England -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; English fiction -- 20th century; Journalists -- Fiction
Daphne sighed. “It’s a bore if you’re High. Father’ll want to argue at
meals. I do hope you don’t want to keep the Athanasian Creed, anyhow.”
“Yes, rather. I like it, except the bits slanging other people.”
“Oh, well,” Daphne looked relieved. “As long as you don’t like those
bits, I daresay it’ll be all right. Canon Jackson came to lunch
yesterday, and he liked it, slanging and all, and oh, my word, how tired
I got of him and father! What can it matter whether one has it or not?
It’s only a few times a year, anyhow. Oh, and father’s keen on a new
translation of the Bible, too. I daresay you’ve seen about it; he keeps
writing articles in the _Spectator_ about it.... And the Bellairs have
got a new car, a Panhard; Molly’s learning to drive it. Nevill let me
the other day; it was ripping. I do wish father’d keep a car. I should
think he might now. It would be awfully useful for him for touring round
to committee meetings. Mind that corner; Timothy always funks it a bit.”
They turned into the drive. It may or may not have hitherto been
mentioned that Eddy’s home was a Deanery, because his father was a Dean.
The Cathedral under his care was in a midland county, in fine, rolling,
high-hedged country, suitable for hunting, and set with hard-working
squires. The midlands may not be picturesque or romantic, but they are
wonderfully healthy, and produce quite a number of sane, level-headed,
intelligent people.
Eddy’s father and mother were in the hall.
“You look a little tired, dear,” said his mother, after the greetings
that may be imagined. “I expect it will be good for you to get a rest at
home.”
“Trust Finch to keep his workers on the run,” said the Dean, who had
been at Cambridge with Finch, and hadn’t liked him particularly. Finch
had been too High Church for his taste even then; he himself had always
been Broad, which was, no doubt, why he was now a dean.
“Christmas is a busy time,” said Eddy, tritely.
The Dean shook his head. “They overdo it, you know, those people. Too
many services, and meetings, and guilds, and I don’t know what. They
spoil their own work by it.”
He was, naturally, anxious about Eddy. He didn’t want him to get
involved with the ritualist set and become that sort of parson; he
thought it foolish, obscurantist, childish, and unintelligent, not to
say a little unmanly.
They went into lunch. The Dean was rather vexed because Eddy, forgetting
where he was, crossed himself at grace. Eddy perceived this, and
registered a note not to do it again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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