“I shall never again doubt,” said I, “the truth of God’s promise-’that if two of us shall agree on earth as touching anything they shall ask, it shall be done for them.’”

“Shall you not?” said he, with a smile.  “I wish I could be as sure for myself.”

CHAPTER XXXIII.

A Retrospect.

I am sitting in my library.  The fire burns cheerily in the grate.  A dear voice is singing sweetly by my side.  For baby is restless to-night and Jennie has brought him down to rock him to sleep here and keep me company.

The years pass in review before me.  Thank God for the dear wife who three years ago persuaded me that I was a Christian more than a Congregationalist.  The years have not been unfruitful.  The work has been, oh! so little, and the harvest so great!

I believe the whole church is satisfied with the result of our peculiar method of candidating.  I am sure there is no one who would willingly exchange Mr. Mapleson for Mr. Uncannon.  There have been rumors once or twice that there was danger Maurice Mapleson would leave.  He has twice had invitations to preach in city churches whose pulpits were vacant.  But he has declined.  “I hope,” he says, “to live and die here.  It is as God wills.  But I have no ambition for a larger field of usefulness.  It is all I can do to cultivate this field.”

My prophesy has proved true respecting Mr. Work.  He has broken down, given up preaching, nominally because of a throat trouble; really, I believe, because of spirit trouble, and has opened a young ladies’ school in one of the suburbs of the city.  Mr. Uncannon has left North Bizzy after a year’s pastorate, for one of the great cities of the West, where he is about equally famous for his fast horses, his good cigars, and his extraordinary pulpit pyrotechnics.

Maurice Mapleson’s experiment has proved a complete success.  Our church at last is out of its financial difficulties.  We held our annual meeting last week.  And here is the financial exhibit as it appeared in the treasurer’s report: 

Cr. 
Monthly Subscriptions
$1,675.00
Sunday Collections
395.85
Ladies’ Entertainments (a special fair having been organized by
Miss Moore to secure the interest money.)
251.06

$2,321.91

2,276.90 Balance in Treasury $45.01

Dr.
Minister’s Salary
$1,500.00
Organist, (the office was discontinued, congregational singing
established, and Deacon Goodsole’s eldest daughter voluntered to play.)
Nothing
Church Repairs-Sundries
55.50
Interest on Mortgage
315.00
Sexton (Salary reduced by himself as a contribution to the support
of the church.)
175.00
Fire, lights and incidentals
231.40

$2,276.90

The church has never before had a balance in its treasury, and it was bewildered with astonishment at the result.  The money was really due to Maurice, who was to pay, the reader will recollect, the incidental expenses out of the monthly subscriptions and take the remainder as his salary.  But Maurice positively refused to take it.  He, however, has long wanted the old pulpit cut down and a low platform substituted.  The money was voted for that purpose, and the alterations are now going on.