THE BELLMAN’S DILEMMA.
Sabbath morning brought promise of a lovely summer day, and the promise was not belied. Gavin Sinclair, or “Guy,” now the full beadle, sexton, bellman, and minister’s man of Blinkbonny, was in a state of great perplexity. Annie Gawdie, who cleaned the church, had told him that just as she was finished on Saturday night, everybody came “troopin’ into the kirk to take awa’ their books, an’ spoke o’ coming in soon to take away their cushions and stools; that they had made a bonnie mess o’ her clean kirk, and when she quarrelled them for it, they said there was to be nae kirk in the morn, but Mr. Barrie was to preach on the Annie Green.”
Guy had not gone to the meeting. He was a cautious man, and “didna think it became the like o’ him, being a man in a public capacity, to meddle wi’ kirk quarrels; for although Mr. Barrie micht leave the kirk,—the mair’s the pity, for we’ll no’ soon get ane like him, if ever,—there was the kirkyard. Ane didna ken how soon they micht hae to break the gr’und for some death or anither in the parish. He didna like to gi’e offence to ony side—he had to look till his bread,” etc.
Guy’s difficulty was whether to ring the church bell or not. He always rung it at ten o’clock, and would do that as usual,—“That wasna the bell for gaun to the kirk—it was just to let folk ken the richt time to set their clocks by.” His “swither” was about the ringing of the bell for calling the folk to the kirk at the usual time. If, as he learned, there “was to be no sermon in the kirk, what for should he ring the bell? Then, on the ither hand, what business had he to stop the ringing o’ the bell without orders? and wha was to direct him? Would he ask Mr. Barrie, or the schoolmaster, who was session-clerk? He never did that before, and it would look officious.” So he resolved to go on as usual. He rang the bell at ten o’clock, and sauntered, as was his wont, to the manse to ask if there were any orders for him, such as to make preparations for a baptism; but instead of going into the kitchen, he hovered about the door until Bell observed him. Bell was full of activity to get all ready that she might go to the Annie Green, and had forgotten about Guy’s regular call. Both were perplexed. Guy muttered, he wondered if there “would be ony orders for him the day—she micht ask the minister—if—if he—if he had ony—ony special—” Then a happy idea seemed to strike him, and he got out—“onything to get ready before bell-time?”
GUY’S DECISION.
Bell took in the situation at once, but had not time to master it. Generally the pulpit Bible and Psalm-book were put on the parlour table on Sabbath mornings, ready for Guy, and Bell got instructions about anything specially wanted. They were not on the table, but in the study, which Bell never entered before church time. She asked Mrs. Barrie, who answered that there could be nothing. Bell lingered, and said in a distant tone, “I think, mem, that Guy disna ken whether to ring the bell at kirk-time or no’.”
Mrs. Barrie hesitated a little whether to disturb Mr. Barrie or not, then said, “Tell Guy to please himself; that Mr. Barrie left no orders, and I cannot disturb him at present, but will ask him at half-past eleven and let Guy know what he says.”
At half-past eleven, as usual, Mrs. Barrie tapped at the study door, and said, “Now, my dear.” Mr. Barrie almost immediately came out, and she asked him about the bell, lifting up at the same time the simple Geneva pulpit gown worn by Presbyterian ministers, to help him on with it. Mr. Barrie did not turn and stoop a little as usual to get the robe of office put on, but kept saying,
“Bell—ring the bell—I had not thought of that. What do you think, Mary?”
Mrs. Barrie said she had told Guy to do as he thought fit, unless he got other instructions,—“the best thing that could have been done in the circumstances.”