"And yet nothing could be more silly than the dislike, though I fear it is one in which many--for mere want of thought--share. Surely, the twigs themselves must be at least as harmless when bound together as when used singly; and certainly it is better that they should be formed into beautiful and religiously _suggestive_ designs, than scattered unmeaningly about the church. The cross, often repeated, reminds us, you know, of the one grand pervading truth of our religion; the circle, of eternity; the triangle, of the Holy Trinity. We almost even forget the beauty of the design itself in the beauty of its symbol." _CHAPTER XXVIII_ THE ROOF "Thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the roof thereof." Exod. xxx. 3. "Give all thou canst; high heaven rejects the lore Of nicely calculated less or more: So deem'd the man who fashion'd for the sense These lofty pillars,--spread that branching roof, Self-poised, and scoped into ten thousand cells, Where light and shade repose, where music dwells Ling'ring and wand'ring on, as loth to die, Like thoughts whose very sweetness yieldeth proof That they were born for immortality." WORDSWORTH. Illustration: Keynsham Church THE ROOF "I'm glad to see you both among the helpers to-day," said the Vicar, as he shook hands with William Hardy and Richard Atkinson, "though I know this must cost you at least the value of a day's work." The village carpenter and mason were always accustomed on these occasions to give their services gratuitously. "Very glad indeed to come and do the best we can, sir," replied William Hardy, "though we couldn't quite agree about it at home, my wife and me, till we'd talked it over a bit." Now Hardy's wife, though not generally unamiable, was like many other wives in this respect; namely, she had acquired a habit of always questioning the wisdom or sincerity of her husband's actions, which she could now no more shake off than she could her own identity. "I'm sorry to hear that," said the Vicar; "but how was it?"