ounded. Miss Gamut stopped
short. Captain Binnacle, who once was skipper of a schooner on the
Lakes, and who owned a pew in front of the pulpit, said afterwards, that
she was thrown on her beam-ends as if struck by a nor'wester and all her
main-sail blown into ribbons in a jiffy. Mr. Quaver, though confused for
a moment, recovered; Miss Gamut also righted herself. Though confounded,
they were not yet defeated. Mr. Quaver stamped upon the floor, which
brought Mr. Cleff to his senses. Mr. Quaver looked as if he would say,
"Put down the upstarts!" Mr. Fiddleman played with all his might; Miss
Gamut screamed at the top of her voice, while Mr. Cleff puffed out his
fat cheeks and became red in the face, doing his utmost to drown them.

The people looked and listened in amazement. Mr. Surplice stood
reverently in his place. Those who sat nearest the pulpit said that
there was a smile on his countenance.

It was a strange fugue, but each held on to the end of the verse, the
young folks getting out ahead of Mr. Quaver and his flock, and having a
breathing spell before commencing the second stanza. So they went
through the hymn. Then Mr. Surplice read from the Bible: "Behold how
good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! As
the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of
Zion; for there the Lord commanded his blessing forevermore."

Turning to the choir, he said, "My dear friends, I perceive that there
is a want of unity in your services, as singers of the sanctuary;
therefore, that the peace and harmony of the place may not be broken, I
propose that, when the next psalm is given, the old members of the choir
sing the first stanza, and the new members the second, and so through
the hymn. By thus doing there will be no disagreement."

Each one--old and young--resolved to do his best, for comparisons would
be made. It would be the struggle for victory.

"I will give them a tune which will break them down," Mr. Quaver
whispered to Miss Gamut, as he selected one with a tenor and treble
duet, which he and Miss Gamut had sung together a great many times.
Louder and stronger sang Mr. Quaver. Miss Gamut cleared her throat, with
the determination to sing as she never sang before, and to show the
people what a great difference there was between her voice and Azalia
Adams's. But the excitement of the moment set her heart in a flutter
when she came to the duet, which ran up out of the scal