"Yes, I was praying."
"The knowledge of that helped me enormously. The four who resigned have been my most loyal supporters and I can tell you it was hard to stand out against them. They have been so exceedingly kind to me ever since I have had the church. It was this fact that made it so difficult. Besides I love peace."
"Peace with honour, but not without."
"That's just it. I felt that my Master's honour was at stake."
"I can't tell you how thankful I am," said Rachel. And under his wife's influence Luke regained something of his usual spirits. But Rachel had only heard Luke's side of the question. The next day she was inundated with callers.
"I suppose you know," said Mrs. Moscombe, the wife of the owner of the principal shop in the parish, "that the Vicar got his way by one vote only. I own when I heard all the arguments in favour of opening the Hall for such purposes I began to wonder if we ought not to do what the neighbouring churches have done to attract the young people."
"I don't think that kind of thing attracts people to Church," said Rachel.
"But as my husband says," continued Mrs. Moscombe, "it saves the boys and girls from going to worse places. Surely that is the work of the Church."
"It may save them for two or three days, possibly; but it really leads them to go to unwise places of amusement in the long run, and I know my husband feels very strongly that the Church loses its spiritual power if it goes in for catering for amusements."
"But then, dear Mrs. Greville, your husband, forgive me for saying so, is rather peculiar in his views. He scarcely moves with the times and isn't up to date as they say."