Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1905-11-10
A congregation of one,

| A congregation of one!
He read for her and himself, with
his head a little bowed, Dearly be-
loved brethren, the Scripture moveth
us"
And then he looked up from his
book 1t was as If his eyes were de-.
termined to act In defiance. <SSf Ms will
ono s@9' % Beautiful and calm.
She dla ~Q9s look up. She was half
49, length of the little church away
from him, and that was merciful of
her. She was clothed in gray like a
where the sun cleaned at her through
the yellow mantle of a glass saint in
the window. A marvel of a woman,
considering that she was but three
and-twenty, and her fathers daugh-
| ter.
And then he closed the prayer book.
II am afraid" he said that must
ask you to forgive me, that is, excuse
me. | cannot go on, Miss Hassell.
will leave Drelling, as your father
desires"
He didn't speak bitterly. He didn't
even feel bitter about things at the mo-
ment.
But in the vestry, with its crying
testimonies to his failure-the eight
| cassocks of his choir who were not
the written rules for their. observance,
and the notices about holy seasons
here he was suddenly seized by a
throttling despair.
He removed his robes and sat down.
He believed that it was the unfair
ness, the astounding unfairness which
hurt him most
Was he not wounded enough in the
fact that year ago-or was it an
aeon?-Eve Hassell has told him that
she did not love him. Where was his
crime in loving her and telling her
so?
1t was afterward that Ewes father
had begun his campaign of ostracism,
and there was little that money could
do to force him from Drelling that Mr..
Melton Hassell, of the great house, had
not done. He had written to the
bishop about 1t, and the bishop had
written to Philip, suggesting, in all
Christian kindness, that If Philip could
bring himself to surrender the poor
fragment of his ancestral rights which
remained to him with theaadvowson of
that little church, 1t might, in the cir
cumstances, be best for all concerned,
including himself.
But he had stood firm against the
bishop, even as against the mighty
power of her fathers purse and the
hideous sapping of his influence in the
little parish which proceeded from
that power
The bishop was grieved to the heart,
yet duly consecrated that rival church.
1t was a gorgeous little church, with
much. gold and expensive marble to 1t,
and It's incumbent was an able man;
good man also in his way, though
without private means, and with a
family which constrained him to see
eye to eye with his patron.
1t was not as if he had revolted
against Ewes inability to love him.
He had spoken no word to her since.
Not one word Both she and her father
had seen to that; and he had tried to
put her out of his life, as wise men do
thrust away distracting visions of the
unattainable.
Was there ever such rancor In man
as this of Melton HasselI toward him !?
Doubtless it was true, as the great man
of the great house had declared to him
after his error. Eve was bride for a
prince or duke; certainly not for
poor parson, who chung with such de-
grading weakness to the mere ragged
hem Of the. thousands of lordly acres
1hich had for generations belonged to-
the Delmains.
Ewes father had offered him e 900
for the advowson of that tiny church.
It's fancy price,"
ITO get rid of me. I presumed"
And Ewes father had said:
We'll, don't deny 1t, Mr.. Delmain:
and any man In my position would do
the same"
The 10000 was increased to E20.-
600, and that had reused the old Del
main spirit in even the vicar Of Drel-
ling.
Il should as soon think OF selling
my coat Of arms, Mr. Hassell. ?
Mr.. Hassell had no coat OF arms at
that time; but he had temper. and
he was vindictive.