"Excellent old man!" said Sue to herself, who was sentimentally
opposed to the horrors of over-restoration.
"The Ten Commandments are fixed to the east end," the messenger went
on, "and they want doing up with the rest of the wall there, since
he won't have them carted off as old materials belonging to the
contractor in the usual way of the trade."
A bargain as to terms was struck, and Jude came indoors. "There, you
see," he said cheerfully. "One more job yet, at any rate, and you
can help in it--at least you can try. We shall have all the church
to ourselves, as the rest of the work is finished."
Next day Jude went out to the church, which was only two miles
off. He found that what the contractor's clerk had said was true.
The tables of the Jewish law towered sternly over the utensils of
Christian grace, as the chief ornament of the chancel end, in the
fine dry style of the last century. And as their framework was
constructed of ornamental plaster they could not be taken down for
repair. A portion, crumbled by damp, required renewal; and when
this had been done, and the whole cleansed, he began to renew the
lettering. On the second morning Sue came to see what assistance
she could render, and also because they liked to be together.
The silence and emptiness of the building gave her confidence, and,
standing on a safe low platform erected by Jude, which she was
nevertheless timid at mounting, she began painting in the letters
of the first Table while he set about mending a portion of the
second. She was quite pleased at her powers; she had acquired them
in the days she painted illumined texts for the church-fitting shop
at Christminster. Nobody seemed likely to disturb them; and the
pleasant twitter of birds, and rustle of October leafage, came in
through an open window, and mingled with their talk.
They were not, however, to be left thus snug and peaceful for long.
About half-past twelve there came footsteps on the gravel without.
The old vicar and his churchwarden entered, and, coming up to see
what was being done, seemed surprised to discover that a young woman
was assisting. They passed on into an aisle, at which time the door
again opened, and another figure entered--a small one, that of little
Time, who was crying. Sue had told him where he might find her
between school-hours, if he wished. She came down from her perch,
and said, "What's the matter, my dear?"