When he was excited the colour ran into his nose as though he had been drinking, and often his ears were red.

His history was simple.

The son of a small draper in Streatham, he had at an early age joined himself to an American Revivalist called Harper.

When after some six years of successful enterprise Mr.Harper had been imprisoned for forgery, young William Thurston had attached himself to a Christian Science Chapel in Hoxton.

Then, somewhere about 1897, he had met Miss Avies at a Revivalist Meeting in the Albert Hall and, fascinated by her ardent spirit, transferred his services to the Kingscote Brethren.
He had now risen to a position of great importance in the Chapel; it was known that he disagreed profoundly with his leader on some vital questions, and it was thought that he might at a later date definitely secede and conduct a party of his own.
Certainly he had exceptional energies and gifts of exhortation and invective not to be despised.