Holt. Happily it had proved next morning that Mrs. Holt was in
her usual health.
Ernest was in despair about hitting on any good way of opening up
spiritual communication with his neighbour, when it occurred to him
that he had better perhaps begin by going upstairs, and knocking
very gently at Mr. Holt's door. He would then resign himself to the
guidance of the Holy Spirit, and act as the occasion, which, I
suppose, was another name for the Holy Spirit, suggested. Triply armed
with this reflection, he mounted the stairs quite jauntily, and was
about to knock when he heard Holt's voice inside swearing savagely
at his wife. This made him pause to think whether after all the moment
was an auspicious one, and while he was thus pausing, Mr. Holt, who
had heard that someone was on the stairs, opened the door and put
his head out. When he saw Ernest, he made an unpleasant, not to say
offensive movement, which might or might not have been directed at
Ernest, and looked altogether so ugly that my hero had an
instantaneous and unequivocal revelation from the Holy Spirit to the
effect that he should continue his journey upstairs at once, as though
he had never intended arresting it at Mr.
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