ruple to avail herself of his
zeal. So she did avail herself of his zeal,--and that without any
scruple.

And then there was Miss Gushing,--a young thing. Miss Gushing had a
great advantage over the other competitors for the civilisation of
Mr Oriel, namely, in this--that she was able to attend his morning
services. If Mr Oriel was to be reached in any way, it was probable
that he might be reached in this way. If anything could civilise
him, this would do it. Therefore, the young thing, through all one
long, tedious winter, tore herself from her warm bed, and was to
be seen--no, not seen, but heard--entering Mr Oriel's church at
six o'clock. With indefatigable assiduity the responses were made,
uttered from under a close bonnet, and out of a dark corner, in an
enthusiastically feminine voice, through the whole winter.

Nor did Miss Gushing altogether fail in her object. When a
clergyman's daily audience consists of but one person, and that
person is a young lady, it is hardly possible that he should not
become personally intimate with her; hardly possible that he should
not be in some measure grateful. Miss Gushing's responses came from
her with such fervour, and she begged for ghostly advice with such
eager longing to have her scruples satisfied, that Mr Oriel had
nothing for it but to give way to a certain amount of civilisation.

By degrees it came to pass that Miss Gushing could never get her
final prayer said, her shawl and boa adjusted, and stow away her
nice new Prayer-Book with the red letters inside, and the cross on
the back, till Mr Oriel had been into his vestry and got rid of
his surplice. And then they met at the church-porch, and naturally
walked together till Mr Oriel's cruel gateway separated them. The
young thing did sometimes think that, as the parson's civilisation
progressed, he might have taken the trouble to walk with her as far
as Mr Yates Umbleby's hall door; but she had hope to sustain her, and
a firm resolve to merit success, even though she might not attain it.

"Is it not ten thousand pities," she once said to him, "that none
here should avail themselves of the inestimable privilege which your
coming has conferred upon us? Oh, Mr Oriel, I do so wonder at it! To
me it is so delightful! The morning service in the dark church is so
beautiful, so touching!"

"I suppose they think it is a bore getting up so early," said Mr
Oriel.

"Ah, a bore!" said Miss Gushing, in an enthusiastic tone o