Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-11-24
CHAPTER ".
FIFTY AND FORTY-FlVE.

Cur little town of Kettlewell had inhab-
itantS to the number Of ten thousand, and
three churches; but of these latter, two were
what at that date were called district
churches, and the great ancient parish church
was the ecclesiastical center of the town.
Like many another such noble structure, it
was but poorly endowed, and the rewards
which it offered to its minister were chiefly
the contemplation Of venerable architecture,
and social position Of considerable import
ance. The saying always was that none but
q man of fortune could be rector of Kettle
we'll. Consequently, at each vacancy the
bishop was in a difficulty. Rich men he could
find, able men he could find; but to find one
rich and able, too, was not so easy, and at the
last appointment, being unable to meet with
a clergyman thus doubly qualified he had
chosen wealthy parson of rather meager
abilities, who was now our spiritual
chief The Rev. Anthony Brent was q
cheerful man, undersized, with a merry nose
of ruby, and countenance denoting neither
deep learning nor that isolation of character
which is natural in men who live above the
world. Indeed, Mr.. Brent did not live, nor
affect to live, one inch above the level Of
commonplace cheerful life. He told us from
his pulpit that human things are frail and
nothing worth, and that man is full of misery;
but having folded up his sermon, he seemed
to have folded up his theology too, for when
you met him on week days he was full of
comfort and good cheer. Perhaps we are
fastidious people; perhaps we are ignorant;
certain it is that we never could quite satisfy
ourselves that Mr.. Brent was altogether a
gentleman. His manners were no better than
blithe lissom creature such as he might have
picked up in ten years between twenty-five
and thirty-fve. He had a way of alluding to
my gardener" and my banker" which
seemed to show, so Sparkling said-Mr. Brent
employed the rival practitioner-that some
time in his life he had neither bank nor
garden. 1t is very possible that had he
not been so good natured, his vul-
garity might have been obvious, which it
never was; for, indeed, we could not be quite
sure that he was vulgar at all. Another thing
puzzled us; where had his fortune come froms
He was very wealthy and a widower, and our
idea was that Mrs. Brent had brought the
money. This too, was guess, and nothing
but guess. Such, then, was our rector;
man liked, but not greatly respected, and yet
q man whom none could condemn or fairly
despise; shallow man, equal to reading his
newspaper, and no more; OH good terms with
the world, able without any strain of con-
science to preach sanity sermons, copied out
from standard divines, and at the same time
live an easy average life; a comfortable man,
with good intentions, sound digestion, full
purse and cellar, and one who never let his
kitchen chimney freeze.
1t was the reverend widower Brent whom
we upon consideration had assigned to our
lively Mrs Barbara Temple as third husband;
and events went rapidly to show that our
forecast was not inexact. Mr.. Brent was
about fifty; Mrs. Barbara Temple was well
known to be about forty-fve; so that OH the
score Of age there was nothing against the
match; and as to inclination, the rector soon
made it evident that there was no obstacle on
his side Everybody remarked that he took
the Temples up with remarkable warmth.
He gave dainty little lunches and snug little
dinners for them; and he was forever calling
in his carriage to take one or other OF the
girls q drive, the little mother attending as
chaperon. At first we were in doubt as to
which he was pursuing-mother or daughters;
and we even thought that grave Sophia, with
her heavenly face, had attracted him; but
we forgot that he was a man of some
common sense. Mrs. Temple was his choice;
her yivacity, her polish, her knowledge OF the