The Strand Magazine, Volume I, Issue 2, February 1891

congregation the pleasure of listening to him, it apologised for the short notice (it was then Friday), and it invited the minister to dine with the writer on Su

or the occasion, and with that and another in his pocket he set of

and where the minister, perched aloft in the pulpit, was as "a voice crying in the wilderness." Then in the Upton Chapel there was a fine organ, and good singing by a well-trained choir. When the minister, therefore, rose to preach his sermon, it was with a sense of exaltation and inspiration which he had not felt for years. He delivered himself with effect, and he was listened

ddle age, who had clearly read much and thought a good deal, and all his family (three grown sons and two daughters) were intelligent and cultivated, and took a modest, but sufficient, share in the conversation of the table, and all listened to such opinions as the minister uttered with attention and understanding. Mr. Mu

alked round the large garden with his ho

s best. Let me ask you, if you were invited to become our m

have seen of the Upton congregation, I should like to be your minister. Of course, it wou

ED HIMSELF

ning." Then, unconsciously, he went on to dash somewhat the minister's lively hopes. "There is a young man-Mr. Lloyd: you may know him. No? Well-some of our people are very much taken with him. He is a brilliant, popular sort of young fellow; but he is young-he has only been

s if that had been a sign of consent agreed upon-all the company (and there were n

bringing Mr. Murray a cup of tea and sitting down by

w I am?" he ask

we arranged for a sign from my father, so that we sh

e answere

do hope-you

on't often go to chapel or church, but if you often preach sermo

ute, and the minister show

id, "it is at least plea

s evening discourse: "He took little children in His arms and blessed them;" and he spoke out of the fulness of experience and with the tender feeling of the father of a sick child, inso

e also the services of the next Sunday; and then he hasten

E A JOLL

d; "that's for you and Jim. I'll take you both down to Margate to-morrow-the air of Margate is the most br

lf into her husband's arms,

! Let us be thankful, my de

el lonely and depressed; for he and his wife had not separated before, save for a day or two, since the hour of their marriage. In the solitude of his close and dingy lodging he restlessly and morbidly meditated on his desire to go to Upton, and his chances of going. Had he any right to go, with such mercenary motives as move

ter felt that many must have come expressly to hear him; and, therefore, he had less brightness and freedom of delivery than on the Sunday before. He felt, when the service was

vestry to the Reverend Mr. Lloyd-his rival, as he felt bound to consider him; and to h

"Brown," and slapped each other on the back. "Brown" said something, and "Lloyd" flatly and boisterously contradicted and corrected him, and then "Brown" laughed loudly, and seemed to like it. Thus dinner wore away, while Mr. Murray said little save to his hostess-a pale, thin, and somewhat depressed woman, grievously overburdened, it was clear, with a "jolly" hus

e a jolly fellow? I do think he's a capita

ke these Browns than like my friends of last Sunday; and it must, therefore, needs be that this Mr. Lloyd-who has no harm in him, I daresay, but who is little more than a rough, noisy, presum

ion), and he went back to his lonely lodging with a sore and doubting heart. He wrote, however, cheerfully (he thought) to his w

you are. If you are not better to-day I shall come home to you,

and I must not go down to them. My glum face would frighten Mary, and I should have to tell he

, to attain the desired end; he could only wait. Monday passed, and Tuesday, and still no word from Upton. On Wednesday came a letter from his first host-the Chairman of Committee. It contained little, but that little was charged with meaning and anx

I think I ought to tell you that there is a disposition among a good many to fo