The Three BridesYonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
General
The Three Brides
Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Marriage -- Fiction
The eldest daughter accompanied the Vicar. Her mother had not
health (or perhaps clothes) for a dinner-party, and it was the first
time she had ever been in the house. Very shy and in much awe she
was! Cecil viewed her as a constituent, and was elaborately civil
and patronizing, doing the honours of all the photographs and
illustrations on which she could lay hands, and only eliciting
alternately 'Very nice,' and 'How sweet!' A little more was made of
the alarms of the fire, and the preparations for clearing the house,
and there was a further thaw about the bazaar. It would be such a
relief from plain work, and she could get some lovely patterns from
her cousin who had a missionary basket; but as to the burnt-out
families, the little knowledge or interest she seemed to have about
them was rather astounding, unless, as Rosamond suspected, she
thought it 'shop,' and uninteresting to the great ladies of Compton-
Poynsett Hall.
Meanwhile, her father made the apprehended request for the loan of
Compton Church during the intervals of services, and when the Rector
explained how brief those intervals would be, looked astonished, and
dryly complimented him on his energy and his staff, somewhat as if
the new broom were at the bottom of these congratulations.
The schools were to be used for services until a temporary iron
church could be obtained, for which Julius, to make up for his
churlishness in withholding his own church, made the handsomer
donation, and held out hopes of buying it afterwards for the use of
Squattles End. Then, having Mr. Fuller's ear to himself, he
ventured to say, though cautiously, as to one who had been a
clergyman before he was born, "I wish it were possible to dispense
with this bazaar."
Mr. Fuller shrugged his shoulders. "If every one subscribed in the
style of this family."
"They would be more likely to do so, without the appeal to secondary
motives."
"Try them," said the elder man.
"Exactly what I want to do. I would put up the four walls, begin
with what you get from the insurance, a weekly offertory, and add
improvements as means came in. This is not visionary. I have seen
proof of its success."
"It may serve in new-fashioned city missions, but in an old-
established place like this it would create nothing but offence.
When you have been in Orders as long as I have, you will find that
there is nothing for it but to let people do what they will, not
what one thinks best."
"Mr. Fuller," said Julius, eagerly, "will you try an experiment?
Drop this bazaar, and I promise you our collection every Sunday
evening for the year, giving notice of it to my people, and to such
of yours as may be present."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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