ought; another married a
wealthy widow, though he had already a wife living in England. His bishop
was compelled to recall him, but I never heard that he was discharged
from holy orders. Another on a certain Saturday called a meeting of his
vestry, and when they refused to take some action which he desired,
thrashed them all soundly, and on the next day added insult to injury by
preaching to them from the text, "And I contended with them, and cursed
them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair." I should
like to have seen the faces of the vestrymen while the sermon was in
progress! It was not an unusual sight to see the parson riding home from
some great dinner tied fast in his chaise to keep him from falling out,
as the result of over-indulgence in the planter's red wine. But our
worthy pastor, during his forty years' ministry in Charles City parish,
was concerned in no such escapades, and I count it one of the great
happinesses of my life that I had the good fortune to fall under the
influence of such a man. A passage of a letter written by him to one of
his brothers in England on the subject of preserving health gives an
outline of the rules of his life. After commending active exercise in the
open air on foot and on horseback, he says, "I drink no spirituous
liquors at all; but when I am obliged to take more than ordinary fatigue,
either in serving my churches or other branches of duty, I take one glass
of good old Madeira wine, which revives me, and contributes to my going
through without much fatigue."

One other figure do I recall distinctly. We had driven to church as usual
one Sunday morning in early fall, and when we came in sight of the little
brick building, peeping through its veil of ivy, I was surprised to see
the parishioners in line on either side the path which led to the broad,
low doorway. Mr. Fontaine stood there as though awaiting some one, and
when he saw us, came down the steps and spoke a word to father. In a
moment, from down the road came the rumble of heavy wheels, and then a
great, gorgeous, yellow chariot, with four outriders, swung into view and
drew up with a flourish before the church. The footmen sprang to the
door, opened it, and let down the steps. I, who was staring with all my
eyes, as you may well believe, saw descend a little old man, very weak
and very tremulous, yet holding his head proudly, and after him a
younger. They came slowly up the walk, the old man leaning