The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-07-08

for an explanation of some of their North
country words and phrases; nor was he him
self always "understanded of the people, y
and the said people held that it was "nob-
but foolishness of any priest, ne matter
who nor what he was, for to come and sat
tie down in amang a lot of folks who
couldn't never max ne sense out of nought
that he said to them" Thinking of these
and other things of the like kind, Mr..
Blencowe walked on for some time, but
his heart ached at the recollection of the
priests patient and pathetic face, and he
turned back to see if he could not persuade
Father Urquhart to go home and dine with
him. The church looked strangely vast
and desolate when Mr.. Blencowe reentered
it. So far as he could see, no one was
there, but without close inspection it was
impossible to say how many blackrobed,
halfcrouching, half-kneeling figures might
uDb DS
Passing by long rows of pillars, which
seemed to loom forth from the obscurity
with whiteness that was scarcely natural,
he made his way to the chill and desolate
saeristy Father Urquhart was still there,
standing poring over paper with long
columns of figures on it. His profile stood
out in sharp relief from the dark paneling
of the presses and walls. What beanti-
full face it was "Bleach all the color ou t
of it." Mr.. Blencowe had often said, land
it would be just like that of fine Greek
statue" but now, when this thought again
presented itself, he became aware that all
the color was bleached out of it, and could
not help thinking that there must be some
thing much more serious on the priests
mind than mere dread that all was going
wrong in his parish because he was a South
country man born and bred, and must on
that account for ever remain an alien TO
the respect and love of North-country
population.
Il want you to come out to Ashdene
with ME and dine with us, said Mr.. Blen-
cove, as soon as he saw that he could speak
without interrupting an addition sum.
''Do come. 1t is not a party-we are
alone
'Not tonight, thank you. Work is
waiting for me in my study that will keep
me most of the evening
Mr. Blencowe used all his powers of per-
suasion, but in vain, and when once more
on his way home, his mind was still more
perplexed Money troubles might, of
course, be pressing on Father Urquhart,
for his income was small, and jndging by
what Mr.. Blencowe himself saw and heard,
he seemed to give most of it away. But
then he was not the man to regard money
troubles as troubles at all. So long as he
had honse over his head, clothes, good
or bad, to cover him, bread to eat, and
water to drink, he Wonld want no more.
The money troubles Of a man who eouid
reduce his wants to such minimum scarce
" required to be taken into account.
Edward, you have not said one word
for the last hour, remarked Mrs. Blen-
cove, when the clock struck ten.
~ cant help thinking about Father
Urquhart. He seems so wofully out of
spirits"
$50 you said before; but it can't be
about not getting on with the Slagborongh
people, for no priest was ever more loved
by his flock.
@Then it should pay little more atten-
ton to what he says, and remember the
poor and needy There is next to moth
Ing in the offertory nowadays"
"You must account for that in some
other way than any you have yet thought
ef. Could any one steal what is given p
Impossible The box has most ex-
cellent lock and oaly one key, which
myself keep. never open The box, ex-
cept in the presence of Vickers. He can't
open it without memo one can-not even
Father Jrquhart, for no one besides my
self has key. IT would be difficult to use
one, too, even if any oae had il, for some
one is nearly always in the church, though
| must say" but here he paused.
sYou must say what? Go on
81 was only goiugito say that had it been
possible to open the bog, I really should
have suspected that it had beeu done dur
ing the past week, for both Vickers and !
gere certain that we had each put a sover-
eign iato the poor-box, and only one coin
of the kind was to be found.
'Only one sovereign was in the poor
box, and each of you thought that you had
given it, When did you give yOnrs r
son Sunday morning.
sAnd he his?
"This very afternoon-twenty minutes
or so before we cleared the boxes
''And you we're both sure you had given
a sovereign, and yet only one was there
How do you account for that"
Zone of us must have given shilling
by mistake.
'That, dear, would not account for it,
said Mrs. Blencowe dryly, "for | myself
put sovereign into the poor-box on Sun
day. l took it carefully out Of my sover-
eign-purse, and swear that made nc
mistake. Now, l think, you must see that
some one is stealing the money"