56 FIELD AND HEDGEROW, 



all those who, for want of a better expression, I may 

 term the humble-minded, those who have no aristocratic 

 or exclusive tastes, very simple in their reading and 

 studies even if well-to-do, and simple in their daily 

 habits, rising early and retiring early, and plebeian in 

 their dinner-hour. It is a peculiar cast of mind that I 

 am trying to describe — a natural frame of mind ; these 

 arc ' chapel people ' — perhaps a phrase will convey the 

 meaning better than explanation. This is their church, 

 and whatever the theology may be there is undoubtedly 

 a very strong bond of union among them. 



Not only the old women with their Sunday pennies, 

 but great numbers beside, young and old of both sexes, 

 take their cup of tea, for these people take tea with every 

 meal, dinner and supper as well as breakfast and five 

 o'clock, and if they don't feel well they will rise at two in 

 the morning to get a cup of tea. They are as Russian as 

 the Russians in this particular ; they have cheese on the 

 table, too, at every meal. The pastor has, meantime, 

 been entertained with a good dinner at some house ad- 

 jacent, where he goes every Sunday ; by-and-by the flute 

 begins to tune again, the hymns resound, and the 

 labour of the day is resumed. Somewhere about four 

 o'clock the summer-dusty roads are full again of the 

 returning pilgrims, and the crowd gradually sinks away 

 by footpath and stile. The black albatross is still 

 wheeling in the upper atmosphere, the white-barred 

 swallow rushes along the road and dives upwards, the 

 unwearied roses are still opened to the sun's rays, and 

 calm, indifferent Nature has pursued her quiet course 

 without heed of pitch-pipe or organ, or bell or chalice. 

 Perhaps if you chance to be resting by a gate you ma}- 

 hear one of the cottage women telling her children to Ici 

 the ants alone and not tease them, for * thaay be God's 



