hat, and I want
to stop the one way.'

The Bishop groaned. 'Archdeacon Maynard's a vice-president of the
Free and Open Churchmen in England. I heard him speak eloquently,
if a little floridly, on the right of the poor to the House of
God.'

Manners chuckled. 'England's some way off,' he said.

Topready spoke from his heart. 'I don't like it. I told the
people that the proper way was for Christians and philo-Christians
to build accordingly as they could spare money and time. But they
said that they were too few. I answered "Then let them wait in the old
church awhile." They said they wanted a new church this year, and that
the heathen should be called to help the faithful as in other places.
They said they ought to have a kraal levy as other places did it saved
a great deal of trouble. They thought me mad, I think. Azariah, the
teacher, practically told me so.'

The Bishop lit his pipe again.

'We'll think about it,' he said. 'The consecration is fixed for
the day after to-morrow, is it not? It was to be christened Holy
Innocents' Church on Childermas Day, was it not? Will you have it
consecrated on the Eve instead, Saint John's Night? Time Sunset.'

Topready started. 'Rather late, is it not?' he asked.

It was a great concourse that lined the hillside on the morrow
when the sun was going down. The Bishop had spoken that morning
in the old plain church of how he wished them to observe certain
days of prayer and thanksgiving.

He asked them to keep a festival of flocks on Saint Agnes' Day.

He asked them to keep a festival of herds on Saint Luke's Day.

He asked them to keep the feasts of Loaf-Mass in August and
Wood-Mass in September as feasts of Harvest and Forestry.

He asked them to keep a thanksgiving for summer after Christmas
on the night of Saint John, if they and their priest thought
good.

He spoke of how the heathen had worshipped the sun in the grey
northern lands. Then Christians better taught had thanked Christ,
the Light of the World, for the glory of the sun, and lighted
their joy-fires to a better purpose.

Doubtless, some in this land long ago, not only at Zimbabwe, but
on many hills and high places, had honored the strong sun of the
South. He asked them as Christians to be glad for that same sun's
blessings at Christmas time. It seemed to him good for those who
wished it (he gave no law) for those to light their bonfires
to-night and to thank God not only for the summer, but for the S