XX11 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 



observance of the Sabbath ; this sense of propriety is again still 

 more exacting in such places as the coast, and this our botanist 

 knew ; but he did not quite calculate to what an extent he was to 

 make an exhibition of himself. As he had turned to go home again 

 with the fern, this had shortened his ramble, it thus brought him 

 back much sooner than had been calculated on, and just as he 

 entered the village, his feelings may be guessed when he found that 

 the Established Kirk had just " skailed," and a march along in the 

 face of a lengthened procession of serious faces was before him and 

 the Osmunda Regalis. There may have been in his mind, under 

 such circumstances, an impulse for an instant to drop the specimen 

 and evade the difficulty, but it did not lead to such a line of action, 

 a glance at the beautiful object, and his fingers clutched it more 

 firmly as he marched up to face the wondering crowd. There was 

 a sense of relief when the ordeal was over, and he found himself at 

 the end ; but the Free Kirk was yet between him and home could 

 he get beyond it before the congregation came out, was the enquiry 

 which presented itself to his mind. He could not be included 

 among those who had a preference for long prayers, but here, for 

 once in his life at least, his wishes were directed towards this, as 

 being a desirable thing. His wish was not granted. Before he 

 came up to the church door the stream of people had began to pour 

 out, and their astonishment was great at seeing a man, on that clay, 

 walking along carrying such a conspicuous object in his hand ; but, 

 even the fear of Mrs. Grundy, as represented by the pious horror of 

 the " Frees," did not for a moment shake his determination. The 

 scandal of violating any of the "ten thousand proprieties" is a 

 great controlling influence on the Chinese mind, but none of them 

 would be greater to the celestial soul than this desecration of what 

 is considered to be a propriety in regard to the seventh day of the 

 week in Scotland. It required a good deal of determination and 

 self-control to have gone through this ordeal. Some men could 

 have done it from being possessed of a thick-skinned indifference, 

 but that was not Mr. Kennedy's nature, he was sensitive to a degree. 

 It was in this instance his devotion to his science which led him into 

 this disagreeable position, and the inward power which carried him 

 through all difficulties enabled him to surmount this one. To his 

 mind the fern contained as instructive a homily as any that would 



