And Devotional, While Some Appeared As Deep And Unfathomable As If He
Were Looking Into Unknown Depths.
After An Introductory Prayer, He Read His Text In a Clear And Composed
Voice, After Which He Began A Short And Clear Explanation Of The
Passage. It Was Only In The Last Part Of The Sermon That He Really
Intended To Go Into More Personal Matters, And The Nearer He Approached
Them The Less Confidence He Seemed To Feel. When He Had Begun His
Sermon, He Had Fixed His Eyes On A Certain Point, Which He Sought Every
Time He Lifted His Eyes From His Notes; And This Point, Although He Had
Not Remarked It At First, Was Dean Sparre'S Head. The Snowy Hair And The
White Collar Stood Out In The Sharpest Contrast Against The Dark
Background, And The More The Speaker Gazed At This Noble Face, The More
He Seemed To Dread The Conclusion. He Was Already Close Upon The Point
Where He Was First To Begin To Speak About Sincerity, And The Necessity
Of A Perfectly Truthful Existence, And Although He Could Not Exactly
Tell The Reason, He Could Not But Feel That The Stirring Discourse He
Had Set Himself To Deliver, Was But Little In Keeping With That Bright
And Peaceful Smile, And With That Commanding Countenance So Full Of
Earnestness And Harmony.
His Head Seemed To Go Round, And Not Another Word Could He Utter. There
Was A Deathlike Stillness In The Church, As He Wiped His Brow With His
Handkerchief.
But When He Again Raised His Head, He Made An Effort, And, Looking
Beyond The Dean In His Need, He Sought Her Who Was Really The Cause Of
His Standing Where He Did. He Was Not Disappointed, For The Moment His
Eyes Met The Calm And Determined Face, A Change Seemed To Come Over Him.
Her Eye Rested Upon Him With An Inquiring And Almost Anxious Expression,
Which He Well Understood.
She Should Not Be Disappointed Of Her Trust In Him, And With Renewed
Strength, And Without A Tremor In His Voice, He Began Upon The Last Part
Of His Discourse. Ever Higher And Fuller Rang His Voice, Until Its
Sonorous Tone Filled The Church, And Was Re-Echoed From The Vaulted
Roof. The Congregation Followed Him With Attention, While Some Of The
Old Women Were Moved To Tears. And Now A Sensation Of Uneasiness Seemed
To Pass Through Those Who Composed The Great Assembly. It Was Indeed An
Chapter 11 Pg 81
Extraordinary Sermon, With Its Earnest Entreaties To Be Thoroughly
Upright And Sincere, And With Its Reckless Condemnation Of All Forms And
Ceremonies, All Of Which Were But Of Secondary Consideration. It Seemed
Too Bold, Too Exaggerated.
He Seemed Anxious To Confess His Sceptical Opinions, In Holding Which He
Did Not Stand Alone. He Was Only Alone In confessing Them. He Knew Only
Too Well That Fine Web Of Soothing Compromise, With Which People Were In
The Habit Of Deadening Their Consciences. He Knew It Still Better, Too,
From His Own Point Of View As A Clergyman, Who Even More Than Others Was
Bound To Live In The Full Glare Of Truth, Even Though He Might Be
Despised, Hated, And Persecuted By An Unreasoning World. If He Followed
The Beaten Track, Whither Would It Lead? To A Position Of Comfort And
Respectability, In Which The First Duty Was To Throw A Veil Over One'S
Own Heart And Those Of Others: To Suppress All Doubt And Inquiry, And To
Deaden All Real Life In The Individual, So That The Whole Machine Might
Continue Its Regular Movements Without Noise Or Friction. But Truth Was
A Two-Edged Sword, Sharp And Shining As Crystal. When The Light Of Truth
Broke Into The Heart Of Man, It Caused An Agony As Piercing As When A
Woman Brings Her Child Into The World.
But, Instead Of This, Was A Man To Lead A Life Of Slumber, Shut In by
Falsehood And Form, Without Force Or Courage; Giving No Sign Of Firmness
Or Power, But Stuffed And Padded Like The Hammers Of A Piano?
He Was So Carried Away By His Thoughts That He Forgot His Notes And Said
Many Things He Would Never Have Dared To Write; And After The Last
Thundering Outburst, He Concluded With A Short And Burning Prayer For
Himself And For All, To Have Power To Defy The Falsehood By Which Man
Was Bound, And To Live A Life Of Sincerity.
He Then Went On In an Entirely Changed Voice With The Rest Of The
Service; But Rachel Particularly Noticed That He Left Out The Prayer For
The Arms Of The Country, By Land And Sea; And Now, As He Read The
Prayers In a Calm, Quiet Voice, The Assembly Seemed To Breathe More
Freely, As If After A Storm.
Among The Men Could Be Heard Whispers, And The Prevailing Idea Seemed To
Be That The Sermon Was A Complete Scandal; While Those Who Had To Do
With The Law Were Of Opinion That He Would Be Cited Before The
Consistorial Court. Among The Women The Feeling Seemed Rather Undecided,
And Many Inquiring Glances Were Thrown Towards Where The Men Were
Sitting, In The Hope Of Divining What The Opinion Would Be, Either Of A
Husband, Or A Brother, Or, In Fact, Of That Particular Person Of The
Opposite Sex, According To Whose Decision Each Woman Was In The Habit Of
Forming Her Own.
Most Eyes, However, Sought The Dean, Who Sat As He Had Done During The
Whole Sermon, Slightly Leaning Back On His Seat, And Holding A Large
Hymn-Book, Which Was A Gift From His Previous Congregation, Between His
Hands. From The Upper Windows On The Other Side Of The Church A Subdued
Light Fell On His Form. The Face Had The Same Exalted And Peaceful
Expression; Not A Sign Of Uneasiness Or Annoyance Had Passed Over It
During The Whole Sermon, Which Was Not Without A Soothing Effect Upon
The Congregation. The Feeling Of Restlessness And Excitement Was
Universal, But Most People Seemed Inclined To Defer, Their Final
Judgment.
Chapter 11 Pg 82
Pastor Martens Had Left The Pew Immediately After The Sermon, For He Had
To Conduct The Communion Service. While He Performed It, His Somewhat
Unmusical Voice Trembled With Inward Emotion. There Could Be No Doubt
Whatever As To What Were The Inspector'S Real Opinions.
The Chaplain Could Not Help Being Rather Pleased At The Satisfaction The
Dean Would Now Be Obliged To Render Him, For It Had Been Quite Against
The Chaplain'S Wish
