Wellcombe—Mr. Hawker Postman to Wellcombe—The Miss 148 Kitties—Advertisement of Roger Giles—Superstitions—The Evil Eye—The Spiritual Ether—The Vicar’s Pigs Bewitched—Horse killed by a Witch—He finds a lost Hen—A Lecture against Witchcraft—Its Failure—An Encounter with the Pixies—Curious Picture of a Pixie Revel—The Fairy-Ring—Antony Cleverdon and the Mermaids CHAPTER VII Condition of the Church last Century—Parson Radford—The 167 Death of a Pluralist—Opposition Mr. Hawker met with—The Bryanites—Hunting the Devil—Bill Martin’s Prayer-meeting—Mr. Pengelly and the Candle-end—Cheated by a Tramp—Mr. Hawker and the Dissenters—Mr. B——’s Pew—A Special Providence over the Church—His Prayer when threatened with the Loss of St. John’s Well—Objection to Hysterical Religion—Mr. Vincent’s Hat—Regard felt for him by old Pupils—“He did not Appreciate Me”—Modryb Marya—A Parable—A Carol—Love of Children—Angels—A Sermon, “Here am I” CHAPTER VIII The Vicar of Morwenstow as a Poet—His Epigrams—The 202 “Carol of the Pruss”—“Down with the Church”—The “Quest of the Sangreal”—Editions of his Poems—Ballads—The “Song of the Western Men”—The “Cornish Mother’s Lament”—“A Thought”—Churchyards CHAPTER IX Restoration of Morwenstow Church—The Shingle Roof—The 218 First Ruridecanal Synod—The Weekly Offertory—Correspondence with Mr. Walter—On Alms—Harvest Thanksgiving—The School—Mr. Hawker belonged to no Party—His Eastern Proclivities—Theological Ideas—Baptism—Original Sin—The Eucharist—His Preaching—Some Sermons CHAPTER X The First Mrs. Hawker—Her Influence over her 241 Husband—Anxiety about her Health—His Fits of Depression—Letter on the Death of Sir Thomas Acland—Reads Novels to his Wife—His Visions—Mysticism—Death of his Wife—Unhappy Condition—Burning of his Papers—Meets with his Second Wife—The Unburied Dead—Birth of his Child—Ruinous Condition of his Church—Goes to London—Resumes Opium-eating—Sickness—Goes to Boscastle—To Plymouth—His Death and Funeral—Conclusion FOOTNOTES xxx ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LIFE OF ROBERT STEPHEN HAWKER CHAPTER I