all exhibited. He was about five-and-twenty when he first came to
astonish the parishioners. He parted his hair on the centre of his
forehead in the form of a Norman arch, wore a brilliant of the first
water on the fourth finger of his left hand (which he always applied to
his left cheek when he read prayers), and had a deep sepulchral voice of
unusual solemnity. Innumerable were the calls made by prudent mammas on
our new curate, and innumerable the invitations with which he was
assailed, and which, to do him justice, he readily accepted. If his
manner in the pulpit had created an impression in his favour, the
sensation was increased tenfold, by his appearance in private circles.
Pews in the immediate vicinity of the pulpit or reading-desk rose in
value; sittings in the centre aisle were at a premium: an inch of room in
the front row of the gallery could not be procured for love or money; and
some people even went so far as to assert, that the three Miss Browns,
who had an obscure family pew just behind the churchwardens', were
detected, one Sunday, in the free seats by the communion-table, actually
lying in wait for the curate as he passed to the vestry! He began to
preach extempore sermons, and even grave papas caught the infection. He
got out of bed at half-past twelve o'clock one winter's night, to
half-baptise a washerwoman's child in a slop-basin, and the gratitude of
the parishioners knew no bounds--the very churchwardens grew generous,
and insisted on the parish defraying the expense of the watch-box on
wheels, which the new curate had ordered for himself, to perform the
funeral service in, in wet weather. He sent three pints of gruel and a
quarter of a pound of tea to a poor woman who had been brought to bed of
four small children, all at once--the parish were charmed. He got up a
subscription for her--the woman's fortune was made. He spoke for one
hour and twenty-five minutes, at an anti-slavery meeting at the Goat and
Boots--the enthusiasm was at its height. A proposal was set on foot for
presenting the curate with a piece of plate, as a mark of esteem for his
valuable services rendered to the parish. The list of subscriptions was
filled up in no time; the contest was, not who should escape the
contribution, but who should be the foremost to subscribe. A splendid
silver inkstand was made, and engraved with an appropriate inscription;
the curate was invited to a public breakfast, at the before-menti