The Argosy — page 361: what you’re looking at

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

The Syllabub Feast. - 347 certainly thought I had locked it when I took him back the key. No harm has come of it.” ‘Bat harm might ha’ come,” persisted Bumford. “ Look at all them candles in there! and the gownds and surplices! Pretty figures we should ha’ cut, saving his reverence’s presence, with nothing to put upon our backs this here blessed morning! ” “Talking of the key, I missed mine this morning,” remarked Mr. Holland. ‘ Have you fetched it away for any purpose, Bumford ?” “‘ What, the tother church key !” exclaimed Bumford. “ Not I, sir; I'd not be likely to fetch that key when I’ve got the tother one—and without your reverence’s knowledge either !.” ‘Well, I cannot find it anywhere,” said Mr. Holland. He went into the vestry with the last words. Close upon that, arrived Shepherd, a folded paper in his hand. It contained a request that Gisby might be prayed for in the Litany. ‘“‘ What, ain’t he dead yet?” asked Bumford. ‘*No,” returned Shepherd. ‘‘ The doctors be afraid that inflamma- yion’s a-setting in now. Any way, he is rare and bad, poor man.” Next came in my set of singers, chiefly boys and girls from the parish school. But they sang better than such children generally sing. Mrs, Todhetley had long taken pains with them, but latterly it had all been upset by Richards’ crotchets. *¢ Now, look here,” said I, gathering them before me. ‘ We are not going to have any shrieking to-day. We sing to worship God, you know, and He is in the church with you and hears you ; He is not a mile or two away, that you need shout out to be heard all that distance.” ‘‘ Please, sir, Mr. Richards tells us to sing out loud: as loud as ever we can.” ‘Well, never mind Mr. Richards to-day. I am going to play, and I tell you to sing softly. If you don't, I shall stop the organ and let you shout by yourselves. You'll not like that. To shout and shriek in church is more irreverent than I care to talk of.” I watched the different groups walk in. Our people were pretty early. When the parson’s children came in, Mrs. Holland was with them, so that Edna Blake was enabled to join the singers. Edna had dark circles round her eyes. They looked out at mine with a painful inquiry in their depths. “Ves, I think it is all nght,” I nodded in answer. ‘Mr. Holland has missed his church key,” she whispered. ‘“‘ Coming along to church, Charley suddenly called out that he remembered , hiding it in Mr. Fred Westerbrook’s coat-pocket. Mrs. Holland seemed quite put out about it, and asked me how I could possibly have allowed him to come into the study and 'sit there.” ‘‘ There’s old Westerbrook, Edna! His face is fiercer than usual.” Mrs. Westerbrook was with him, in a peach-coloured shining silk COMiCcOoOolkxs.conn