The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-08-02

thur Mrs. Westland said, rising and Civ
| ing him cigar and light. 1T sounds like
, chess"
| 1t was when Vereker first came. and
| about year before Ashworth was articled
to your uncle, Ruby" Westland began when
/ his cigar well lighted. Il wasn't in
it. A real negro bishop was to stay at the
| Vlcarage, and carry on a regular mission
| airy campaign. 1t involved correspondence,
do 1t between you, lads" the doctor said,
blandly, one morning. carrying a pile Of
| circulars to address. l sulked Vereker
| was gracious; Robin glum But as soon
as the doctor left the study, Vereker swore
| he would see everybody exactly where the
doctor wished them not to go. before he
| would bother oveT tr,e -- things NV
observations were noe exactly pious. but
it was as usual the unlucky Robin who
was caught by the doctor coming back
with an after thought. Hang it ALL" he
was compa ming, white bishops are nuis-
ance enough. l wish to goodness he d con-
vert the governor and take him
off to Timbuctoo to show him about at
meetings, and let us have little peace"
! Ashworth was still at Coventry for this ex-
preston on the day the bishop was expect
ed. curate and church-warden were
invited to meet him. He was to arrive al
seven and dine at half-past. Bob and 1
were to dine alone together in the study.
We were in the drawing room-all but
Robin-Aunt Berry was on the sofa in state
with the church warden at her side, the
doctor on the hearth-rug his hands under
his coat-tails, talking to the curate, Vere-
ker with a book of engravings at a side-ta-
BILE, drawing caricatures OF Aunt Berry
and the doctor, I, little behind him, wish
ing the dinner-bell would ring, and plan
ming quiet read after. 1t was a stormy
night, curtains drawn, lamps it, bright lit
tie fire burning. The door-bel rang; the
doctor, thinking it was the bishop, left the
room to receive him in the hall heard
the two voices just outside the door, the
bishops a little nasal and high pitched he
would rather come to the drawing room at
once, was not wet, having driven from the
! station So the doctor, beaming and gra-
cious, brought in the honored guest and SOL
EMMY introduced the Bishop OF Nigritia to
my sister Miss Ashworth,' who was de-
lighted and honored to make the personal
acquaintance of one so deeply revered whose
labors In the vineyard mad so greatly edi-
fled the Christian world. Then the curate
was presented to the bishop, then the
churchwarden, Vereker, and myself. We
had all risen at the bishops entrance, and
looked at him with quite as much curiosity
as was decent. His costume was correct
| CATERS, apron and all, but of a marvelously
bad fit; Vereker suggested that he had
grown lean owing to long abstinence from
cold coast missionary. He had an intelli-
| gent, grave face, with well-formed, Euro
| pean features, large, soft eyes, and grizzled
| wool, but plenty of it; he was about the
Doctors height. we observed, as he stood
beside him on the hearth rug-indeed he
was not unlike black replica of the doctor
though rather wider in the waist his man
ner was dignifed and commanding yet
suave; he had more gesture than one ex-
poets in an English bishop, and foreign
accent, yet ready flow of speech. He la
mented the GOODNESS of English congrega-
tons and the sad lack of enthusiasm and
resulting pence in the last missionary
meeting at which he had presided and told
one or two delightful anecdotes of convert
ed native chiefs, and enqured tenderly for
| tho date of the curates conversion. He
| praised missionary zeal measured by sub
scriptions) in the doctors parish. At the
| Doctors desire he related the detailed cir
cumstances that had resulted in the con-
version and baptism of whole tribe at his
| preaching He suffered the doctor to ques-
ton and draw him out, and explain him to
the company with the amiable readiness of
celebrity in the hands of an interviewer
The accounts of the prosecutions he had suf-
fered from his tribe in consequence of his
] conversion were under-rather than over
| stated, he said. He had been roasted over
| slow fire, he rejoiced to say, in fact he
| had almost been done brown. The doctor
| looked somewhat amazed at this
expression, but Aunt Berry and
the church warden were quite
overcome by the bishops wit-and laughed
as ecstatcally as If they were at relig-
| ious meeting, and the doctor finally join
| ed in. The bishop seemed panied by their
levity. did deserve dis roast he added
sadly for was de most bad man. de big
gest sinner in all dis world. He paused,
overcome by emotion and put his handker-
| chief to his face, his shoulders heaving.
'Alasv he added. with difficulty subduing
| his feelings, 1T was too sad. I did eat my
| fellow men, and with deep sgh-'dey
| did not always agree with me-
"a sort Of delighted horror sat on Aunt
l
| churchwarden calculated in a tone that
| combined Reproduction with approval, the
| curate-it was that dear little chap, Ken
| dal, Ruby, you remember him, he worship
| ped at your shrine-being consumptive
| and gentle-hearted, looked as if he were
half way between Dover and Calais on a
| choppy sea- the doctor stared Vereker was
so much overcome that, putting his hand
kerchief to his face. he jumped up and went
| and sat in dimly lighted corner of the
conservatory adjoining the room where
| heard him gurgling and choking. Beast
| ly cad,' thought, he's putting 1t on But
he wasn't.
'"The bishop sighed profoundly and looked
round the room in the deep silence with a
sort of gratifed sadness. From dis he
| continued mournfully, I would save my
black bruders; from dis and oder bad
zings. Ny young bruder, Kendall, is shock
| ed by the badness of dis Niger, what den
would he link, did he know dose more
| bad zings, must not tell in dis pious
priest house?'
"All, led by the doctor, Joined in confused
| deprecatory murmurs, mingled with ex-
pressions of Joy at the bishops conversion,
| though thought the doctor still seemed to
| share the sort Of creepiness 1 felt Vereker