He's fa'en doon,
like Ananias, i' the seat."
Richard snatched a candle out of the candelabrum, and went to look.
Others followed similarly provided. They searched the pew where he had
been sitting, and the neighbouring pews, and the whole chapel, but he
was nowhere to be found.
"That wad hae been him, whan I heard the door bang," they said to each
other at length.
And so it was. For perceiving how he had committed himself, he had
slipped down in the pew, crawled on all fours to the door, and got out
of the place unsuspected.
A formal sentence of expulsion was passed upon him by a show of hands,
and the word _Expelled_ was written against his name in the list of
church-members.
"Thomas Crann, will you engage in prayer," said Mr Turnbull.
"Na, nae the nicht," answered Thomas. "I'm like ane under the auld law
that had been buryin' the deid. I hae been doin' necessar' but foul
wark, and I'm defiled in consequence. I'm no in a richt speerit to pray
in public. I maun awa' hame to my prayers. I houp I mayna do something
mysel' afore lang that'll mak' it necessar' for ye to dismiss me neist.
But gin that time sud come, spare not, I beseech ye."
So, after a short prayer from Mr Turnbull, the meeting separated in a
state of considerable excitement.
Pages:
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776