The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-07
A PECULIAR SCANDAL.

strong would be the bishops opposition
to any renewal of the lease of The Rose
and Crown E"
Indeed Mr. BouIters tone was dry
Il am not so sure on that"
The dean stared. The mans manner
was so very odd
BE so good. Mr.. Boulter. as to say
plainly what it is YOU mean
Il don't know what you think, sir. of
bishop who comes straight from preach
ing a sermon OH temperance into my
public house"
MIR. Boulterl''
ITS no good your looking at me like
that sir. 1 was surprised. 1 don't
mind owning it. But just let me tell my
tale"
The dean LET. him tell his tale
Yesterday afternoon / was standing
at my private door. looking out into the
street. 1t was getting dusk. The service
in the cathedral was over, and I thought
that every one had gone All of sud
den ] saw the little door open which we
call the deItn's door. and which YOU know
Is right il front of my house. Some
one came out and walked quickly across
the street toward my place. ] drew back
and Went inside When / got inside the
bar | saw that there was some one in a
little compartment which only holds
about two comfortably. and Which ] call
a private wine bar. heard him ask Miss
ParkiU $. one of my young ladies. if we
had such thing as glass OF good,
sounG. port
The dean shuddered-he scarcely knew
why. The fact is that port was the
hqUid of which the bishop in his less
stal wart days. had been esteemed such
an excellent judge.
Tine compartment in which he is
meant for parties who wish TO keep
themselves quite private. It's boarded
UP on either side and i'm front of it, fac
ing the bar. is a panel OF glazed glass set
an 4 mahogany frame. with just enough
room between it and the counter To
pass. say. glass of wine. IL the party
inside wants to keep himself to himself
it's next TO impossible to see his face
unless YOU go round by the door in the
front / couldn't see this party's face,
but i could see enough of him to see he
was a parSOn. He WAS short and stout
the bishop was short and stout-"and
though n had the collar of his coat
turned up, il wasn't turned up enough
to hide the collar of his shirt. Seeing
that / had seen him come out of the
deans own door i'm the cathedral and
that he was a paTson. things seemed a
little queer. So l asked Miss Parkins,
on the quiet. if she knew who he was.
] could see she couldn't altogether make
it out She said. although she hadn't
seen his face. she seemed To know his
voice. Well. he liked my port. i heard
him say SO: and | heard him tell Miss
Parkins that he was considered as good
a judge of port wine any in En-
gland" Again the dean was conscious
of shiver. Anyhow. he drank bot
tie or il before he went"
~ bottle Mr.. Boulter?"
Yes sir, bottle, and one glass over.
Directly he had gone my pot,nan went
into the private wine oar for something
or other. and as soon as he got inside he
called out Halo the gentleman's left
his bag behind And he handed a liz
tleman who Rad put away a bottle Of
port wine i'm Lhe time that gentleman had
done might forget "A tribe of a bag like
that. II WIS a beautiful little bag. 1
lad never Eeen one quite like it before.
1t had goi sefne initials and a crest
stamped on one side. l opened it to see
If there was anything inside by means
of which ! could identity il. and return
IL to the owner. There was something
inside sermon. l never saw anything
more beautifully written than that ser
mont was like copperplate" Once
more the dean was conscious of a shud-
der travelling down his spine. The
bishops beautiful caligraphy was famous
"a fair handwriting is nowadays too
rare. "On the front page was written
the bishops name and address in full
and in the top left-hand corner was writ
ten: Preached in the cathedral on the
afternoon of the 18th OF November, 49,
That's yesterday afternoon. sir. I've
brought that bag with NE. You'll find
the sermon stiH inside. Perhaps you
know whose bag that is. sir
Mr.. Boulter picked up a small leather
bag which had been lying hitherto un
noticed upon q chair and handed il to
the astOnished dean. The dean did know
whose bag IT was-he knew too we'll
There was no installing those initials
and that crest. There was no necessity
10 examine the sermon which Mr. ROul-
ter assured him was inside The dean
gazed at that excellent example of fine
workmanship in the leather bag as n he
realized that he had all at once become
an actor In what might turn out to be
Tragedy Words proceeded from his
stammering lips.
You are, l am sure. too reasonable q
man, Mr.. Boulter. 70 jump at impossible
conclusions from imperfect premises.
don't know what you call irnper-
rect premises. Directly saw the name
ana ADDRESS which was written on the
'front.' page or that sermon Miss Parlins
cried out. Why. IL was the bishor's
voice! She stared at me as if she was
going 10 have fit-and we'll she might
Miss Parlins is a good girl as all my
young ladies are. and, indeed, everybody
eise ABOUT my place. although l say it."
Mr.. Boulter glared at the dean with
eyes which We're full of meaning. she
never misses a chance of hearing the
bishop preach when she can get one
ana II there's any one who ought To
know the bishops voice it's her. IT
seems TO me, begging your pardon. sir
mat ought To have a reward for bring
ing that leather bag back safe and
sound
Certainly. Mr.. Boulter ANY sum in
reason you like TO mention
my lease" u
That. as I have already told you.
Excuse me just one moment sir. Yon
see that! Taking an envelope out of
an inner pocket Of his coat. Mr. RorI
Ter HourlShed II in the deans face I've
a boy who lives in London. and writes
Tor the papers. smart chap he is and
Wei respected in his trade. I've written
an account of how the bishop preached
a sermon on temperance in the cathedral
"a nne sermon ii was. I'm told by those
VINO heard it-and Of how he then walked
stralght out of the cathedral into nv
pubic mouse. and put away a bottle of
old port, and got SO drunk that he for
got his bag and left it behind him wirb
the sermon which he had Just been
preaching on temperance inside of II
Ihat accounts in this envelope I'm going
ing 10 send IL TO my boy, and I'm going
10 tell him TO turn il into money: and
IL lay you what odds you please-al-
though I'm no more a betting man than
You are-that before "A week is over. the
tale viii be told in every paper in Eng
landau. and known all the world over
You re going to take away my living
Ny grandfather kept The Rose and
Crown decent. my father kept If decent