I got ′em from the Lord, my fellow-sinners. Down! I said, "Here′s a heap of wages due; let us have something down, on account." And I got it down, and I paid it over to you; and you won′t wrap it up in a napkin, nor yet in a towel, nor yet pocketankercher, but you′ll put it out at good interest. Very well. Now, my brothers and sisters and fellow-sinners, I am going to conclude with a question, and I′ll make it so plain (with the help of the Lord, after five-and-thirty years, I should rather hope!) as that the Devil shall not be able to confuse it in your heads, - which he would be overjoyed to do.′
(′Just his way. Crafty old blackguard!′ from Brother Gimblet.)
′And the question is this, Are the angels learned?′
(′Not they. Not a bit on it!′ from Brother Gimblet, with the greatest confidence.)
′Not they. And where′s the proof? sent ready-made by the hand of the Lord. Why, there′s one among us here now, that has got all the learning that can be crammed into him. I got him all the learning that could be crammed into him. His grandfather′ (this I had never heard before) ′was a brother of ours. He was Brother Parksop. That′s what he was. Parksop; Brother Parksop. His worldly name was Parksop, and he was a brother of this brotherhood. Then wasn′t he Brother Parksop?′
(′Must be. Couldn′t help hisself!′ from Brother Gimblet.)
′Well, he left that one now here present among us to the care of a brother-sinner of his (and that brother-sinner, mind you, was a sinner of a bigger size in his time than any of you; praise the Lord!), Brother Hawkyard. Me. I got him without fee or reward, - without a morsel of myrrh, or frankincense, nor yet amber, letting alone the honeycomb, - all the learning that could be crammed into him. Has it brought him into our temple, in the spirit? No. Have we had any ignorant brothers and sisters that didn′t know round O from crooked S, come in among us meanwhile? Many. Then the angels are NOT learned; then they don′t so much as know their alphabet. And now, my friends and fellow-sinners, having brought it to that, perhaps some brother present - perhaps you, Brother Gimblet - will pray a bit for us?′
Brother Gimblet undertook the sacred function, after having drawn his sleeve across his mouth, and muttered, ′Well! I don′t know as I see my way to hitting any of you quite in the right place neither.′ He said this with a dark smile, and then began to bellow. What we were specially to be preserved from, according to his solicitations, was, despoilment of the orphan, suppression of testamentary intentions on the part of a father or (say) grandfather, appropriation of the orphan′s house-property, feigning to give in charity to the wronged one from whom we withheld his due; and that class of sins. He ended with the petition, ′Give us peace!′ which, speaking for myself, was very much needed after twenty minutes of his bellowing.
Even though I had not seen him when he rose from his knees, steaming with perspiration, glance at Brother Hawkyard, and even though I had not heard Brother Hawkyard′s tone of congratulating him on the vigour with which he had roared, I should have detected a malicious application in this prayer.
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