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parson pray and preach, he hears his daughter's voice singing in the village choir.' The context shows that it is the blacksmith's daughter who is alluded to, but by the ordinary rules of grammar it ought to be the parson's daughter. I'm not much of a church-goer myself⁠———"

"Marryatt," continued Gordon, "do you have anthems often in church?"

The word "anthems" made Reeves feel as if he had leapt a foot into the air. Marryatt, however, showed no traces of excitement.

"Very rarely, I am thankful to say."

"And those, I suppose, are at Evensong, not at Mattins?"

Reeves frowned slightly. This effort to introduce the significant words seemed to him painfully forced, and at the same time quite useless. It was not likely that Marryatt would connect the words on the "washing-list" with the cipher he had inadvertently sent to Brotherhood on the same sheet of paper.

"No, not at Mattins. The Te Deum, I am afraid, exercises the capacities of my choir to their full limit."

"You just have them on big days, I suppose, like Harvest Festivals?"

"That kind of thing. Really, Gordon, you seem very ecclesiastical this evening. Were you going to offer to sing in the choir or anything?"

"No, my boy, not till you get some more comfortable hassocks."