Proudie before his eyes. And a very merry supper
they had; but poor Mr. Harold Smith was not the merriest of the
party.
CHAPTER VII
Sunday Morning
It was, perhaps, quite as well on the whole for Mark Robarts, that he
did not go to that supper party. It was eleven o'clock before they
sat down and nearly two before the gentlemen were in bed. It must
be remembered that he had to preach, on the coming Sunday morning,
a charity sermon on behalf of a mission to Mr. Harold Smith's
islanders; and, to tell the truth, it was a task for which he had
now very little inclination. When first invited to do this, he had
regarded the task seriously enough, as he always did regard such
work, and he completed his sermon for the occasion before he left
Framley; but, since that, an air of ridicule had been thrown over the
whole affair, in which he had joined without much thinking of his own
sermon, and this made him now heartily wish that he could choose a
discourse upon any other subject. He knew well that the very points
on which he had most insisted, were those which had drawn most mirth
from Miss Dunstable and Mrs. Smith, and had oftenest provoked his own
laughter; and how was he now to preach on those matters in a fitting
mood, knowing, as he would know, that those two ladies would be
looking at him, would endeavour to catch his eye, and would turn him
into ridicule as they had already turned the lecturer? In this he did
injustice to one of the ladies, unconsciously.
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