The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-04
AN INCIDENT BY THE WAY OF
PROLOGUE.
CHAPTER

AN INCIDENT BY THE WAY OF
PROLOGUE.
Mr.. Hinchcliffe. the sexton, looked
UP as Mr. Philemon. the clerk, unlocked
the great gates of open ironwork which
led into the street. Hinchcliffe, was cut
ting tho lettering on 81 tombstohf. SD p
ported by heavy wooden tresiiess under
{, little shed close to the vestry door Of
the church bEs,
Tho clerk, a small. rotund naht,clericai
in aspect and wearing round felt nat,
pulled out a large. old-fashiohed watch.
Thine for the bell, william he said.
The parish church was large building
IN sham perpendicular. ii stood In very
central position on the Manchester main
road rising amid bare triangle of flat
gr1,ycstones and separated from the
street pavement only by high iron rail-
ings.
i, was about balf-past four on dull
autumn afternoon. The trans swung ring
Jug down the black. muddy road. and
The long procession OF great wo-wheeled
carts. nain,ed yerrniion. carried coal from
the collieries six miles away to the great
mills and factories of Stafford.
The two men went into the church,
and soon the tollIng OF a deep-voiced bell.
high up In the pail of smoke which lay
over the houses. heat out In regular and
melancholy sound
inside the Building the noise OF the
traffic sank into long. unceaslng.
note like the bourbon note of q dis
tant organ.
IIinchciitfe tollcd the ben in the dim.
ugly vestibule with his foot In a loop
In the rope. sitting on the chest which
held the dozen loaves which were given
away every Sunday to the old women
in the free seats.
tie
swing-doors and strobe up tho aisle to-
wards the ves.ry. waking mournful
echoes as thc nails In his boots struck
the tiled floor
Saint Thomas's Church, the mother
church OF Walktown, was probably the
,iglicst church in Lancashire. The heavy
galleries. the drab walls. the terrible
gloom OF the vast structure. all spoke
clo1uently of a chilly. dour Christianity.
a grudging and suspicious Sunday re-
ligion which animated its congregation.
In the long rows OF cushioned seats.
each labelled with the name of the
person who rented It. Sunday by Sun
day the moderately prosperous and who'll
ly vulgar Lancashire people sat for two
hours During the prayers they leaned
forward in easy and comfortable con-
cession to convention. Few ever knelt.
During the hymn times they stood up
in their places listening carefully to
fine choir of men and women choir
which, despite Its vocal excellence was
only allowed TO perform the most stodgy
and commonplace evangelical music.
When the incumbent preached he was
heard with the jealous watchfulness
which often assails an educated man. The
renters Of the pews desired a Low
Church aspect OF doctrine and We're in
tclligent to detect any divergence from
It.
M .,f tba =, ltyrr
The brick-red and styx-like grey OF
the flooring. the lifeless choc-
olate front of the gallaries the large
and ugly windows filled with glass which
was the colour OF ginger-beer bottle,
had all a. definite quality of cherries
Sulgarity.
Philemon came out of the vestry door
with lighted taper He 1T two or
three jets of the corona over tIIe req ding
desk Then he sat down In a front
pew close to the chancel stepsganl, walt
ed. B,
Tho bell outside stopped suddenly. and
tall young man In q black Inverness
cape walked hurriedly UP the side aisle
under the gallery towards the vestry.
In less than a minute he came out
again in surplce. stole, and hood,-the
stole and hood were always worn ct
Walktown, went to the reading-desk,
and began to say Evensong in a level
! ~
At the end Of each psalm Mr.. Ph:le-
mon recited tho doxology with thunder-.
ous assertion and capped each prayer
with an echoing Amen"
The cllrate, Basil Gortre. was a young
fellow with strong. impressive face.
His eyes had the clearness of youth and
looked out steadily on the world under
his black hair. His face was Of that
type men call thoroughly honest
face, but, unlike the generality of such
faces 1t was neither stubborn nor stupid.
The clean-shaven jaw was full OF power.
lhe mouth was refined and. artistic, with
out being either sensual or weak.
During the Creed he turned. towards
the east, and the clerks uncompromis-
Ing voice became louder and more acid
ms no noticed the action: and when the
clergyman. almost imperceptibly, made
the sign of the Cross at the words
1.-THE resurrection Of the body the old
man gave 4. loud snort of disapproba-
hon. Il
In Difference to the congregation on
Sundays. and at tho wish of his vicar,
Gortre omitted these simple signs OF
reverence. But alone, at Mathis or
Evensong. he followed his usual habit.
During the last low prayers, MS dusk
erept into the great church, and the
clank and bells of the trans outside
seemed to be more remote, a part, In
deed, Of that visible but not symbolic
ugliness which the gloom was hiding. a
note OF fervour crept into the young
n,an's praying which had only been la
tent there before.
He was reading the third collect when
The few gas jets above his head began
TO whistle, burnt blue for few seconds.
and then faded out with three or four
faint pops. .s
Some air had got into the pipes. Old
Mr., Philemon. rose nolsily from his
knees, and shuffed off to the yestry
songhing and spluttering. Outside. with
startling suddenness, n pinno organ
burst into a gay, strldent melody, After
Jerk. A police constable had spoken to
the orsan-grinder and moved him aon.
- ISnrtrn a3,cica went on In q leen. for.