n up and down the little village street, calling at every
house, coaxing, cajoling, and promising,--they spoke to deaf ears.
Nothing they could say or do made amends for the "insult" to which the
parishioners considered they had been subjected, by the sudden
appearance of six strange choirboys and the lanky youth in a black gown,
who had carried a gilt cross round and round the tiny precincts of their
simple little Church, which,--until the occurrence of this remarkable
"mountebank" performance as they called it,--had been everything to them
that was sacred in its devout simplicity. Finally, in despair, Mr.
Arbroath wrote a long letter of complaint to the Bishop of the diocese,
and after a considerable time of waiting, was informed by the secretary
of that gentleman that the matter would be enquired into, but that in
the meantime he had better conduct the Sunday services in the manner to
which the parishioners had been accustomed. This order Arbroath flatly
refused to obey, and there ensued a fierce polemical correspondence,
during which the Church remained, as has been stated, empty of
worshippers altogether. Casting about for reasons which should prove
some contumacious spirit to be the leader of this rebellion, Arbroath
attacked Mary Deane among others, and asked her if she was "a regular
Communicant." To which she calmly replied--

"No, sir."

"And why are you not?" demanded the clergyman imperiously.

"Because I do not feel like it," she said; "I do not believe in going to
Communion unless one really feels the spiritual wish and desire."

"Oh! Then that is to say that you are very seldom conscious of any
spiritual wish or desire?"

She was silent.

"I am sorry for you!" And Arbroath shook his bullet head dismally. "You
are one of the unregenerate, and if you do not amend your ways will be
among the lost----"

"'I tell thee, churlish priest, A ministering angel shall my sister be,
when thou liest howling!'" said Helmsley suddenly.

Arbroath turned upon him sharply.

"What's that?" he snarled.

"Shakespeare!" and Helmsley smiled.

"Shakespeare! Much you know about Shakespeare!" snapped out the
irritated clergyman. "But atheists and ruffians always quote Shakespeare
as glibly as they quote the New Testament!"

"It's lucky that atheists and ruffians have got such good authorities to
quote from," said Helmsley placidly.

Arbroath gave an impatient exclamation, and again addressed Mary.

"Why don't you