I Forbid the Banns! — page 236: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

226 ‘““T] FORBID THE BANNS!” ing” ; consequently it remained picturesque, with old oak pews like loose-boxes, and free from the abomination of pitch pine and varnish. The family angels of the Charltons wept in marble, with a monumental tablet between them, over the square pew where Bertha and Julian sat. The originator of the mural monument had evidently been of a thrifty mind. He had determined that so large a square of marble, should not be wasted with the inscription of only the name of his wife and child, in whose memory he had had it carved. He had caused the two names to be put up in a corner, and the word “also” to be cut below them. When a death occurred in the family the name of the deceased was neatly cut under the previous name, the word “also” being added as before. The tablet seemed to have threatened at one period not to last out, so the stone mason had considerately cut the later names only half the size of the first four rows; and it could not but have led up to some cheerful reflections on Julian Charl- _ton’s part, to observe that there was plenty of room for three or four additional names on the tablet. His name was not likely to be huddled into a corner. But Bertha, reading the list during one of the Lessons, was somewhat disturbed when she found that it ended with “also.” Julian’s head was just beneath this word. ‘The effect was grim. The sermon was one that must have been highly appre- ciated by the villagers to whom it was addressed. It was a sound, practical, homely discourse as to the exact sig- nificance of certain Greek particles in the writings of St. Paul. It doubtless helped to free the farmers’ minds from all misgivings on a subject, which it is generally under- stood—if one may judge from the sermons that one hears in village churches—has agitated the agricultural classes for many years. | Returning to the Court, Bertha admitted that the Misses NEomIiGchdooks:co