ulay's description of the peculiar position of the
Church of England is nowhere truer than in some isolated districts like
these Lower Canadian hamlets. She does, indeed, occupy a happy middle
place between the unadorned wooden temples with whitewashed windows of
the sects, and the large, aggressive stone churches of the Romish
faith. Were her clergy as alive to the situation and the peculiar
wants of the _peuple gentil-homme_ as they ought to be, one would meet
with greater numbers of adherents to the Episcopal ritual.

Mr. and Mrs. Abercorn were fully in sympathy with the countryside, and
acted themselves as runners and scouts in connexion with the picnic
tea, the lady seconding her husband in the most able and sagacious
manner, the latter bringing to his duties all those charms of culture
and presence which ministers of the Episcopal Church so often possess,
even when not too richly dowered with profound theological learning or
magnetic gifts of oratory. Moral and social wisdom, tact and
experience of the world, often atone for intellectual shortcomings,
especially in rural districts, and Ringfield was compelled to admit
that he was not the only worker in the neighbourhood capable of
understanding the wants of the people. Mr. Abercorn was about fifty,
but as enthusiastic and energetic as a much younger man.

"I knew something of French life and character before I came out here.
My wife is a native of Jersey. Our severe climate with its long,
rigorous winter and short but hot summer has helped to form the
national character; also the scenery. I mean that the beauty of the
place, of all these fine but lonely, austere rivers and forests creates
a melancholy, reflective tendency, and this makes it difficult in the
matter of recreation, which last is what so many of our people require,
particularly the French. I would have amusements going all the time if
I could afford it, but that, of course, is not feasible; the _joie de
vivre_ is only to be arrived at modestly, and in our small way we try
to make our picnic tea a success. We hope you will come over and join
us on that occasion. We shall be having it later than usual this year,
one reason for this being the fact that such serious illness exists in
your own parish. I refer to Mr. Henry Clairville. It would not do to
have much visiting between the parishes. And how is he getting on, for
I suppose you hear all about him from time to time."

Ringfield, as it