stival, and the guilds, and the choir, and the temperance
work. A great deal of it was a strange language to May, but she
half-disapproved of it, as entirely unlike the 'soberness' of
Bridgefield ways, and like the Redcastle vicar, whom her father
commonly called 'that madman.' Still, she had a practical soul for
parish work, and could appreciate the earnestness that manifested
itself, and the exertions made for people of the classes whom she had
always supposed too bad or else too well off to come under clerical
supervision. And her aunt and cousin and this young man all evidently
had their hearts in it! For Nuttie--though her new world had put the
old one apparently aside--had plunged into all the old interests, and
asked questions eagerly, and listened to their answers, as if
Micklethwayte news was water to the thirsty. The two were too happy to
meet, and, it must be confessed, had not quite manners enough, to feel
it needful to include in their conversation the weary figure that
plodded along at a little distance from them, hardly attending to the
details of their chatter, yet deriving new notions from it of the
former life of Ursula and her mother, matters which she had hitherto
thought beneath her attention, except so far as to be thankful that
they had emerged from it so presentable. That it was a more actively
religious, and perhaps a more intellectual one than her own, she had
thought impossible, where everything must be second-rate. And yet,
when her attention had wandered from an account of Mr. Dutton's
dealings with a refractory choir boy bent on going to the races, she
found a discussion going on about some past lectures upon astronomy,
and Nuttie vehemently regretting the not attending two courses promised
for the coming winter upon electricity and on Italian art, and
mournfully observing, 'We never go to anything sensible here.'

May at first thought, 'Impertinent little thing,' and felt affronted,
but then owned to herself that it was all too true. Otherwise there
was hardly anything said about the contrast with Nuttie's present life;
Gerard knew already that the church atmosphere was very different, and
with the rector's daughter within earshot, he could not utter his
commiseration, nor Nuttie her regrets.

Once there was a general start, and the whole five came together at the
sight of a spectrally black apparition, with a huge tufted head on
high, bearing down over a low hedge upon them. Nobo