solemnity and delicate
impressions of a sacred sort of beauty. His desire for community life
was caused by his decided dislike of the world, of fuss and tedium and
conventional occupations. He was never in the least degree a typical
person. He had no wish to be distinguished, or to influence other minds
or lives, or to gain honour or consideration. These things simply
appeared to him as not worth striving for. What he desired was
companionship of a sympathetic kind and the opportunity of living among
the pursuits he liked best. He never wished to try experiments, and it
was always with a spectacular interest that he regarded the world.

His call was very real, and deeply felt, and he waited for a whole year
to make sure of it; but he found full decision at last.

Then came his first ministerial work at the Eton Mission; and this did
not satisfy him; his strength emerged in the fact that he did not adopt
or defer to the ideals he found about him: a weaker character would have
embraced them half-heartedly, tried to smother its own convictions, and
might have ended by habituating itself to a system. But Hugh was still,
half unconsciously, perhaps, in search of his real life; he did not
profess to be guided by anyone, nor did he ever suspend his own judgment
as to the worth of what he was doing; a manly and robust philanthropy on
Christian lines was not to his taste. His instinct was rather for the
beautiful element in religion and in life, and for a mystical
consecration of all to God. That did not seem to him to be recognised in
the work which he was doing. If he had been less independent, he might
have crushed it down, and come to view it as a private fancy. He might
have said to himself that it was plain that many human spirits did not
feel that more delicate appeal, and that his duty was to meet other
natures on some common ground.

It is by such sacrifices of personal bias that much of the original
force of the world is spoiled and wasted. It may be a noble sacrifice,
and it is often nobly made. But Hugh was not cast in that mould. His
effectiveness was to lie in the fact that he could disregard many
ordinary motives. He could frankly admire other methods of work, and yet
be quite sure that his own powers did not lie in that direction. But
though he was modest and not at all self-assertive, he never had the
least submissiveness nor subservience; nor was he capable of making any
pretences.

Sometimes it seems to ha