Finding that the people were beginning to frequent the church, I thought it was time to consider what steps should be taken about its restoration, and made it the subject of conversation with the farmers.  It awakened and alarmed many of them when I said that the church must be restored, and that we must have a church rate.  The chief farmer shook his head, saying, “You cannot carry that;” but I replied, “According to law, you are bound to keep up the fabric, and it ought to be done.  I will write to the Vicar at once about it.”  He was a non-resident pluralist.

The farmer smiled at that, and said, laughing, “I will pledge myself that we will do as much as he does.”  It so happened that the Vicar, equally incredulous about the farmers doing anything, promised that he would do one half, if they would do the other.

Having ascertained this to my satisfaction, I immediately sent for the mason of the village, who played the clarionet in the church, also his son, who was “one of the of the fiddles,” and consulted with them as to how this matter was to be accomplished.  They, being in want of work at the time, readily advised me in favour of restoration.  The churchwarden (the “bass viol”) said “that he had no objection to this proceeding, but that he would not be responsible.  In two months,” he added, “would be the annual vestry meeting.”  “That will do,” I said, interrupting him; and I made up my mind that I would at once restore the church, and let the parishioners come and see it at that time.

Having made all necessary preparations, we commenced one fine Monday morning with repairing the roof and walls; and while the men were employed outside, we took out the windows and opened all the doors, to let the wind blow through, that the interior of the building might be thoroughly dried.  This done, we next coloured the walls, also the stone arches and pillars (they were far too much broken to display them); and having cleaned the seats and front of the gallery, we stained and varnished them, matted the floor, carpeted the sacrarium, and procured a new cloth for the Communion Table, and also for the ’pulpit and reading-desk.

All this being completed, I painted texts with my own hands on the walls, in old English characters.  I had great joy in writing these, for I felt as if it was to the Lord Himself, and for His name, and finished with Nehemiah’s prayer, “Remember me, O my God, concerning this; and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof” (Neh. 13:14).

Altogether, it was a pretty church now, and a pretty sum was to be paid for it.  I told the vestry that I alone was responsible, but that the Vicar had promised to pay one half if the vestry would pay the other.  It seemed to be such a joy to them to get anything out of him, that they made a rate at once; and upon the Vicar’s letter, raised the money and paid off the debt.