Dr. Leslie arose at the close and announced, instead of the
regular doxology, the 24th psalm, Harry Lauder, the leader of the
choir, looked down at Lawyer Ed and smiled, and Lawyer Ed smiled back
at him. The young man's name was really Harry Lawson, but as he had a
beautiful tenor voice, and could sing a funny Scottish song far better,
every one in Algonquin said, than the great Scotch singer himself, he
had been honored by the slight but significant change in his name. And
when Harry Lauder smiled down at Lawyer Ed at the announcement of St.
George's, Edinburgh, every one knew what it meant. When Lawyer Ed had
given up the choir, under the pressure of other duties, and put Mr.
Lawson in his place, he delivered this ultimatum to his successor: "Now
look here, youngster. I am not used to being led by any one, either in
singing or in anything else, but I promise that as far as I can, I'll
follow you in the church service. But there's one tune in which I'll
follow no living man, no, nor congregation of massed bands, and that's
St. George's, Edinburgh. I just can't help it, Harry; when the first
note of that tune comes rolling out, I am neither to hold nor to bind.
Now I don't want to have it spoiled by see-sawing, that would be
blasphemous. So you just tell the organist that I have a weakness
comes over me when that tune is sung, and tell him to listen, and
follow me. And you do the same."

So every one knew that when St. George's, Edinburgh, was sung, Lawyer
Ed became the leader of the choir and congregation pro tem. No one
needed to be told, however, for none could help following him. And he
had never thrown himself into it with more abandon than on this sunny
morning with the Eternal Call sounding again in the ears of all who had
truly heard the sermon.

"_Ye gates lift up your heads on high!_"

He was glorious on the first stanza, he was magnificent on the second.
He climbed grandly up the heights of its crescendo:--

"_Ye doors that last for aye,
Be lifted up that so the King of glory enter may,_"

in ever growing power and volume; up to the wonder of the question--

"_But who is He that is the King of glory?_"

up to the rapture of the response:--

"_The Lord of Hosts and none but He
The King of Glory is._"

And then out he came upon the heights of the refrain, with all the
universe conquered and at his feet. When the first Hallelujah burst
from the congregation, mounting sple