Only let us hope, brother, that you and I may always find ourselves in a position to lie in bed till it is all over.
In Australia, it may be worth while to remark, this custom, with many other religious observances, has fallen into entire desuetude.
The Vicar was very cross this morning.

He had been sitting up all night, which was bad, and he had been thinking these last few minutes that he had made a fool of himself, by talking so freely to the Doctor about his private affairs, which was worse.

Nothing irritated the Vicar's temper more than the feeling of having been too free and communicative with people who did not care about him, a thing he was very apt to do.

And, on this occasion, he could not disguise from himself that he had been led into talking about his daughter to the Doctor, in a way which he characterised in his own mind as being "indecent." As I said, he was cross.

And anything in the way of clearing up or disturbance always irritated him, though he generally concealed it.