Part 34 (1/2)

The sermon was so extrees, and was delivered in so broad a dialect, that it was ~caviare~ to Mr Verdant Green and his friends; but it seeation, who relieved their , that were ih not particularly harmonious to a delicately-musical ear Near to the close of the service there was a collection, which induced Mr Bouncer to whisper to Verdant - as an axio experience - that ”you never coe place, but what you are sure to drop in for a collection;” but, on finding that it was a weekly offering, and that no one was expected to give entleman relented, and cheerfully dropped a piece of silver into the wooden box It was astonishi+ng to see the throngs of people, that, in so thinly inhabited a district, could be asseh it seemed almost incredible to our midland-county friends, yet not a few of these poor, simple, earnest-minded people would walk fro at an early hour, co with them their dinner, so as to enable thes the red cloaks and grey plaids of these pious reen hillsides,and slowlytowards

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the gaunt and grireat occasions, were tents pitched for the between-service accommodation of the worshi+ppers

Both they and it contrasted, in every ith the ruined church of Lasthope, whose worshi+p seeone to ruin with the uncared-for edifice Its aisles had tumbled down, and their material had been rudely built up within the arches of the nave The church was thus converted into the non-ecclesiastical forraliest of deal enclosures, which were dignified with the na the time of Mr Verdant Green's visit, the service at this ecclesiastical ruin was perforyman who had apparently been selected for the duty from his harmonious resemblance to the place; for he also was an ecclesiastical ruin - a schoolh the working-days of the week, had to work still harder on the day of rest For, first, the Ruin had to ride his stu old pony a distance of twelve miles (and twelve ~such~the feed of corn in his pocket, and leading it to drink at the Swirl) in the dilapidated stable of the tuh theservice without any loss of tihthis sandwich dinner as he went along), where he had to take the afternoon duty and occasional services at a second church When this was done, he ht find his way home as well as he could, and enjoy with his fath for The stipend that the Ruin received for his labours was greatly below the wages given to a butler by the lay rector, who pocketed a very nice income by this respectable transaction But the Butler was a stately edifice in perfect repair, both outside and in, so far as clothes and food went; and the Parson was an ill-conditioned Ruin left to moulder away in an obscure situation, without even the ivy of luxuriance to raceful and picturesque

Mr Honeywood's family were the only ”respectable” persons who occasionally attended the Ruin's ministrations in Lasthope church

The other people who ation were old Andrew Graham and his children, and a few of the poorer sort of Honeybourn

They all brought their dogs with the up their bonnets on a row of pegs provided for that purpose, and fixed, as an ecclesiastical orna the western wall of the church They then took their places in their pens, accos, who usually behaved with re the sermon, set their

[AN OXFORD FRESHMAN 243]

masters an exas were interrupted by a rat hunt; the dogs gave tongue, and leaped the pews in the excitement of the chase - their masters followed them and laid about them with their sticks - and ith difficulty order had been restored, the service was proceeded with It must be confessed that Mr Bouncer was so badly disposed as to wish for a repetition of this scene; but (happily) he was disappointed

The choir of Lasthope Church was centred in the person of the clerk, who apparently sang tunes of his own coation joined at their discretion, though usually to different airs The result was a discordant struggle, through which the clerk bravely maintained his own until he had exhausted hiation had to shut up also During the singing the intelligence of the dogs was displayed in their giving a stifled utterance to howls of anguish, which were repeated ~ad libitu it attracted no attention, unless a dog expressed his sufferings more loudly than ont, when he received a clout from his master's staff that silenced him, and sent him under the pew-seat, as to a species of ecclesiastical St Helena

Such was Lasthope Church, its Ruin, and its service; and, as ined froht fit to chronicle, Mr Verdant Green found that his Sundays in Northumberland produced as much novelty as the week-days

CHAPTER IV

MR VERDANT GREEN ENDEAVOURS TO SAY SNIP TO SOME ONE'S SNAP

THERE was a gate in the kitchen-garden of Honeywood Hall, that led into an orchard; and in this orchard there was a certain apple-tree that had assumed one of those peculiarities of for upright for about a foot and a half, it had suddenly shot out at right angles, with a gentle upward slope for a length of between three and four feet, and had then again struck up into the perpendicular It thus for two persons coarded a close proxi

One day Miss Patty directed Verdant's attention to this vagary of nature ”This is one of my favourite haunts,” she said ”I often steal here on a hot day with some work or a

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book You see this upper branch makes quite a little table, and I can rest my book upon it It is so pleasant to be under the shade here, with the fruit or blosso and retired, and out of the way of every one”

”It ~is~ very snug - and very retired,” said Mr Verdant Green; and he thought that noould be the very time to put in execution a project that had for so his brain

”When Kitty and I,” said Miss Patty, ”have any secrets we come here and tell them to each other while we sit at our work No one can hear e say; and we are quite snug all to ourselves”

Very odd, thought Verdant, that they should fix on this particular spot for confidential communications, and take the trouble to come here to make them, when they could do so in their own rooms at the house And yet it isn't such a bad spot either

”Try how comfortable a seat it is!” said Miss Patty

Mr Verdant Green began to feel hot He sat down, however, and tested the comforts of the seat,chair, and apparently with a like result, for he said, ”Yes it ~is~ very coht you'd like it,” said Miss Patty; ”and you see how nicely the branches droop all round: they make it quite an arbour If Kitty had been here with me I think you would have had some trouble to have found us”

”I think I should; it is quite a place to hide in,” said Verdant

But the young lady and gentle with the spirit of ostriches, and have iether concealed themselves from observation; for the branches of the apple-tree only drooped low enough to conceal the upper part of their figures, and left the rest exposed to view ”Won't you sit down, also?” asked Verdant, with a gasp and a sensation in his head as though he had been drinking chane too freely

”I'm afraid there's scarcely room for me,” pleaded Miss Patty

”Oh yes, there is, indeed! pray sit down”

So she sat down on the lower part of the trunk Mr Verdant Green glanced rapidly round and perceived that they were quite alone, and partly shrouded fro conversation then took place