"O Lewis," said Mrs. Morgan, just as they were nearing home, "do you suppose anybody would object if you were to cut those dreadful-looking yellow tassels from the pulpit and tack a neat little braid, such as upholsterers use, around it? John and I are going down there, some day this week, to fix up things, and you may go along and upholster the pulpit if you want to."
"John and you!"
The astonishment in her husband's voice made Louise's eyes laugh; but her tones were steady. "Yes, he is going to stop that dreadful squeak in the organ; isn't that terrible? It just spoiled the music, and it would have been good but for that. I've promised to dust if there can be some sweeping done. O John, did you speak to the sexton? No? Well, I am not sure that it is very Sunday work; but when can you see him?"
Then Dorothy roused to the occasion—
"The sexton comes every morning to get a can of milk for some of his customers at the village."
"Oh, does he? Then you can see him. John, you will attend to it to-morrow morning, won't you? And have it done before Wednesday, because then the church will be warmed for prayer-meeting, and we can get it ready more comfortably. I wonder if those lamps don't smoke? They look as if they might."
"They used to smoke fiercely enough when I knew them last," her husband said. "I haven't been down in the evening since I came home from Australia."
Here was certainly a revelation to Louise. Her husband had not been to the church prayer-meeting since he came from Australia, eight months before! But she made no comment. Dorothy, having once determined to speak, had more to say—
"They look as though they hadn't been washed for forty years! I never saw such black things in my life!"
"Suppose you enlist with us, Dorothy? Go down on Wednesday, and let's put the lamps in order. We'll let Lewis buy some wicks and chimneys for his share. I saw that two of the chimneys were broken; those two lamps will smoke, of course."