I was chilled through and through, but I don"t think it was that which brought all these solemn feelings into my mind, for the tears that had frozen on my cheeks ran freely now, and my eyes kept filling again. I"m sure I can"t tell the reason, only that everything was so still and beautiful.
The pews in St. Albans have no cushions, and everybody can sit in them, only there is a placard on each, inviting the poor to sit down for nothing, but telling those that have money to give it, to support the church; which is just what our meeting-houses do, though they only chuck the plate at you, without a written warning.
Cousin E. E. and I sat down in one of the pews, and slid our knees to a board running along in front, to kneel on, and covered up our faces a minute or two; then we looked up, and there, close by the altar, stood the minister; but, oh, goodness! how he was dressed out. He had on, first, a black silk gown, with great bishop-sleeves, then a white linen dress, that I should think was a night-gown, only it was on a man, and it isn"t many women who would like to lend such things to be used in meeting-time. Over that he wore a white satin cape.
Cousin E. E. p.r.o.nounces it cope, but she does finefy her words so since she came to York.
On that was worked a cross, in gold and silk, like a Free Mason"s ap.r.o.n in some respects. He held a book open in his hand. I could see that he was shaking with chilliness, and the words rattled like icicles from his lips. Close by him stood a boy, dressed in a red frock, with a white one over it.
I whispered and asked Cousin E. E. what his name was; she answered back--"Acolyte," which was a name I never heard before.
After a while the congregation began to move out of the pews, a few at a time, and crowd up to the minister. Then they knelt down before him, and he gave them bread and wine close to the altar, instead of having it handed about as they do in our Presbyterian meeting-houses. Cousin E. E.
went up with the rest, and wanted me to go with her, but I could not bring myself to partake of the Lord"s Supper from a man in his shirt-sleeves, and with a silk cape on; so I shook my head and sat still, watching the altar.
After they had done coming up to him, the minister knelt down and prayed awhile; then he got up, and the boy in red shirt and white frock handed him a black hat, with four corners, which he put on his head; then he took something from the altar and walked through a side door, still wearing his double-c.o.c.ked hat. The boy followed him out, and then a man came round among the pews with a plate, in which Cousin E. E. dropped a gold piece with a ringing noise that made people look round. I followed up with five cents, and was astonished to see how little ring it had after the gold; n.o.body looked round at me.
It was broad daylight when we came out of that little meeting-house, and not quite so cold as it had been; but still I was glad to keep my m.u.f.f up to my face, and we walked toward home like a house afire.
"Well, how did you like the service?" says Cousin E. E., as we shivered along--"impressive, isn"t it?"
"Very," says I; "only do tell me what it was all about. This getting up and sitting down and bowing at nothing is more than I can understand."
"Oh," says she, "I ought to remember you came from a Congregational part of the country."
"And Methodist--to say nothing of Baptists and Quakers," says I.
"Yes, I mean all that," says she; "but the church, as a church, is but little understood among you."
"Well, as you came from the same place, you ought to know," says I, rebuking her city airs in my most austere manner.
"Well, yes," says she; "but one doesn"t hear much of the true church so far in the mountains. Even you seemed puzzled by a good many things this morning."
"Well, yes," says I--"the four-cornered c.o.c.ked hat, for instance."
"The four-cornered c.o.c.ked hat!" says she, stopping short on the sidewalk. "What do you mean? That was the barette."
"Oh," says I, "that is what they call it! Well, then, the four-cornered c.o.c.ked barette--what does the minister wear that for? It isn"t generally considered good manners for men to wear hats in meeting."
"Oh, there is a clerical reason I can"t quite explain, but it is a part of the ceremony."
"Just so," says I--"and the night-gown."
"Surplice, you mean," says E. E.; "oh, that is worn everywhere, in High and Low Church alike."
"Well," says I, "there may be a reason for such things, but a respectable black coat is what I"ve been used to."
"Yes, I know," says she; "but some people prefer the surplice and cope."
"Now tell me," says I, "what on earth has a minister to do with a woman"s satin _cape_, all crimlicued off with gold and silk work?" I put an emphasis on the word cape, to rebuke her finefied way of p.r.o.nouncing it.
"It is a part of the clerical paraphernalia, and gives richness to the vestments," says she. "But the altar--I felt sure that you would be pleased with that."
"Yes," says I; "the white flowers, the candles, and the evergreens were beautiful. But the red and white boy was too much for me; then his name--Acolyte--I never heard anything like it."
Just then we reached home, and shivered into the house to warm ourselves. Cousin Dempster was not up yet, and that child was sound asleep. It seemed to me as if we had been downstairs a week; but there was the Christmas tree, just loaded with presents; and there was the marble man and woman, looking cold as we were. And there we stood, hungry and shivering, for the help had all gone out to "early service,"
and forgot to heap coal on the furnace; and the end was, we just got into our cold beds again, and shivered ourselves to sleep. I dreamed that a man, all in black and white, with a four-cornered hat on--one ta.s.sel hanging over his eyes, and another down his back--with something like a flash of fire about his neck, was burying me ten thousand feet deep in a snow-drift, and pounding me down with a candle as big round as my waist. Then it seemed to me that I got out, somehow, and was trying to warm my hands by the red frock of that boy, Acolyte, who faded into nothing before my eyes, and left me sound asleep as if I had never been to early service in my life.
XIX.
CHRISTMAS MORNING.
We had a good long sleep after early service, and were all up bright as larks the next morning, wishing each other a merry Christmas, and waiting for that child to come down and see what Santa Claus had brought her. By and by we heard her coming. Mr. Dempster looked at his wife and smiled, as much as to say, "Won"t our presents surprise her!" Cousin E.
E. went to the door and opened it, looking pleased, and so like her old self that I could have kissed her.
At last Cecilia came in, sour as vinegar, with her hair half combed, and her sash trailing.
"Why, this is what I saw last night," says she, crossly.
"Look at the foot of the tree!" says E. E., eagerly.
Cecilia looked, and saw the doll and the open trunk. Her lips drooped at the corners, her right shoulder lifted itself.
"A doll for me! The idea!" says she.
Cousin E. E. turned away, I think, to hide the tears that swelled to her eyes. Mr. Dempster saw it, and says he:
"Cecilia, your mother spent a great deal of money for the doll--don"t be ungrateful."
"Just as if I wanted her to do it. Baby things!"
"Well," says Cousin E. E., trying to brighten up her face, "there is your father"s present."
Cecilia untwisted the string of coral, and looked at it.
"Coral is for babies! That is worse yet! I just wish there hadn"t been any Christmas at all," says she, a-flinging the beads in a lovely pink heap on the floor. "There now--I"ll just go up-stairs and stay there!"
"Wait a minute, my darling," says E. E.; "mother has got something else."
Cecilia turned back a step, but scorned to let her sullen face brighten, though her eyes grew eager when Cousin E. E. took a little paper box from one of the baskets, and opened it.
"See here!"
Cecilia edged up to her mother, saw the emerald ring, and s.n.a.t.c.hed at it.
"I bought it for Cousin Phmie," says E. E., a-looking sort of pleadingly at me; "but as you are so disappointed, I"m sure she won"t care."