ve found
great enjoyment in that there prayer you gave us, sir, some time back,
great profit I may say, without fear of exaggeration."

"Prayer?" repeated the other, for a moment forgetting the incident
alluded to. "Oh, yes, I know what you mean; it was, I understand, a
trifle long for the occasion, a trifle long perhaps, but I spoke from
my heart and with my heart, and I forgot probably that you were all
waiting, and the viands were kept waiting too and so forth. I shan't
offend again, I hope."

"I 'ope not, sir, I 'ope not. Now this evening you did it all to
perfection, and all were very much obliged to you."

"Thank you, thank you very much," said Ringfield, his gaze wandering
off to the hall where glimpses of drapery and musical clinking of
bangles and bracelets assailed his senses. Miss Clairville was never
without earrings and other jewelry, and if the proper idea of ornament
is to attract attention to the parts thus graced, in her case there was
reason for her wearing such, since she possessed both beautifully
shaped ears and fine hands and arms.

"But, sir, the length of prayers is not all! Some of us could--I say
this without fear of exaggeration--could go through the entire Litany
and the Apostles' Creed backwards, which would take a man some time,
and yet what would be the good of it? Stands to reason, sir, there
must be something more than length, mere length of time in prayers."

"Of course, of course. You are quite right, Enderby."

"There must be appropriateness and truth and feeling, but none of it
must bear too direct, says you--on the parties present or the occasion,
be it wedding or funeral, or christening, or a mere social affair like
the Harvest Home yonder. I see how it is with you; you can't always
help it, for you can't always control your thoughts and likewise your
words, not having no notes."

"But what did I say amiss on that occasion?" began Ringfield, nervously
divining that this lecture was but the prelude to the statement that in
some way he had offended. "I am quite sure, I am positively certain,
that I had no intention of using words or phrases which were the
reverse of appropriate or true, yet you seem to think that I was thus
unfortunate."

Enderby gave a great sigh. "If you don't remember you mustn't find
fault with my remembering, for it made quite a stir at the time. It
quite took my wife's appetite away, sir."

"What did?" said Ringfield shortly.

"Your sayi