hamlyn for a few seconds. His face -was terrible. - -In the presence of the great spiritual lord who is next to the royal -family in the precedence of the realm, the famous scholar, the caustic -wit, the utter force and _power_ of intellect, the two champions were -dumb. Hamlyn had never known anything like it before. The fellow's -bounce and impudence utterly deserted him. - -The Archbishop spoke. His naturally rather harsh and strident voice was -rendered tenfold more penetrating and terrifying by his wrath. - -"Sir," he said, in a torrent of menacing sound, "you have profaned the -Eucharist, you have mocked the holy things of God, you have made the -most sacred ordinance of our Lord a mountebank show. You boast that you -have purloined the Consecrated Bread from church, you have exhibited it. -Restore it to me, wretched man that you are. By the authority of God, I -demand you to restore it; by my authority as head of the English Church, -I order you." - -Hamlyn shrank from the terrible old man clothed in the power of his -great office and the majesty of his holy anger, shrank as a man shrinks -from a flame. - -With shaking hands he took a bunch of keys from his pocket. He dropped -them upon the floor, unable to open the lock of the safe. - -Young Hamlyn picked them up. He turned the key in the wards with a loud -click and pulled at the massive door until it slowly swung open. - -Lord Huddersfield knelt down. - -Hamlyn took from a shelf a little box that had held elastic bands. - -The Archbishop started and flushed a deep crimson. - -He took a pyx from his pocket and reverently took out the desecrated -Host from the box, placing it in the pyx. - -Then, with a face that was suffused to a deep purple, he touched the -kneeling peer upon the shoulder. Lord Huddersfield rose with a deep sob -of relief. - -The Archbishop looked _once_ at Hamlyn, a look the man never forgot. - -Then the two visitors turned and went away as swiftly and silently as -they had come. - -It was a long time before either father or son spoke a word. - -At last Hamlyn cleared his throat and mouthed a sentence. It would not -come. All that Sam could catch were the words - - "PROTESTANT TRUTH!" - - * * * * * - -_A Selection from the Catalogue of_ - -G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS - -Complete Catalogues sent on application - - * * * * * - -When It Was Dark - -The Story of a Great Conspiracy - -By GUY THORNE - -Author of "A Lost Cause" - -"The most enthralling and interest-compelling work of fiction this -reviewer has ever encountered."--_The American, Nashville._ - -"It is in its wonderful tonic effect upon Christianity in England that -the book is showing its most remarkable effects. It has become the theme -of hundreds of sermons, and long extracts are being printed in the -secular press as well as in the religious publications. It is known to -have been the cause of a number of revivals throughout England, and its -strange effect is increasing daily."--_N. Y. American._ - -THE BISHOP OF LONDON preaching at Westminster Abbey said: "I wonder if -any of my hearers have read that remarkable work of fiction 'When It Was -Dark.' The author paints in wonderful colors what would be the condition -of the world if (as in the story is supposed to be the case) a -conviction had come upon the people that the resurrection had never -occurred." - -"A critical handling of current journalism, ecclesiasticalism, and -liberalism. A novel written from the inside as well as from observation; -and from the heart as well as from the head."--_Congregationalist._ - - * * * * * - -The Scarlet Pimpernel - -By Baroness Orczy - -_Author of "The Emperor's Candlesticks," etc._ - -A dramatic romance of the French Revolution and the Émigré Nobles. The -"Scarlet Pimpernel" was the chief of a daring band of young Englishmen -leagued together to rescue members of the French nobility from the -Terrorists of France. The identity of the brilliant and resourceful -leader is sacredly guarded by his followers and eagerly sought by the -agents of the French Revolutionary Government. Scenes of intrigue, -danger, and devotion, follow close one upon another. The heroine is a -charming, fearless woman who in the end shares the honors with the -"Scarlet Pimpernel." In a stage version prepared by the author _The -Scarlet Pimpernel_ was one of the dramatic successes of the last London -season, Mr. Fred Terry and Miss Julia Neilson acting the leading rôles. - -"Something distinctly out of the common, well conceived, vividly told, -and stirring from start to finish."--_London Telegraph._ - - * * * * * - -At the Sign of The Jack o' Lantern - -_By_ MYRTLE REED - -Author of "Lavender and Old Lace," "The Master's Violin," etc. - -A genial story of the adventures of a New York newspaper man and his -young wife, who, at the end of their honeymoon, go to an unexplored -heirloom in the shape of a peculiar old house, where many strange and -amusing things happen. There is a mystery in the house, as well as a -significant portrait of an uncanny cat. A vein of delicate humor, and a -homely philosophy runs through the story. - -"Miss Reed is delightfully witty, delightfully humorous, delightfully -cynical, delightfully sane, and above all, delightfully -spontaneous."--_Philadelphia Telegraph._ - - * * * * * - -Love Alone is Lord - -_By_ F. Frankfort Moore - -_Author of "The Jessamy Bride," etc._ - -This latest story by the author of _The Jessamy Bride_ has for its theme -the only really ideal love affair in the romantic life of Lord Byron. -The story opens during the poet's boyhood and tells of his early -devotion to his cousin, Mary Chaworth. Mr. Moore has followed history -very closely, and his descriptions of London society when Byron was the -rage are as accurate as they are dramatic. Lady Caroline Lamb figures -prominently in the story, but the heroine continues to be Byron's early -love, Mary Chaworth. His attachment for his cousin was the strongest and -most enduring of his life, and it failed of realization only by the -narrowest of chances. - -_A Fascinating Romance_ - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's A Lost Cause, by Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LOST CAUSE *** - -***** This file should be named 40539-8.txt or 40539-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/5/3/40539/ - -Produced by Mark C. 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