What salient things have I, in my usual manner, left unsaid?
Did I say more than enough?
Have I given myself away again?
Is he honest?
What was his real motive?
Oh why did he humiliate himself so?
Don't know. Don't know. Don't know.
Now what shall I do? Advance one pace. 'Do ye nexte thynge.'"
As he was powdering his vaccinated arm with borax before dressing, he
said to himself, "Go into Berners Street, and buy a gun-metal stock and
two dozen Roman collars (with a seam down the middle if you can get
them); and then go to Scott's and buy a flat hat. The black serge will
have to do as it is. If they don't like a jacket, let them dislike it.
And then go home and examine your conscience."
* * * * *
The bishop locked the parlour-door: took the crucifix from the mantel
and stood it on the table: kissed the cross embroidered on the little
violet stole which he had brought with him, and put it over his
shoulders. He sat down rectangularly to the end of the table, his left
cheek toward the crucifix, his back to the penitent. George kneeled on
the floor by the side of the table, in face of the crucifix: made the
sign of the cross; and began,
"Bless me, O father, for I have sinned."
"May The Lord be in thine heart and on thy lips, that thou with truth
and with humility mayest confess thy sins, ✠ in the Name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."
"I confess to God Almighty, to Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, to Blessed
Michael Archangel, to Blessed John Baptist, to the Holy Apostles Peter
and Paul, to all Saints, and to thee, O Father, that I excessively have
sinned in thought, in word, and in deed, through my fault, through my
fault, through my very great fault. I last confessed five days ago:
received absolution: performed my penance. Since then I broke the first
commandment, once, by being superstitiously silly enough to come
downstairs in socks because I accidentally put on my left shoe before
my right: twice, by speaking scornfully of and to God's ministers. I
broke the third commandment, once, by omitting to hear mass on Sunday:
twice, by permitting my mind to be distracted by the brogue of the
priest who said mass on Saturday. I broke the fourth commandment, once,
by being pertly pertinacious to my superior: twice, by saying things to
grieve him----"
"Was that wilful?"
"Partly. But I was annoyed by his manner to me."
"What had you to complain of in his manner?"
"Side. He had used me rather badly: he came to make amends: I took
umbrage at what I considered to be the arrogance of his manner. I was
wrong. I confess an ebullition of my own critical intolerant impatient
temper, which I ought to have curbed."
"Is there anything more on your conscience, my son?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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