CHAPTER VIII. "A feigned religion, that, with fitting art, for each expression finds Some flatt'ring counterpart, or creed, or charm- MONTGOMERY. "You look pale this morning," said Lady Hetherington to her daughter, Lady Ethell Forster, as she took her place at the breakfast table with the rest of the party; "I am afraid the mornings are just now too hot for such long walks before breakfast, my love." 66 By no means, mamma,' answered her fair daughter, as she laid a small bouquet of fragrant roses, with a moss-rosebud, whose sweet odour quite surpassed the rest, on her mother's plate; "I enjoyed the walk exceedingly, and the services in which I joined still more," and a slight and rather haughty smile curled her aristocratic lip. "Where has Ethell been?" inquired Sir Hugh of his sister, Lady Hetherington, as he helped her to coffee. "To church, uncle," replied Lady Ethell, "which Addy and I never omit at home. But you were not aware, perhaps," she added, with somewhat of irony in her tone, "of your privileges of daily morning and afternoon prayers, a little less than three miles off at Nutleigh-is not that the name of the village, Emmeline? What a picturesque little church you have there," she continued, " and the fine old abbey or priory which we passed! Just the sort of place I should like to live at. Who lives there?" "Oh, you have both been to Nutleigh, have you!" said Sir Hugh to his two nieces, "and before breakfast, too! and to church! Well, well; in my time, there was no church-going before breakfast; there were none of the new-fangled absurdities of the present day. Much church talk, and much church going! People went honestly to church on Sundays, and good people attended to their homeduties, and they were none the worse for that." Here Emmeline and Lady Ethell exchanged glances, while Sir Hugh continued, "But now there is Eustace Priestly, living at the Priory, at Nutleigh." "A son I suppose of old Mr. Priestly?" interrupted Lady Hetherington. "The very same, our father's good old friend, Stephen Priestly's son. You remember them well, Horatia, I am sure; excellent good creature, was Mrs. Priestly, in our time!" 66 Well, young Priestly could not have had a better example to follow, than his good father. We always, you know, attended Nutleigh Church in my father's time, and I retained our old pew there, after poor Stephen's death, and I still have it; but Eustace, who succeeded to the living, has introduced such new ways, such twisting and turning to the altarwhich, by the way, he took to ornamenting with candles and flowers. He has applied to me to have my pew, with others, altered, pretending that the pews should all, properly, be open seats, and all like each other. Now, though I take no pride with me to church, I have no notion of having my very comfortable pew rendered most uncomfortable and cold, just to have church appearance of being no better off than my poorer brethren! I therefore refused-to Eustace's annoyance; but I never left the little church until he pushed things farther, and wanted me to subscribe to the putting up an altar-piece (instead of the good old one of The Last Supper'), that of 'Christ giving the Keys to St. Peter!' attaching thereto some nonsensical notion of apostolical succession. He shuts himself up in the Priory; looks almost, if not quite, like a Roman Catholic priest; and, very much to the annoyance of many of the parishioners, is, I hear, endeavouring to bring about private confession. I have no patience with it all. These daily services, too, are quite unnecessary, I think. People running off to church, and many, many a time omitting some home duty, calling loudly for their presence at home." "But the church, dear Hugh, has become, you must allow, very lax," faintly remarked Lady Hetherington, "and surely it is our duty to endeavour to bring it back to its former state." my "What it was in our days you mean, I suppose, dear sister- some twenty years back, or more when people attended their village church with profit, on all occasions laid down by the ordinary, were far more charitable than now-a-days about people's actions and ways, and there was more doing, as I said just now, and less talk." 66 I suppose, uncle Hugh," interrupted Lady Ethell, with the same irony of tone as before," when people went to church to say their prayers, and a few charity children drawled over, in their sing-song way, the Morning and Evening Hymns, you had no soul-inspiriting music, calling forth devotional feelings?" "As to people going to church to say their prayers, Ethell, I was one who did, I can answer for; but as for music, I do not know what you can mean by soulinspiriting music. I am fond of music myself, and remember to have sweet recollection of the simple way the Morning and Evening Hymns were sung by the charity children at Nutleigh, as a boy, taught by Bessy Priestly. You must remember it, too, Horatia, how beautifully she taught them, and played the little organ herself!" "Yes, she did. How melancholy her death!" vacantly responded Lady Hetherington. Why were the daily morning and evening services appointed, Uncle Hugh?'' with no small triumph in her eye at what she thought her uncle's defeat, energetically inquired Lady Ethell. "Oh! my fair niece, you must catechise others on these points; I only speak as I feel. My sister-inlaw, Mrs. Vivian, can better answer you on these topics than myself. Don't you think so, Emmy?" asked Sir Hugh of his daughter. Emmeline was about to reply, with some hesitation. in her manner, when Allyne, with more enthusiasm than was consistent with his usual reserve, anticipated her. "Yes, papa. Aunt Louisa could answer Ethell on every topic-at least religious, I mean. Why don't you take Ethell and Addy to Summerfield, Emmeline?" he added. "Ethell is going to ride to-day," replied his sister, "but we can go there to-morrow." "I should like to see Louisa Vivian's collection of shells," said Lady Adelaide Forster, (who hitherto had been silent), "very much." "And I, too," rejoined Lady Ethell. "But as to religious topics, Master Allyne," she continued, slightly tossing her little haughty head, and rising from the table as she spoke, "thank you, I never allow myself to argue with people on religious subjects." 66 Only when, perhaps, the argument turns in your ladyship's favour," provokingly returned her cousin Allyne. "I shall call myself to-day at Summerfield," said Lady Hetherington to her brother; "but it is a very long time since I have seen Louisa-but once, I believe, since poor Arthur's death. She had such very peculiar views upon intercourse with the world, we could not very well agree on some things, I recollect." |