Page 190 (1/1)
The following Sabbath ht be tempted to believe that there was no sin and misery in the world, and that such a church as Mrs Arnot condeation left their elegant hoant church, they saw nothing in the blue sky and sunshine to re over the earth What ive an hour to their aesthetic worship, as they had done in the past when the weather permitted, and then return to dinner and a nap and all the ordinary routine of life? There were no "beasts at Ephesus" to fight now The tie like an ancient Christian would be like going to Boston on foot when one rown, perfectly sane people filed into the church, who co service once or twice a week, if so inclined, they were very good Christians And yet, strange to say, there was a conspicuous cross on the spire, and they had named their church "St Paul's"
St Paul! Had they read his life? If so, how came they to satirize themselves so severely? A dwarf is the iant
It was very queer that this church should nas to all ht gain the more"
It was very unfortunate for them to have chosen this saint, and yet the name, Saint Paul, had a very aristocratic sound in Hillaton, and thus far had seemed peculiarly fitted to the costly edifice on which it was carved
And never had the church see, never had its elegance and that of the worshippers seemed more in harmony
But the stony repose and calm of their Gothic temple was not reflected in the faces of the people There was a general air of perturbation and expectancy The peculiar and co especially well dressed and respectable was conspicuously absent Annoyed, vexed, anxious faces passed into the vestibule Knots of twos, threes, and half-dozens lingered and talked eagerly, with e of heads Many who disliked rough weather frolided hastily in, looking worried and unco officers, who had felicitated the the creme de la creme of the city, on one hand, and the disquieted Mr Blake uncomfortably cold, on the other, Mrs Arnot's words and acts and thethe enerally known, and a foreboding as of soreat catastrophe oppressed the people If the truth were known, there were very general s; and, now that the people had been led to think, there were sonitary the sexton was in a painful dilemma as to whether it would be best to assu and varying currents until sure from what quarter the ould finally blow He had learned that it was Mrs Arnot whom he had twice carelessly motioned with his thu to several of the more conservative members, that "it was very unjust and also unkind in Mrs Arnot to pal time it had been the plainly understood policy of the church not to encourage ordinary pussons"