Part 3 (1/2)
”Your remarks take me, I own, by surprise,” answered Miss Pemberton.
”None of my acquaintance, that I am aware of, have ever been in the habit of confessing.”
”'Wide is the gate and broad is the way which leadeth to destruction; many there be that go in thereat.' Think of that text, Miss Pemberton; join the privileged few, and I shall be most thankful to receive you as a penitent,” answered Mr Lerew. ”Endeavour, also, by all means to induce your niece to follow your pious example. My dear friends, Sir Reginald and Lady Bygrave, and many other persons of distinction, come regularly to confession; and I trust that by degrees the whole of my flock will take advantage of the opportunity, which I shall have the happiness of offering them, of being absolved from sin.”
Miss Pemberton did not exactly say that she would go to confession, as she felt rather doubtful whether Clara would accompany her, but she promised that she would consider the matter; and the vicar on leaving felt satisfied with the way he had made. As yet, however, he had not got so far as to set up a confessional box in his church. He intended, in the first instance, to employ the vestry for that purpose. He had his doubts whether Mr Lennard might not withdraw the support he was now affording him; still, he had made considerable progress. His first step was to select a dozen of the schoolboys of the parish to form a choir, and to clothe them in surplices; the instruments which had hitherto led the paris.h.i.+oners in their singing being banished, an organ, presented by Lady Bygrave, was put up, and an organist with high ritualistic proclivities appointed. The hymn-books with the good old tunes which all the parish knew by heart were discarded, and Hymns Ancient and Modern were introduced. The communion-table was next raised and adorned with a richly embroidered cover, and on the following Sunday four magnificent branch candlesticks appeared upon it. Mr Lennard had hitherto not made any remarks on the alterations going forward; but when he saw the candlesticks, he enquired of Mr Lerew, who was calling on him, what funds he possessed for the purchase of such articles, and what was their object, as he feared that they would not be appreciated by the paris.h.i.+oners at large.
”I have ample funds for all such purposes; and ignorant as the people are at present, we will so educate them that by degrees they will see the value and significance of the improvements we are introducing,”
answered Mr Lerew; ”I contemplate having a reredos erected, which will add greatly to the beauty of the church; as it will be expensive, I own, I trust that you and other friends will contribute from your means towards the important work. I wish to ornament those blank s.p.a.ces along the aisle with appropriate pictures. I should prefer having them painted on the walls, of medallion shape; but as it may be difficult to get an artist down here, we must be content to have them in moveable frames. I purpose also having a large picture of the Crucifixion, or perhaps one of the Holy Virgin, put up over the altar, instead of the Ten Commandments, which greatly offend my eye; while I confess that I cannot consider the altar complete without the symbol of our faith placed on it. I should have preferred a crucifix of full size, and I think that the cross might be so arranged that the figure can at any time be added; but I fear that at present some of the paris.h.i.+oners in their ignorance might raise objections which would cause us some trouble.”
”I should think, indeed, that they would object!” exclaimed Mr Lennard.
”Are you not going on too fast? I do not complain that your improvements cast some reflection on me; as being a mere _loc.u.m tenens_, I could not have made the alterations you propose, even had I wished to do so; but others might find very great fault with you.”
”You will come over fully to agree with me, as my kind friends Sir Reginald and Lady Bygrave have done,” said the vicar, and with a gentle smile he bid his host good-bye.
Scarcely had Mr Lerew gone than a note was brought to Mr Lennard, from Lady Bygrave, requesting him, with his son and daughter, to spend a few days at Swanston Hall. Lady Bygrave was a very charming person, and pleasant people were generally to be met with at the Hall. He gladly accepted the invitation. Alfred was delighted; Mary would rather have gone back to stay with Clara. Mr Lennard was somewhat surprised to find that the abbe and Father Lascelles were still there. ”The friends to whom they were going were unable to receive them, and Sir Reginald requested them to stay on as long as they found it convenient,” remarked Lady Bygrave. Mr Lennard was disappointed at finding no one else at the house, with the exception of a young lady rather older than Mary, of grave and sedate manners. As she was dressed in black, Mr Lennard concluded that she was in mourning for a parent or some other near relative, which accounted for the gravity of one so young. She, however, smiled very sweetly when Mary was introduced to her, and said in a gentle voice, ”I know that we shall become good friends, so pray let us begin at once, and talk to each other without reserve.”
Mr Lennard, who had often wished that Mary could enjoy the companions.h.i.+p of a girl of her own age, was glad to find so apparently amiable a young lady in the house. The abbe, on entering the room, expressed his pleasure at seeing Mr Lennard, and certainly did his best to make amends for the want of other society. Father Lascelles, observing that Alfred did not know what to do with himself, proposed taking a turn round the grounds. ”I am not much of a sportsman,” he said as they walked on, ”but I am fond of fis.h.i.+ng, as I dare say you are, and we will fish together to-morrow, if you like.” He had discovered that angling--an art in which he was an adept in more ways than one--was the only amus.e.m.e.nt which suited Alfred's tastes.
The few days spent at the Hall went rapidly by. At first the abbe carefully avoided any but secular subjects, and being a remarkably well-informed man, he made himself very agreeable. Even when Sir Reginald or Lady Bygrave seemed inclined to speak on religion, he quickly turned the conversation, but by degrees he, with apparent unwillingness, entered into matters of faith. Mr Lennard, who had never given any attention to the Papal system, was surprised to find how little, according to the abbe's showing, the Church of England differed from that of Rome in all matters of importance.
”Ah,” remarked the abbe, with a smile, ”your Church is like a wandering child--though you have gone away from the parent, you retain all your main features and doctrines, and have but to own obedience to the chief head, and you would again be one with us. What a happy consummation!
Would that it were brought about! Why should those of the same kindred be divided?”
”It is sad that it should be so,” remarked Lady Bygrave, ”perhaps, if His Holiness, the Pope, were not so exigeant in his demands, the glorious union might soon be accomplished.”
”It is there that you are in error, my dear lady,” remarked the abbe, blandly; ”His Holiness is too loving a parent to be exigeant without good reason. Think of the parable of the Prodigal Son--what a warm welcome! what rich treasures the father had for him, who was willing to return! such as all will experience who, having eaten of the husks of Protestantism, fly back to the bosom of the mother-Church.”
Mr Lennard above all things hated an argument, and would always rather side with a companion than oppose him; still he was not won by the sophisms of the abbe; but he did not, unhappily, reflect on the effect they might produce on Alfred and Mary. He had studied the Thirty-nine Articles when he had taken his ordination vows, and he saw that the opinions expressed by Lady Bygrave, and occasionally by Sir Reginald, who was even more open than his wife, could not be reconciled to them.
The abbe never uttered a word which showed that he considered there were any material differences in the two creeds, with the exception of the single one of want of obedience to the heads of the Church.
”You have simplified your services; you have eliminated several doctrines which we consider of importance; but such doctrines are, I rejoice to see, in the course of being rapidly restored to their proper position, as are many of the practices and observances of our Holy Church,” said the abbe, ”and all you have now to say is, I will return, I will obey, and the union is complete.”
”You make the matter certainly very easy,” said Mr Lennard; ”but having been for forty years of my life accustomed to consider that there is a much wider gap between our Churches than that you have so quickly pa.s.sed over, you must not be surprised if I hesitate to take the leap; but I will consider the subject.”
”Far be it from me to advise you to do what your conscience might disapprove,” observed the abbe.
Father Lascelles found that he could be more open with Alfred. His chief aim was to impress upon the young man's mind that there was but one true Church, and that of Rome being the most ancient and most powerful, and holding out unspeakably greater advantages to its followers, must be that true one. Still, Alfred was neither very impressive not communicative; the Jesuit priest could draw no positive conclusion as to the effect his remarks had produced, though he felt sure that, could he obtain time to play the fish he had hooked, he should land him safe at last.
Mary's friend, Emmeline Tracy, was unexpectedly called away from the Hall. Even to Mary she did not say where she was going, as she bid her good-bye, but she hoped, she said, ere long to see her again. Mr Lennard observed that his daughter looked more thoughtful and in less good spirits than usual; it reminded him of his often expressed determination of sending her to a finis.h.i.+ng school, that she might have the benefit of young companions, and form pleasant friends.h.i.+ps. He mentioned his idea to Lady Bygrave. ”By all means, Mr Lennard; it is what I should strongly recommend,” answered her ladys.h.i.+p. ”It is curious that I was thinking of the same thing. There is a school at Cheltenham exactly of the character you would wish for your daughter.
Mrs Barnett, the mistress, is a lady of high attainments and amiable disposition, and she receives only girls of the first families; so that Mary would be certain of forming desirable acquaintances. I shall have great pleasure in writing to Mrs Barnett, saying who you are, and requesting her to receive your daughter directly she has a vacancy.”
Mr Lennard returned home; and a few days afterwards Lady Bygrave sent him a letter from Mrs Barnett, who said, that in consequence of the very satisfactory account her ladys.h.i.+p had written of Mr Lennard and his daughter, she should be happy to receive the young lady as an inmate immediately, to fill up the only vacancy in her establishment, and which she regretted that she could not keep open beyond a week or so.
”Let me earnestly advise you to send Mary at once,” added her ladys.h.i.+p.
”It would be a grievous pity to lose so favourable an opportunity of placing her in a satisfactory school; for good schools are, I know, rare enough.”
Mr Leonard accordingly made up his mind to take his daughter to Cheltenham. Mary had only time to drive over and pay a short visit to Clara.
”I hope you will be happy,” said Clara. ”As I never was at school, I don't know what sort of life you will have to lead, but I should think with the companions.h.i.+p of a number of nice girls it must be very cheerful. You can never for a moment feel out of spirits for want of society, as I do too often here, now that I am unable to converse with my poor father, and you know that Aunt Sarah is not the most entertaining of persons.”