But for her it would have been very hard; for the vicar's voice sounded precisely as it used to sound; Mrs.
Ambrose had not lost her habit of removing one glove and putting it into her prayer book as a mark while she found the hymn in the accompanying volume; the bright decorations looked as they looked years ago above the organ and round the chancel; from far down the church, just before the sermon, came the old accustomed sound of small boys shuffling their hobnailed shoes upon the stone floor and the audible guttural whisper of the churchwarden admonishing them to "mind the stick;" the stained-glass windows admitted the same pleasant light as of yore--all was unchanged.
But Mrs.Goddard and Nellie occupied the cottage pew, and their presence alone was sufficient to mark to John the fact that he was now a man.
The service was sympathetic to John Short.

He liked the simplicity of it, even the rough singing of the choir, as compared with the solemn and magnificent musical services of Trinity College Chapel.

But it seemed very long before it was all over and he was waiting for Mrs.Goddard outside the church door.
There were more greetings, more "Merry Christmas" and "Many happy returns." Mrs.Goddard looked more charming than ever and was quite as cordial as on the previous evening.
"How much better it all looked this morning by daylight," she said.
"I think it looked very pretty last night," answered John.

"There is nothing so delightful as Christmas decorations, is there ?" "Perhaps you will come down next year and help us again ?" suggested Mrs.
Goddard.
"Yes--well, I might come at Easter, for that matter," answered the young man, who after finding it impossible to visit Billingsfield during two years and a half, now saw no difficulty whatever in the way of making two visits in the course of six months.

"Do you still decorate at Easter ?" he asked.
"Oh yes--do you think you can come ?" she said pleasantly.