BEGGARS ON HORSEBACK. 49 



the oaks in days prior to Gregorians ; it seemed 

 to have in it echoes from ages of forgotten per- 

 secution, to be passionate with the protest of a 

 threatened faith. The modern respectabihty of 

 the congregation was amazingly out of keeping 

 with it, but many of the listening faces were 

 keen with unmistakable response. We recognised 

 in different parts of the church some of the deni- 

 zens of the Griffith Arms with their offspring — 

 being, in fact, privileged to sit behind certain of 

 the latter, and to mark the methods by which 

 they wiled away the duration of the state prayers 

 and other unbearable disciplines. It was some- 

 thing of a shock to discover the chambermaid 

 seated in amity and a chancel pew beside a 

 venerable gentleman whose grey beard had an 

 unstudied luxuriance about it that recalled the 

 pebble-thrower at the bridge. He stared at us 

 with an excitement that seemed to deepen into 

 ferocity, and once, during the prayers, I am al- 

 most certain that I saw him — after a wary glance 



at the chambermaid — thrust out his tongue, 



D 



