Page:Life's little ironies (1894).pdf/254

being in the same state of mind and nothing doubting, followed their leader with all their strength, according to custom. They poured out that there tune till the lower bags notes of ‘The Devil among the Tailors’ made the cobwebs in the roof shiver like ghosts ; then Nicholas, seeing nobody moved, shouted out as he scraped (in his asual commanding way at dances when the folk didn’t know the figures), 'Top couples cross banda! And whenI make the fiddle squeak at the end, every man kiss his pardner under the mistletoe!'

“The boy Levi was so frightened that he bolted down the gallery stairs and out homeward like lightning. The pa’son’s hair fairly stood on end when he heard the evil tune raging through the church; and thinking the choir had gone crazy, be held up his hand and said: ‘Stop, stop, stop! Stop, stop! What's this? Bat they didn’t hear ’n for the noise of their own playing, and the more he called the louder they played.

“Then the folks came out of their pews, wondering down to the ground, and saying: ‘ What do they mean by such wickedness? We shall be consumed like Sodom and Gomorrah

“Then the squire came out of his pew lined wi’ green baize, where lots of lords and ladies visiting at the house were worshipping along with him, and went and atood in front of the gallery, and shook his fist in the musiciaus’ faces, aaying, ‘What! In this reverent edifice! What!’

" And at last they heard ’n through their playing, and stopped.

"'Never such an insulting, disgraceful thing—never!’ says the squire, who couldn’t rule his passion,

"'Never! says the pa’son, who had come down and stood beside him.