Which is right? A tale

Front matter

WHICH IS RIGHT? % Cult. BT LEE SILLOBY. LONDON: BURNS AND OATES, Portman Street and Paternoster Row. 1875- LONDON : ROBSON AND SONS, PRINTERS, PANCRAS ROAD, N.W. CONTEXTS. CHAP. TACE i. The Confirmation i n. Mrs. Granger's Picnic and Ball . . .16 hi. The Vicar's Sermon . . . . . .24 iv. The Vicar's Study .34 v. The Dissenting Minister and his Chapel . . 39 vi. Deacon Smith's Visit, and its Consequences . 53 vn. Inward Conflicts . . . . . .64 vin. Me. Turner's Lectures on the Eomish Church . 82 ix. Annie's second Visit to Lowfields . . -93 x. The Railway Accident 104 xi. Sequence of Events in Nettleton . . .119 xii. Mrs. Brownlow's back Sitting-room . . . 130 xiii. A difficult Task 140 xiv. Mr. Turner's Decision . . . . . 150 xv. A new Home . . . . . . . 157 xvi. Mr. Hartley and his new Curate . . .165 xvil Paris and Rome 178 xviii.

Old Friends and new Acquaintances . .190 CONTENTS. CHAP. FAG15 xix. A Storm brewing in the Dissenting Chapel . 202 xx. Father Bernard and his Sister . . .212 xxi. The old Bridge at Lucerne .... 227 xxii. A Snowstorm at Chamounix .... 237 xxin.' The Rescue ..:.... 255 xxiv. Within the Fold ...... 268 xxv. Ethel's Death ....... 282 xxvi. Sir Sydney's Story 292 xxvn. Billsborough ....... 305 xxviii. Jasmine Cottage ....... 325 xxix. Conclusion . . . . . . -337

Chapter I. The Confirmation

The day had been oppressively hot ; scarcely a leaflet had stirred in the heavy sultry air. Out of doors everything seemed to have fallen asleep — boughs hanging motionless, plants drooping their heads, and an occasional somnolent twitter alone betraying the presence of birds sheltering amidst the trees. A sunset, tropical in its gorgeousness, had closed this almost tropical day; and simultaneously with the fading of the crimson light which lingered in the western sky had sprung up a refreshing breeze. Slowly it made its way across the country from the distant mountains, whence it appeared to have taken its rise ; and at its approach, as though its touch had been that of an Egyptian's wand, Nature awoke from her lethargy. Branches waved, leaves quivered and danced, flowers nodded in appreciative welcome ; birds, joyously carolling, flew swiftly from tree to tree, intent on making up by increased activity for time which had been lost.

Pursuing its course, the invigorating breeze passed through an open window in one of the upper stories of a gentleman's house, greeting the two girls who B ? at that moment entered the room, and tempting them close to the casement, in order to enjoy to the full its pleasant coolness. The view which met their gaze, as they looked forth upon reaching it, wras one of considerable beauty, and yet there was nothing particularly striking in the land scape which lay below. It was simply a sweet English pastoral scene — cultivated fields, undulating meadows, and browsing cattle forming its principal features. The nearer view consisted of a green lawn, dotted with evergreens and bordered with flower-beds, which, stretching away immediately beneath in a gentle decline, was intercepted at some distance by a sparkling sheet of water.

Tall elm trees surrounded the miniature lake and shadow-ed its depths, their foliage wearing that heavy and sombre appear ance which characterises the time of the year when, though fast losing its freshness, the summer vegetation has not yet received from autumn's fairy pencil those brilliant hues and changeful tints w-hich cloak decay in beauty. To the left, rising above the cluster of trees which hid its main structure, appeared the tall spire of -a church, and in the well-kept grounds by its side the vicarage, a large roomy looking house, with old-fashioned gables, whose walls were thickly overgrown with ivy. To the right, barely distin guishable through the foliage of the intervening park, might be seen the outlinss of a few cottages. These, with the thin lines of blue smoke, which at short intervals from each other curled lazily up into the air, betokened the presence of a village.

In the same direction also, a little beyond the village, stood Another church, conspicuous by its square turret, in which hung a bell just commencing to ring — its tones, borne along by the gentle breeze, sounding sweetly from the distance. In this church, as was usual every Thursday evening, a service was about to be held — a service which bore a singular name, or one which at least sounded so in the ears of the young lady, who had just learned from her cousin that it was a Catholic church, and that the strange worship to which the evening bell summoned the people was called Benediction. Annie Turner, the elder of the two girls, whom I must now introduce to the reader, and the one to whom this in formation had been imparted, was the daughter of a Dis senting minister, residing in a small manufacturing town in the north of England.

For the first time in her life she was paying a visit at the house of her uncle, Mr. Granger, and the country life she had for some weeks past been leading had proved to her a source of deep delight, some thing in the quiet peaceful scenery by which she was sur rounded finding a responsive echo in the sweet purity of her nature. Brought up amidst comparative poverty, the luxuriance of her uncle's house had at first somewhat op pressed her ; but the air of refinement and elegance which pervaded its appointments suited her taste, and she had quickly adapted herself to its usages. Having but a few weeks before this time reached the age of twenty-two, she was possessed of a grace of manner and dignity of appearance rare in one so young. Tall, with a soft-brown complexion, dark hair, and remarkably clear gray eyes, she was undeniably beautiful, though it was a beauty which consisted in expression even more than in regularity of feature.

Her companion, Ethel, the only child and heiress of Mr. Granger, was five years her junior. She was a pale delicate-looking girl, very fair and very pretty, with the blue eyes and golden hair which form so common a type of Saxon beauty. The room — half dressing-room, half boudoir — in which we find these girls at the time when our story commences, was a favourite haunt of Ethel's. It was attached to her bedroom, from which it opened, and it had become customary with the cousins to slip up here ? 4 each day after dinner, in order to indulge in a quiet talk by themselves, whilst Mr. Granger remained over his wine, and Mrs. Granger enjoyed her after-dinner nap. This' evening, however, the conversation presently flagged, ordinary topics appearing to have lost their in terest. Both girls became gradually silent and absorbed, the cause of their abstraction being the same in either case.

A white-muslin dress, brought for examination, shortly after their entrance into the room, by a maid who had just completed the making of it, had forcibly reminded Ethel of the near approach of an important event, the occasion upon which it was to be worn being that of her confirmation, appointed to take place upon the morrow. Growing uneasily conscious of a want of preparation for it, she at length begged her cousin to excuse her ; and taking up a Prayer-book, which lay upon a small round table by her side, she proceeded to read over the Confirma tion service, and so to familiarise herself with the order of the ceremony. Annie meanwhile turned again to the window, and with her arm resting upon its sill, gazed thoughtfully out, see ing, without really noting, the changes which were passing over the country, where the falling twilight was deepening the shadows about the hedges and trees, quietly obliterat ing the outlines of distant objects, and drawing forth a sweeter fragrance from roses and carnations upon the lawn.

Naturally — suggested anew by the thought of Ethel's con firmation — her mind had recurred to a subject by which of late it had very frequently been occupied. This was the strange differences and various contradictions of opinion existing amongst Christians who professed to learn their religion from one source, and who claimed one common standard of appeal in the written Word of God. She was now asking herself — probably for the twentieth time — how it happened that her uncle and others, calling themselves Protestants, believed in doctrines and practised rites which her papa regarded as entirely unscriptural, and pronounced to be so many remnants of Popish superstition. She was the more astonished at it in her uncle's case, as she had observed him to be almost as diligent a student of the Bible as her own father, and had moreover heard him declare that he ' held nothing as of faith which could not be proved thereby.' That Mr. Turner had himself for merly been a member of the Church of England she was well aware, and it was but lately that he had carefully ex plained to her his reasons for having joined the Baptist body.

These were principally the facts : that he had been unable to see anything in the Bible to warrant the baptism of infants at all, much less anything to justify the doctrine of their regeneration through that act ; and that, on the contrary, the evidence appeared to him conclusive that believers alone were baptised by the Apostles. She was just wondering how, if she were to ask him to do so, her uncle would attempt to prove his faith on this point from the Scripture, when a servant came to announce that coffee was served. Throwing down her Prayer-book, which by this time it was becoming almost too dark to read, Ethel took her cousin's arm, and the girls went down-stairs. They found Mrs. Granger — a slight ladylike little woman — reclining upon a sofa in the drawing-room ; and she had barely time to rise from her recumbent position, and to shake herself into wakefulness, before her husband, accompanied by another gentleman, entered.

Excessively thin in his younger days, Mr. Granger at forty had deve loped into a fine portly man. His face, unlined by anxiety or age, was fresh and handsome, and his brown hair had as yet lost none of the lustre of youth. Agreeable and polite in his general demeanour, there was, at the same time, a certain pride and reserve about him, which im- EIGHT ? pressed strangers with the idea that he was cold and stern, characteristics of which those who knew him better fully acquitted him. His companion — the pleasant-looking, middle-aged gen tleman who had preceded him into the room, and who had that evening been dining with him — was his friend and vicar, Mr. Hartley, a frequent and welcome guest at his house. A very religious man, Mr. Granger belonged to that section of the Established Church which is called ' High.' Indeed, the particular church which he attended (that with the tall spire to the left of his house) was regarded by the Low-Church people and Dissenters, who abounded in the neighbouring town of Staunton, as little better than a Popish place of worship.

The extremely ritualistic tendencies of both vicar and curate were diligently canvassed by these amiable critics, and the various enormities in which they were said to indulge — such as those of lighting of candles, burning of incense, frequent use of the sign of the cross, and a large crucifix over the altar — were animadverted upon in no measured terms. Notwithstanding the ill repute which he had thus gained outside his immediate circle of ad herents, the vicar was a charitable and gentlemanly man, well educated, though perhaps of no great intelligence. On entering Mrs. Granger's drawing-room this evening, he had purposely sauntered to a part remote from the rest of the company ; and when Ethel presently followed, as he had expected, with his cup of coffee, he invited her to sit down by his side for a moment, in order that they might have a little conversation together upon the subject of her confirmation. 'You know, Ethel,' he remarked, after dwelling at some length upon the value and importance of the rite ' we of the Church of England do not regard this ceremonial precisely in the same light as the Eoman branch of the Church does.

We do not give it the name of a sa crament, as our friends in that Church do, but consider it rather as a renewal, or repetition, of the great sacrament of baptism, since it is through its means that we make a public profession of faith, and take upon ourselves the ful filment of the vows which in infancy were made in our name by our godfathers and godmothers.' ' But, Mr. Hartley,' inquired Ethel, ' is there not some gift additional to those received in our baptism — some peculiar grace, or strengthening of faith, to be bestowed through the imposition of the bishop's hands ?' ' Yes, I think there can be no doubt of it, my child,' replied the vicar. ' That can be clearly proved from Scrip ture, where we are told that by the laying on of the hands of the Apostles, or confirmation, the Holy Ghost was re ceived by those who believed.' ' And why, sir, do Catholics — I mean Eoman Catholics — call it a sacrament, wdien we do not ?' again questioned Ethel. ' Suppose we consider why we do not call it so, Ethel, without troubling ourselves as to why our neighbours do V returned Mr. Hartley, smiling. ' The answer is a very simple one ; namely, that the rite does not possess those attributes which, according to our Prayer-book, must cha racterise a true sacrament.

These are, as you know, that it should have been instituted by our Blessed Lord Himself ; and that it should consist of an "outward visible sign," and of an " inward spiritual grace" conveyed through its means. The former, at any rate, of these requisites is, you see, entirely wanting.' Miss Granger appeared interested, and inclined to pur sue the subject ; but the vicar had taken up a collection of engravings of Raphael's cartoons, and as he raised his eye glass to examine them critically, he put an end to the con- ? versation with a repetition of his desire that she should prepare carefully for the great event before her — the solemn renewal of her baptismal vows — and by the expression of a kind hope that she might receive every benefit and help which the ordinance was calculated to give.

Thanking him respectfully for his instructions and advice, Ethel rose to return to the coffee-table ; and at that moment the door opened, and a visitor entered — announced by the footman as Mr. Ernest Le Maire, and well known to all in the room as Mr. Hartley's curate. The usual hand-shaking over, this gentleman seated himself by Miss Turner's side ; and unrolling a paper he held, handed it to her with the information that it was the sonata by Schubert, which she had so greatly admired when, on the previous evening, he had attempted to play some portions of it from memory. Annie accepted the music with a slight blush ; for it happened that the curate had spent a good deal of time at Mr. Granger's house since her arrival there, and she had had to suffer some playful raillery from her friends on this account.

At the conclusion of this little passage, the conversation became general, although (as almost invariably happens when clergymen are together) it presently turned upon Church matters. Mr. Le Maire introduced the subject, by informing his vicar that he had just been hearing of a singular case of oppression of conscience in a neighbouring village, where a man named Abel Brown had been turned away from his employment simply for attending the parish church. There was, as it appeared, in the village referred to, a church which until lately had been frequented by most of the parishioners ; but, unfortunately, a quarrel had arisen between the rector of it and one of his churchwardens — the great man of the place ; and, although the disagreement had been entirely about private and personal matters, this gentleman had left the church, and, in order to annoy the clergyman, had contrived also to draw away the great bulk of the attendants.

This he had effected by the most unscrupulous means ; for having some extensive works, on which several hundreds of the people in the vicinity found employment, he had taken advantage of the power he thus possessed over them, and had positively forbidden those who had been in the habit of attending this church ever to enter it again, upon penalty of losing their means of subsistence. He had, however, immediately commenced the erection of another church ; and in order, meantime, that the people might not be deprived of the ' means of grace,' he had engaged a clergyman to officiate temporarily in a large shed or outbuilding of the works. But not satisfied with having separated himself from the church of the neighbour hood, the late warden had by degrees left the Establishment itself; for his conduct having been disapproved of by the bishop, he had ceased to allow of his supervision; and com mencing with a disbelief in the necessity for jurisdiction, had gone on shortly to deny the reception of Holy Orders to be essential to the performance of clerical duties.

Sub sequently joining a new sect, which calls itself the ' Free Church of England,' he had begun to use an altered form of the established service, his employes (excepting in a few cases, such as that of Abel Brown) acquiescing from mer cenary motives in these innovations. The vicar and curate both lamented what they called ' this most painful schism from the bosom of the Church,' comparing it to a ' stab from a child to its own mother;' and a long discussion followed on the nature and preva lence of schism. The growth and multiplicity of the sects, and the increasing tendency of the age to the indulgence in speculative theology, and to the subversion of all eccle- ? siastical authority, having been regretfully commented upon, Mr. Hartley called attention to the manner in which all the Apostles— but more especially St. Paul— had en deavoured to inculcate the necessity for unity ; and how, having apparently the greatest horror of this deadly sin of sectarianism, they had used every means in their power to eradicate it from the early Church. 'According to St. Paul,' continued the vicar, 'there ought to be amongst Christians the most perfect unity of faith and government.

How constantly he urges and reiterates this truth ! " One Lord, one faith, one baptism;" " one body and one Spirit;" and " the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," are, in his teachings, constantly shown to be indispensable marks of the true Church. ' 0 when will the time come,' he exclaimed, in appa rent agitation, ' when the Church of Christ shall be one ! when all those who acknowledge the same guide to truth — the holy Scriptures — will understand them in the same way, and be united in the same faith ! when miserable divisions and jarring sects will cease to distract the king dom of God, and universal concord distinguish the fol lowers of the one Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ !' A short silence followed this outbreak of the vicar's excitement, during which each person present seemed to be engrossed with his or her own thoughts.

This was presently interrupted by Mr. Hartley himself, who, evidently making an effort to dispel the gloomy thoughts which possessed him, asked for some music. In compliance with the pressing requests which she received on all hands, Miss Turner sat down to the piano ; and there was no doubt then that the melancholy really did vanish, for Mr. Hartley was passionately fond of music, and Annie was no ordinary performer. Her touch was exquisite, and her ear for music perfect, whilst all the sweetness and poetry of her nature appeared to come out in the expression of her playing. When at home, she filled the position of organist at her papa's chapel, and the musical taste of the congregation was im proving rapidly under her care. Mr. Le Maire was delighted ; and charmed as he had already been by Annie's personal appearance and intel ligent conversation, his admiration became much enhanced under the influence of the music ; so that he felt as though he were this evening coming very near to the borders of that enchanted land which he had vowed never to enter — ■ earthly love being, in the curate's opinion, unsuited to the clerical profession.

His studies of ecclesiastical his tory had led him to see that celibacy had always been ap proved of by the Church, and since the earliest ages en joined upon the priesthood ; and conscientiously believing himself to be a priest, he had vowed to devote himself entirely to his Lord's service, and had determined never to marry. When, therefore, he had left the house, he accused himself of being severely to blame for having taken so much pleasure in the society of the young lady ; and resolved to avoid throwing himself into temptation again, by discontinuing his visits to Mr. Granger's family so long as she should remain its guest. On the following morning Annie went to see her cousin's confirmation, occupying along with her aunt and uncle the comfortable family-pew belonging to the Grangers.

This was the first time she had ever witnessed a confirmation, and she thought the ceremony an imposing one. The can didates for the rite were numerous, many of the neigh bouring clergy having brought the children of their parishes to be confirmed along with those of Mr. Hartley. Before the service commenced, a long procession of clergymen and chorister boys — some of the latter carrying banners with what the Dissenters would have called ' Popish devices' upon them — walked round the church, '? the sweet voices of the boys uniting in the processional hymn : • Onward, Christian soldiers. Marching as to war. With the cross of Jesus Going on before. Christ, the Royal Master, Leads against the foe ; Forward into battle See His banners go. Onward, &c. At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee ; On, then, Christian soldiers, On to victory.

Hell's foundations quiver At the shout of praise ; Brothers, lift your voices, Loud your anthems raise. Onward, &c. Like a mighty army Moves the Church of God ; Brothers, we are treading Where the saints have trod. We are not divided, All one body we — One in hope and doctrine, One in charity. Onward, &c. Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane, But the Church of Jesus Constant will remain ; Gates of hell can never 'Gainst that Church prevail ; We have Clirist's own promise, And that cannot fail. Onward,' &c. At the conclusion of this hymn the whole congregation respectfully rose, for the bishop then entered the church, and the service immediately commenced. It consisted first in the questioning of the children in the short catechism appointed to be said on the occasion. This was followed by the utterance of a few collects and prayers, and then, the candidates kneeling in order before the bishop, he proceeded to place his hand on the head of each separately, saying at the same time these words : ' Defend, 0 Lord, this Thy child with Thy heavenly grace, that he may continue Thine for ever ; and daily increase in Thy Holy Spirit more and more, until he come to Thy everlasting kingdom.' And the ceremony concluded with the bishop's blessing.

His lordship then, ascending to the pulpit, gave a short address to the newly-confirmed, in which he reminded them that, by the act in which they had just engaged, they had not only renewed in their own persons the vows made in their name at the time of their baptism, but that they had also given-in their adherence to the Church of England, into which Church they had now been confirmed. He then exhorted them to cling with fidelity to this Church, which, as he told them, 'was worthy of all their confidence.' For it was, he said, ' a glorious Church, broad-minded and liberty-loving : free on the one hand from the absurd bigotry of the Eomanists, and on the other from the bitter rancour and narrow-minded prejudices of the sectaries. The Church of England does not make slaves of her children,' he continued. ' She does not wish to quench the light of free thought and intelligent inquiry. .She desires neither to pin down the faith of her followers to a con tracted set of dogmatic assertions, nor to limit them to a closely-restricted formula of public worship.' No ; for he prided himself on the fact that theirs was a Church that was ' characterised by a breadth of opinion and a generous tolerance of diversity in non-essentials which could be found amidst no other body of Christians.' That she had ' wdsely recognised the fact, which the ?

Eoman Church seemed so slow to learn,' that it was ' a simple impossibility for all men to think alike on any given subject,' was a mark of her 'far-sightedness' which he considered 'entitled her to respect.' ' Diversity of opinion,' he concluded, was ' to be expected,' for ' diversity of opinion was everywhere to be found ;' but ' only let all the members of the great National Church, standing on the one broad basis of love to and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, extend to each other the generous hand of true fellowship and perfect religious tolerance, and in the midst of this happy freedom there would be found more real com munity of heart and spirit than amidst all the boasted unity of the great creed-compelling, inquiry-stifling Church of Borne.' Listening to this address, Annie Turner recalled the conversation of the preceding evening; and remembering how the vicar, sighing for a unity very different from that of the bishop's — a perfect unity of faith and doctrine — had declared that he regarded it as ' one of the principal marks of the true Church,' she stole a look across to the place where he sat, expecting to see his face clouded with annoy ance upon hearing his opinions and teachings so flatly contradicted in his own church and presence by his religious superior.

She was astonished, therefore, to see an expression of perfect composure on Mr. Hartley's face, which, as she thought of his earnestness on the previous evening, she was unable to comprehend. She did not, however, puzzle herself long on this score, for her thoughts were occupied with an endeavour to solve the more important problem as to which of these men was in the right. And as she thought of those wonderful words of St. Paul which the vicar had quoted the day before, she could not help conceiving that his idea of a Church, which was to be, as the hymn they had just sung said, ' not divided,' ' one in hope and doctrine,' ' one in charity,' was infinitely more in accordance with the spirit and teaching of the Bible than that ' generous tolerance' of religious diversity which the bishop so much admired.

Still, as she looked round in imagination upon all the bodies of Chris tians with which she had any acquaintance, and asked herself where this unity of doctrine was to be found, she was tempted to believe that it existed only as a Utopian scheme, a vain imagination, a fool's paradise.