Brother Copas

aring citizenship; her parochialism whereby (to use a Greek idiom) she perpetually escapes her own notice being empress of the world; her inveterate snobbery, her incurable habit of mistaking symbols

there, enclosed and casketed-"a

d regimental colours droop along the aisles; tattered, a hundred years since, in Spanish battlefields, and by age worn almost to gauze-"strainers," says Brother Copas, "that in their time have clarified much turbid blood." But these are guerdons of yesterday in comparison with other relics the Minster guards. There is royal dust among them-Saxon and Dane and Norman-housed in painted chests above the choir stalls

urch; in other words, when with trumpeters and javelin-men the High Sheriff escorts his Majesty's Judges to hear the Assize Sermon. On these occasions the head boy of the great School, which lies a little to the south of the Cathedral, by custom presents a paper to the learned judge, s

none in any other country; and is proud of its singularity. It, too, has its stream of life, and on the whole a very gracious one, with its young, careless voices and high spirits. It lies, as I say, south of the Close; beyond the northward fringe of which you penetrate, under archway or by narro

. To be a Collegian of Christ's Poor it is enough that you have attained the age of sixty-five, so reduced in strength as to be incapable of work; whereas you can become a Collegian of Noble Poverty at sixty, but with the proviso that misfortune has reduced you from independence (that is to say

en the chalk-hills and, inland yet, you feel a premonition that the sea is not far away. All visitors to Merchester are directed towards St. Hospital, and they dote over it-the American visitors especially; because nowhere in England can one find the Middle Ages more compendiously summarised or more ch

ture from many points of view, and therefore not only did the architect receive instructions to harmonise it with the ancient buildings, but where he left off the trustees succeeded, planting wistarias, tall roses and selected ivies to run up the coigns and mullions. Nay, it is told that to encourage the grow

"the principal of this old-time foundation, Master E. J. Wriothesley (pronounced 'Wrottes

hway which opens on the first, or outer, court. He walked habitually at a short trot, with his head

above it, and three canopied niches in the face of the tower, and in one of the niches-the others are empty-a kneeling figure of the great cardinal himself. The passageway through the tower is vaulted and richly groined, and in a l

y to-day, Br

g the dole, and a full slice, too-the gentlemen declaring they were hungry after their drive. But," added Brother Manby, with a glance at a card aff

e gathered that someone had profited by som

n, the scene that met him as he crossed the threshold of the great quadrangle!

n the eastern line of the quadrangle, where the three nurses of St. Hospital have their lodgings; shafts of gold penetrating the shaded ambulatory below; gold edging the western coigns of the Norman chapel; gold rayed and slanting between boughs in the park beyond the railings to the south. Only the western side of the quadrangle lay in shadow, and in the shadow, in twos

. To be sure, it was not his nearest way to the home-park, where he intended to think out his peroration; but he

is the time to get rid of the rheumatics! Eh, Mrs. Dase

.. You notice how the swallows are flying, both high and low, B

of them in my garden. And what a perfume! But it warns me that the dew is beginning to fall, an

oach, had been engaged in earnest talk with Mrs. Royle-talk to whic

old men offering to rise from their chairs. But this he would by no means allow. His presence seemed to carry with it a

shot, Brother Clerihew turned

beginning to show hi

her Woolcombe. "If ever a ma

ose him yet, anyhow-'specially if

was to the Reverend Rufus C

her Woolcombe, meaning by "they

on the make, like Colt. Push ca

ombe conceded. "But, damn it all,

knew. "Master Blanchminster's the real thing, of course..." He gazed after the retreating figure

re is Warboise

her nails in his beard-I heard her. That woman's a terror.... All the same, one can't help sympathising with her. 'You can stick to your stinking Protestantis

when a man ha

against Colt-what's the use? And where's his backing? Ibbetson, with a wife hanging on to his

a upon him before ever you turned a hair,"

ut he over-acted his suffering somewhat, having learnt in forty-five

r, for my part, you don't try to get accustomed to 'em. Dying one can understand: b

t sinking her voice- for she could hardly wai

ou, I mentioned it in the strictest secrecy. This is such a scandalous hole, one can't

too! Disgusti

irst moment I set eyes on her. Instinct, I s'pose. 'Well, my lady,' says I, 'if y

ed such a broken-d

that way sometim

aw a long breath and exclaim that she could never have credited such things-not in a Ch

's spicy!"

turned for a look back on the quadrangle and the seat

e the worl

ancestor had bui

much love

and fear

ith brief

er god

ife lives

men rise

the wear

ewhere sa

in place of the sonnet he had meant to quote. This would involve reconstructing a longish paragraph; but they had touched his mood, and he

om sufficien

stinted or unt

children of the

as the rising

hought just so-with that freshness, that noble simplicity! And even with Wordsworth it was fugitive, los

se behind him, and turned about with a slight frown; whic

r Colt! Goo

vening,

obstinate chin. He wore no hat, and his close black hair showed a straight middle parting above his low and somewhat protuberant forehead. The parting widened at the occiput to a well-kept tonsure. At the

, indeed. Are y

voice the Master's was almost a chirrup-"whether for busi

id not answer. He seemed to be wei

been thinking it over. At Early Celebratio

r, you don

ndeed, he confesses to having used them. His demeanour left no doubt that he was insolent of set purpose.... I should add that Ibbetson, who was kneeling next to him and must h

spoken to

authorised our substituting biscuit for bread in the Wayfarers' Dole. Advised us to 'try it on' there, and look out for letters in the

ould not introduce this-er-primitive use-or, I should say, restore it-without

ignor

rse, of cou

es on the Church's benefaction,

t for a third phrase to express B

smiled wh

beric de Blanchminster, moreover, was a layman, not even

e suggestion I made at the beginning? If you could see your way to be celebrant at the early office, your mere presence would silence

in too much of a flurry even to note

d, for Brother Warboise, let us always remember that St. Hospital was not made, and cannot be altered, in a day-even for the better. Like Engl

se of the genius loci. Warboise finds it, we'll say, in the person of Peter Ingman, Protestant and martyr. But