Chapter IV

" Tell Miss Marridon I'll be with her directly," said the Rector, hastily rising from his sermon manuscript, and preparing to change his alpaca jacket for his long coat.

His cup, just now, was overflowing altogether.

First, he had become a Personage in a manner that would have been impossible in Hanstead. Now Mr. Bennett was a sincerely zealous clergyman, as has already been remarked; but he was human, and no one in the world except a mortified saint (which he was not, and never dreamed of claiming to be) is actually displeased at the fact of becoming rather important: besides, if one has real ambitions to be of use in the world, as he certainly had, it is impossible to regret what he would have called " one's increased sphere of usefulness." Here then was one's increased sphere of usefulness ready made, for the tenants of the Marston estate asked nothing better than to be looked after temporally by the Squire and spiritually by the Parson, provided that not too much was demanded in return. Neither were there any fads or cranks to be dealt with: there was no opposition whatever to the moderate changes he had thought it right to introduce into Marston church — the substitution, for example, of coloured altarcloths for the perennial red velvet one, of embroidered stoles for black scarves, and the addition of such musical compositions as Gadsby in C. There was a Young Men's Club already in existence heartily Tory and loyal and all the rest, with a reading-room matchboarded with red pine, one billiard-table, and

Digitized by Google

SIN AVERAGE MAN a set of block-tin tea-urns. And everything else was to correspond. A good quarter of the church was occupied by the Squire's household; the very gamekeepers (of whom not less than one in three was expected to put in an appearance each Sunday) had a reserved seat at the west end of the north aisle; and a decent congregation could always be reckoned on: for the Family came, in edifying decorum, through the little door from the park, every Sunday morning about five minutes before eleven, and the Squire read the lessons. One single drop of bitterness, however — yet only one — floated on this cup of sweetness; and that of course was supplied by Percy's defection.

The announcement by the trim maid — (a communicant, of course) — that Miss Marridon wished to see the Rector, brought the memory of some of these pleasures up again. It was really pleasant to be so much sought after — (this was the fourth visitor since breakfast) — and especially pleasant when the caller was Miss Marridon. The Rector had heard really quite unpleasant rumours as to the un- 'punctuality and general mild laxness of the Vicar of Cleever; and he wondered whether it might not be quite conceivable that Miss Marridon had called for some kind of consolation or advice.

So he put on his long coat and went across into the drawing-room, really anxious to be of use.

Mabel stood up to greet him. She looked very fresh and girlish, and all that.

" It is charming of you to drop in like this," he said. " That is what one likes so much about the country.... Now do sit down, Miss Marridon. I hope Lord Marridon is better." (His lordship suffered a little from rheumatism, especially in winter; so inquiries after him were usually so worded.)

Digitized by Google

Mabel made the proper remarks; and the right sort of counters were played on both sides for a couple of minutes. Then the girl came to business.

" May I come straight to the point? " she asked. " Thank you so much.... And everything I say is in confidence, isn't it? " The Rector hastened to reassure her; his expression became very helpful, and just a tinge of his church pronunciation appeared in his voice.

" Of course," he said, " of course. I quite understand. Entirely confidential, as you say."

" It's about Mr. Percy Brandreth-Smith," she said, with just the faintest flush on her cheeks. " You were the Vicar of Hanstead, weren't you? So of course you know all about it."

His face became suddenly very intelligent.

" About his spiritual troubles? Certainly, Miss Marridon. I think I may say that I know all that is to be known."

" I only heard about it the other day," she went on rather hurriedly. " And in confidence. But I suppose I'm not breaking it by talking to one who knows already? Ami?"

The Rector hastened again to reassure her. He said that confidences to a Parish-Priest were themselves sacred, and that there could be no breach of trust.

" Well," said Mabel, quite frankly, " I was wondering whether nothing could be done. It seems dreadful that he should... should go over to Rome — without everything being tried first. And his people seem to be doing nothing whatever! " (She spoke with a vigour that astonished the other.)

The Rector shook his head, and his look became even more melancholy.

" I assure you everything has been tried. I will say

Digitized by Google this for him that he was very willing indeed, at any rate at first to hear both sides. There was one unfortunate incident, certainly.... Perhaps you heard of that?"

" I have heard nothing but the fact," she said.

"Well," continued the Rector, still in his church-voice, "perhaps it was a mistake; but I did it for the best. I... I got down an ex-clergyman of the Church of Rome — a Mr. Railton "

"Why I've heard him speak myself/' cried Mabel.

"Ah! indeed. Well I am sure Mr. Railton is a most estimable man: and very courageous too, to come out from his Church into fuller light. But, you know, just a little extreme in his views, as converts always are, on both sides. Well, Mr. Percy seemed to resent it all very much indeed. One had, in fact, great difficulty in persuading him to listen to one again. But he did — one is bound to say that, in justice. I assure you everything has been tried; though I'm sure it's very good of you, Miss Marridon, to interest yourself like this. It is a great pain to his parents — both staunch Church people, as you know."

She listened without moving to his talk.

"Then there's absolutely nothing that I can do?"

He smiled paternally.

"Well, of course, Miss Marridon, every little helps. One wouldn't say for an instant that there's absolutely no hope that it may yet not be too late. But one is bound to say "

" Don't you think, Mr. Bennett," she interrupted without, apparently, being aware that she did so, " don't you think that sometimes more may be done just by ordinary conversation, than by arguing directly? Please don't think me impertinent. I know it sounds so, talking like this to a clergyman; but I don't mean it."

Digitized by Google

Mr. Bennett's head was a little on one side; and his church-voice still more evident.

" Yes, yes.... It may be so, Miss Marridon. It often is so indeed. One sometimes does see that a helpful word or two, dropped here and there in season, and indeed out of it "

Once more she interrupted; and the flush was more pronounced than ever.

" I mean that it's so dreadful to think of this place as being in the hands of Romanists. The whole... the whole thing would be so spoilt, with their chapels and their priests.... I can't bear the thought of it.... I... I wish I could do something."

He nodded gently, ten or eleven times, and began to murmur " Yes," over and over again as his way was.

She looked at him with a kind of despair; he seemed to her very unhelpful. She rose.

"Well, thanks very much, Mr. Bennett. I am afraid you don't think I can be of much use "

" Oh! no, no! I wouldn't say that. But, you know, really everything has been tried. I am sure we shall all be most thankful if anything could be done."

" I quite see," she said. " Thanks very much,"

When she was gone again, saying that she would find her way up to the Park, he walked up and down a little in the Rectory garden where he had said good-bye to her.

Certainly the situation did seem rather painful and difficult — more painful and difficult, perhaps, than he had quite realized. Certainly it woujd be very trying indeed to have, as she had said just now, Romanist " chapels and

Digitized by Google priests 99 all over the place — chapels that were rivals to his beautiful old parish-church, and priests who did not acknowledge him as a brother.

Mr. Bennett was an exceedingly good man — let that be quite clear — and entirely convinced that the only really sound and reliable form of Christianity was that of which he was a minister. Obviously, then, he desired the triumph of the Church of England everywhere, and especially in the district over which he was set. Ordinary Dissenters were bad enough: there was a new red-brick Congregational chapel in Marston village the sight of which really spoilt his pleasure whenever he went to visit his flock. But Romanist Dissenters were a thousand times worse, since they actually claimed to compete, in a manner in which no Nonconformist minister even desired to compete, on the very same religious lines as himself. They actually claimed a Priesthood, and denied his, while he could not deny theirs. They were even so daring as to assert — as a cheerful party of tourists whom he had met once in his church, asserted — that the old buildings of the Church of England were once Romanist places of worship, and not, as he knew perfectly well, Anglican, from the very days of their erection. And, in support of their claim, they pointed to such remnants of the old architecture as the Seven Sacraments engraved in symbol round the font, and one half of the old holy water stoup that still survived in the porch. Of course there were answers to such arguments; and he had them at his Angers' ends; but it was trying that such arguments could be used at all.

What it would be, then, when the Squire of Marston was a Romanist, it was impossible to conceive. There would be no more coming through the little door that joined the churchyard and the park, at five minutes to eleven on

Digitized by Google

A** AVERAGE MAN

Sundays morning? net country gentleman, in 'White spats, to tend the lessons; no going bp to the PaA on Sunday-evenings for supper, and saving' Grace there, f Thoughts such as these had, of course, dome to him before* but MabeFs tisit had resuscitated 1 them again in a tmdre rigorous -form' thai* -ever. 1 "•'' «•'■•';,t „n I...-!... ■ '..i- ■■; <; ' ■ m His i.wife came 1 out to liim presently ^ as he paced up.and down, with* a shawl over her shoulders. J t ^Well, my dearM' she said. "

• Be nodded to he* absent-mindedly. • ». Where are you off to.*" he asked:!

• Ju#t round €o change the flowers -in church," she said, i He found himself 7 strolling albnjg with he* presently. But hersaid nothing df Mabel's 'visit; and while she went Straight through to- th^ vestry Where J&t' altar vases were kepty he remained in; the have.' t.:.i

When she came; out again 1 twenty minutes later, he was slill there, wrapt in thbugh*.^ ':

?f B«en> looking rourid?' * sfoe asked bHgbtfy. ^ That pillar Wants- looking io, by l 1he way/';

I have made Hp my mind," he saM. M That old stoup looks tftosigbfiyl I've* often noticed it" ' - t 'VYou areirt goinfe to take it away! "' 1 i... " WeM," he said firmly, "fit must either be restored < properly^ -or eke waited 'upi ■' It looks very bad like that." » Restore it I But you couldn't put holy 1 water in it."

No> my -dear, I know. But it' Wduld show^-er — continuity, ddto't' yoa thirik?' * • *>But that's not ' <he chief thingw There's a nice emptor bit of * wall 'there.,: What do you say to >an engraved brads' tablet with the names of all the RectorS df Marstert?" i »

'• Since the Reformation? " she asked innocently. The emphasis of his answer was almost indignant.

Digitized by Google

"No, my dear; the names of the Rectors from the very beginning, so far as we can identify them; and perhaps the names of the bishops of the diocese, too. It's very important to show, you know, that there was no break at the Reformation; and that it's just the same old church from the beginning."

" Oh, I see; yes, very nice, indeed. When did you think of it?"

He evaded a little, yet without sacrificing any strict truth.

" I saw one in an old church near here the other day. I think it would look very well; and be very teaching, besides."

She agreed.

Digitized by Google