ri
heard at the gates of Paradise. The elder ones were happy; their little
atoms of individual life had all united for the moment into one sunshiny
and broad foundation, on which everything seemed to rest with that
strange sense of stability and continuance, which such a moment of
happiness, though it carries every element of change in it, almost
invariably brings. It felt as if it might go on for ever, and yet the
very sentiment that inspired it made separation and convulsion
inevitable--one of those strange paradoxes which occur every day.

Thus the year crept round, and winter melted away with all its
amusements, and spring began. Mr. Northcote's time at Salem Chapel was
more than half over, a fact on which the congregation congratulated
itself much.

"If so be as he had a settled charge of his own, I shouldn't be sorry to
see him gone to-morrow," said one of the recent members.

"Settled charge! You take my word," said Mrs. Pigeon, who was getting
old, but always continued a woman of spirit, "he'll never have a settled
charge in our connection. He carries on here, 'cause he can't help
hisself, but he ain't cut out for a pastor, and he's a deal too thick
with them Church folks. A parson, too! I'd 'a thought he had more
pride."

"Nay, now, but I don't wish him no harm," said the first speaker; "he's
a civil spoken gentleman if he ain't so free and so pleasant as a body
looks for."

"Civil spoken!" said the other; "one of our own ministers in our own
connection! Bless you! they're our servants, that's what they are. I'd
like to see one on 'em as 'ud take upon him to be civil spoken to me."

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as that," cried Mrs. Brown; "we pays 'em
their salary, and we 'as a right to a civil word: but a minister's a
minister, and I'll show him respect as long as he deserves it. I ain't
one for being too hard upon ministers, especially when they're young
men, as has their temptations like, we all know."

"I don't know what you call temptations," said Mrs. Pigeon; "licking the
dust under the feet of a Church parson! and after speaking up so bold
against young May and them old cheats at the College. I wish he was gone
from here, that's what I wish, and our old pastor (if we can't get none
better) back again. He was one as knew his place, and wouldn't have set
his foot inside one of them Parsonages. Parsonages, indeed! kept up with
our money. If ever there was an iniquity on this earth it's a State
Churc