all that difficult district about the canal
under the charge of the Curate of St Roque's. It is said that the
horror with which, after having just written to Miss Leonora Wentworth
to inform her what "a great work" his young friend was doing among the
bargemen, Mr Bury was seized upon entering St Roque's itself for the
first time after the consecration, when the young priest had arranged
everything his own way, had a very bad effect on his health, and
hastened his end. And it is indeed a fact that he died soon after,
before he had time to issue the interdict he intended against Mr
Wentworth's further exertions in the parish of Carlingford. Then came
Mr Proctor, who came into the town as if he had dropped from the
skies, and knew no more about managing a parish than a baby; and
under his exceptional incumbency Mr Wentworth became more than ever
necessary to the peace of the community. Now a new _regime_ had been
inaugurated. Mr Morgan, a man whom Miss Wodehouse described as "in the
prime of life," newly married, with a wife also in the prime of life,
who had waited for him ten years, and all that time had been under
training for her future duties--two fresh, new, active, clergymanly
intellects, entirely open to the affairs of the town, and intent
upon general reformation and sound management--had just come into
possession. The new Rector was making a great stir all about him, as
was natural to a new man; and it seemed, on the whole, a highly
doubtful business whether he and Mr Wentworth would find Carlingford
big enough to hold them both.

"We could not have expected to begin quite without difficulties," said
Mrs Morgan, as she and her husband discussed the question in the
drawing-room of the Rectory. It was a pretty drawing-room, though Mr
Proctor's taste was not quite in accordance with the principles of
the new incumbent's wife: however, as the furniture was all new, and as
the former rector had no further need for it, it was of course, much the
best and most economical arrangement to take it as it stood--though the
bouquets on the carpet were a grievance which nothing but her high
Christian principles could have carried Mrs Morgan through. She looked
round as she spoke, and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head:
she, too, had her share of disagreeables. "It would not look like
Christ's work, dear," said the clergyman's wife, "if we had it all our
own way."

"My dear, I hope I am actuated by higher motives