第96章

`'Ow do you make it out?' demanded the preacher, wiping the froth from his lips and the perspiration from his forehead with his handkerchief.

`Why, because you don't believe the Bible yourselves.'

Nimrod and the other evangelists laughed, and looked pityingly at the young man.

`Ah, my dear brother,' said Misery.`That's your delusion.I thank God I do believe it, every word!'

`Amen,' fervently ejaculated Slyme and several of the other disciples.

`Oh no, you don't,' replied the other.`And I can prove you don't.'

`Prove it, then,' said Nimrod.

`Read out the 17th and 18th verses of the XVIth chapter of Mark,' said the disturber of the meeting.The crowd began to close in on the centre, the better to hear the dispute.Misery, standing close to the lantern, found the verse mentioned and read aloud as follows:

`And these signs shall follow them that believe.In my name shall they cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues.They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.'

`Well, you can't heal the sick, neither can you speak new languages or cast out devils: but perhaps you can drink deadly things without suffering harm.' The speaker here suddenly drew from his waistcoat pocket a small glass bottle and held it out towards Misery, who shrank from it with horror as he continued: `I have here a most deadly poison.There is in this bottle sufficient strychnine to kill a dozen unbelievers.Drink it! And if it doesn't harm you, we'll know that you really are a believer and that what you believe is the truth!'

`'Ear, 'ear!' said the Semi-drunk, who had listened to the progress of the argument with great interest.`'Ear, 'ear! That's fair enough.

Git it acrost yer chest.'

Some of the people in the crowd began to laugh, and voices were heard from several quarters calling upon Misery to drink the strychnine.

`Now, if you'll allow me, I'll explain to you what that there verse means,' said Hunter.`If you read it carefully - WITH the context -'

`I don't want you to tell me what it means,' interrupted the other.

`I am able to read for myself.Whatever you may say, or pretend to think it means, I know what it says.'

`Hear, Hear,' shouted several voices, and angry cries of `Why don't you drink the poison?' began to be heard from the outskirts of the crowd.

`Are you going to drink it or not?' demanded the man with the bottle.

`No! I'm not such a fool!' retorted Misery, fiercely, and a loud shout of laughter broke from the crowd.'

`P'haps some of the other "believers" would like to,' said the young man sneeringly, looking round upon the disciples.As no one seemed desirous of availing himself of this offer, the man returned the bottle regretfully to his pocket.

`I suppose,' said Misery, regarding the owner of the strychnine with a sneer, `I suppose you're one of them there hired critics wot's goin'

about the country doin' the Devil's work?'

`Wot I wants to know is this 'ere,' said the Semi-drunk, suddenly advancing into the middle of the ring and speaking in a loud voice.

`Where did Cain get 'is wife from?'

`Don't answer 'im, Brother 'Unter,' said Mr Didlum, one of the disciples.This was rather an unnecessary piece of advice, because Misery did not know the answer.

An individual in a long black garment - the `minister' - now whispered something to Miss Didlum, who was seated at the organ, whereupon she began to play, and the `believers' began to sing, as loud as they could so as to drown the voices of the disturbers of the meeting, a song called `Oh, that will be Glory for me!'

After this hymn the `minister' invited a shabbily dressed `brother' -a working-man member of the PSA, to say a `few words', and the latter accordingly stepped into the centre of the ring and held forth as follows:

`My dear frens, I thank Gord tonight that I can stand 'ere tonight, hout in the hopen hair and tell hall you dear people tonight of hall wot's been done for ME.Ho my dear frens hi ham so glad tonight as Ican stand 'ere tonight and say as hall my sins is hunder the blood tonight and wot 'E's done for me 'E can do for you tonight.If you'll honly do as I done and just acknowledge yourself a lost sinner -'

`Yes! that's the honly way!' shouted Nimrod.

`Amen,' cried all the other believers.

`- If you'll honly come to 'im tonight in the same way as I done you'll see wot 'E's done for me 'E can do for you.Ho my dear frens, don't go puttin' it orf from day to day like a door turnin' on its 'inges, don't put orf to some more convenient time because you may never 'ave another chance.'Im that bein' orfen reproved 'ardeneth 'is neck shall be suddenly cut orf and that without remedy.Ho come to 'im tonight, for 'Is name's sake and to 'Im we'll give hall the glory.Amen.'

`Amen,' said the believers, fervently, and then the man who was dressed in the long garment entreated all those who were not yet true believers - and doers - of the word to join earnestly and MEANINGLY in the singing of the closing hymn, which he was about to read out to them.

The Semi-drunk obligingly conducted as before, and the crowd faded away with the last notes of the music.