and fell on to the bed sheet. The old fool was clearly very sorry for himself.
'Gout? That's nothing. You told me once you've suffered from it for twenty years. A little fasting and you'll be up and about again. Did you forswear any luxuries for Lent? Tell me that.'
'The gout?' said Mr Pe arce. 'That was what you said, wasn't it? All, the gout I have had in my limbs for half of a lifetime; but now it has risen to my heart. There are times in the night - I tremble at the thought of them - when I stretch up - and up and up - hoping for the next breath. One of these days, one of these nights, my boy, and the next breath will not come.'
'I wish I could help you,' Ossie said coldly. 'I'm sorry if you are so sick.'
Mr Pearce remembered his manners. 'A glass of canary? It's on the side there. Noblemen have seen fit to congratulate me on my choice of a canary. Help yourself, will you?' Ossie did so. 'No, alas, I may not drink it afore sundown, Behenna says; though what difference it will make in the end, the good God knows ... And talking of the good God, Mr Whitworth, I'd remind you that I am in your parish. St Margaret's extends to take in this corner of Truro, even though all the rest belongs to St Mary's. Anyway, I could not bear the comforts of the sour Dr Halse .'
Ossie for the first time realized why he had been called. Offering solace to the sick and the bereaved was one of the duties of his office that he was least attracted to, but when driven into a corner he made some show of it. For the most part, since he had a good memory, this consisted of quotations from the Bible: obviously nothing that a mere parson could say could be so ap t or so authoritative. But Mr Pe arce was an educated man and clearly would not respond to the first quotation that came to mind.
In the end he shouted: 'Job in the time of his tribulation said: "If a man the , shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands."'
Silence fell. Mr Pearce said: 'I believe a glass of canary will be helpful to me, my boy.'
It was poured. It was drunk.
Mr Pearce said: 'You're a parson, my boy. You're in holy orders. The bishop has laid hands on you. So you ought to know. If anyone docs, that is. Eh? Eh? What did you say?'
'Nothing,' said Ossie.
'Ah, well, I suppose that's about what anyone would say confronted with such a question. All the same, d'you know, I'd be interested. Do you believe what you teach, parson? D'you believe in an afterlife? My daughter docs. Oh, yes. She's a Methody and considers that it is only important to repent here and now and all the rest will be added to you after you the . That's fundamentally what the Bible teaches, isn't it, not regarding which particular branch of religion you swing from. Repent and you'll live again.'
Ossie said: "Thou has hold of me by Thy right hand. Thou shall guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in Heaven but Thee? My flesh and my heart faileth. But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."'
'You dropped your voice,' said Nat Pearce, Notary and Commissioner for Oaths. 'This unusual in you, my boy; you've one of those voices that carry. But I don't supposition that what you have had to say is quite in my particular field. Maybe you'll find a fox, but taint the same one! D'you know, I would wish to repent if I could believe there were something to it, for I've not been so well behaved these last few years, Tis pressure of circumstance that has been at the bottom of it all,'
Ossie moved reluctantly to the chair and lowered himself into it. 'St James says: "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life.'"
'Eh? Yes, that's very well.' Mr Pearce raised a swollen mulberry of a hand and scratched among the ruffles on h is chest. 'But I haven't altogether endured
'Gout? That's nothing. You told me once you've suffered from it for twenty years. A little fasting and you'll be up and about again. Did you forswear any luxuries for Lent? Tell me that.'
'The gout?' said Mr Pe arce. 'That was what you said, wasn't it? All, the gout I have had in my limbs for half of a lifetime; but now it has risen to my heart. There are times in the night - I tremble at the thought of them - when I stretch up - and up and up - hoping for the next breath. One of these days, one of these nights, my boy, and the next breath will not come.'
'I wish I could help you,' Ossie said coldly. 'I'm sorry if you are so sick.'
Mr Pearce remembered his manners. 'A glass of canary? It's on the side there. Noblemen have seen fit to congratulate me on my choice of a canary. Help yourself, will you?' Ossie did so. 'No, alas, I may not drink it afore sundown, Behenna says; though what difference it will make in the end, the good God knows ... And talking of the good God, Mr Whitworth, I'd remind you that I am in your parish. St Margaret's extends to take in this corner of Truro, even though all the rest belongs to St Mary's. Anyway, I could not bear the comforts of the sour Dr Halse .'
Ossie for the first time realized why he had been called. Offering solace to the sick and the bereaved was one of the duties of his office that he was least attracted to, but when driven into a corner he made some show of it. For the most part, since he had a good memory, this consisted of quotations from the Bible: obviously nothing that a mere parson could say could be so ap t or so authoritative. But Mr Pe arce was an educated man and clearly would not respond to the first quotation that came to mind.
In the end he shouted: 'Job in the time of his tribulation said: "If a man the , shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands."'
Silence fell. Mr Pearce said: 'I believe a glass of canary will be helpful to me, my boy.'
It was poured. It was drunk.
Mr Pearce said: 'You're a parson, my boy. You're in holy orders. The bishop has laid hands on you. So you ought to know. If anyone docs, that is. Eh? Eh? What did you say?'
'Nothing,' said Ossie.
'Ah, well, I suppose that's about what anyone would say confronted with such a question. All the same, d'you know, I'd be interested. Do you believe what you teach, parson? D'you believe in an afterlife? My daughter docs. Oh, yes. She's a Methody and considers that it is only important to repent here and now and all the rest will be added to you after you the . That's fundamentally what the Bible teaches, isn't it, not regarding which particular branch of religion you swing from. Repent and you'll live again.'
Ossie said: "Thou has hold of me by Thy right hand. Thou shall guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in Heaven but Thee? My flesh and my heart faileth. But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."'
'You dropped your voice,' said Nat Pearce, Notary and Commissioner for Oaths. 'This unusual in you, my boy; you've one of those voices that carry. But I don't supposition that what you have had to say is quite in my particular field. Maybe you'll find a fox, but taint the same one! D'you know, I would wish to repent if I could believe there were something to it, for I've not been so well behaved these last few years, Tis pressure of circumstance that has been at the bottom of it all,'
Ossie moved reluctantly to the chair and lowered himself into it. 'St James says: "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life.'"
'Eh? Yes, that's very well.' Mr Pearce raised a swollen mulberry of a hand and scratched among the ruffles on h is chest. 'But I haven't altogether endured
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