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" A book for boys about boys, — at school, at play, at home, in mischief, at work, in good company, in the fields, on the ice, with the servants, in the streets, in the church, on the amateur stage; in fact, doing just what boys do and saying just wliat boys say, not only in America, but all over the world. A wholesome and deligiitful story." — London Bookseller. A STORY OR TWO FROM AN OLD DUTCH TOWN. I. Abram Van Zandt, the Man in the Picture. II. Mr. Scher- merhorn's Marriage and Widowhood. III. Master Vorhagen's Wife. i6mo. Cloth. Price $1.25. " We have here three stories, simply told, but each with its peculiar central figure, and its separate group- ing of secondary characters and incidents; while a unity is given to the volume by the old Dutch town where the scene of all three is laid, and the time-marks desig- nating the period when the stillness of Dutch life in the interior of New York was just beginning to be disturbed by the invasions of Anglo-Saxon activity and enter- prise." — Boston Transcript. ROBERTS BROTHERS, Publishers, BOSTO N. THE NEW PRIEST IN CONCEPTION BAY. BY ROBERT LOWELL. ATXivov, aiXivov, eme, to 8* €v vikutco. iESCH. AOAMIIM. Woe! woe! But right, at last, though slow. BOSTON": ROBERTS BROTHERS. 1889. LU- Copyright, 1889, Bv HoHEKTs Bkothers. All nights Reserved. tlmiirtniiB {IrtM: John Wilson and Son, Cambridok. One, to whom I owe all, will He take this AT MY HAND, THE BEST I HAVE? PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION. THIS book was given out long ago, without the author's name, with a ihittering of lieart, but with a strong liope of winning liking and praise, which men love. The beings that he had made were to the maker living and fresh, and of that better manhood whose life — having more or less wealth, knowing more or knowing less — is of the true life. Their sea and sky and land and weather, and their ways, as he had drawn them, he knew to be true. Might not, then, all be to others living and fresh and true as to him ? The book was taken kindly then and when republished. Having been for years out of print, " The New Priest " is to be sent forth afresh ; and the au- thor has gone over it all, touching it in very many places, shading and lighting here and there, — making it, it is hoped, better. Schenectady, May 31, 1889. it HI FOREWORDS TO FIRST EDITION. Religious novels there are many; this is not one of them. These Figures, of gentle, simple, sad, and merry, were drawn (not in a Day) upon the walls of a House of Exile.* Will the great World care for them ? • A willing exile, as a Church-missionary, in Newfoundland. VIII. Skipper George's Story ^7 IX. A Meeting ge X. Some Gossip and some Real Life .... 94 XI. Two Meet Again 93 XII. A Sad Young Heart jq? XIII. A Great Loss iio XIV. A New Man 223 XV. Traces of the Lost iqa XVI. Searching Still 145 XVII. Which Way Suspicion leads 154 XVIIL The Day for Rest jgQ XIX. Suspected Persons jgg XX. An Official Examination from which something appears 175 XXI. An Old Smuggler jg^ CONTENTS. Chapter XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII. XXXIII. XXXIV. XXXV. XXXVI. XXXVII. XXXVIII. XXXIX. XL. XLI. XLII. XLIII. XLIV. XLV. XLVI. XLVII. XLVIII. XLIX. Paob An Interview or Two who hate met BEFORE 197 The New Priest at Bay-Harbor . . . 202 A Call at a Nunnery 212 The Magistrate deals with other Sus- picious Persons 227 Mr. Bangs has an Interview with the Head of the Mission 238 Another Relic found 249 Mr. Bangs a Neophyte 254 Miss Dare's Expedition with an Escort 270 Across the Barrens 282 Miss Fanny Dare Reports 291 High Mass 295 The Graveyard makes Strange Meet- ings 304 Mr. Wellon tries to do Something . . 311 A Station at Henran's Inn 318 The Tribunal of Penitence 323 Father Debree at Bay-Harbor again . 335 Father O'Toole's Assistant 343 The three Priests together 351 A Miracle 363 Examination 372 A Night's Boat-Racb 385 What Father Debree was told, etc. . 397 The two Priests and a third .... 403 Quite another Scene 419 Father Debree's Walk from Bay-Har- bor 426 An Opening into Father Debree's Heart 438 Father De Brie doubts 441 A Stranger approaches Ladford . . . 450 CONTENTS. xi Chapteb Pagb L. Father De Brie determines, and departs . 463 LI. The Trial 474 LII. The Last of Ladford 435 LIIL Strange Happenings 499 LIV. The Ghost again 511 LV. Mrs. Calloran's Revelations 5I6 LVI. Lucy's Home-Coming 523 LVII. A Last Interview 530 LVIII. Father De Brie is waited for, and sought . 548 LIX. The Wife's Meeting 558 LX. Father Terence, to the Last 666 LXI. Mrs. Barre afterwards 508 LXII. The End of All 509 THE STORY OF THE NEW PRIEST. A CHAPTER BEFORE THE FIRST. A SETTING OF OUR SCENE. UP go the surges on the coast of Newfoundhird, and down again into the sea. The huge island stands, with its sheer, beetling cliffs, out of the ocean ; believed, for a great part of its three hundred years, to be a mon- strous mass of rock and gravel, almost without soil, — a strange thing from tiie bottom of the great deep, lifted up suddenly into sunshine and storm, but belonging to the watery darkness out of wliich it had been reared. Inland all was untrodden and uuguessed. Avalon — a bit at the southeastern corner, almost cut off, and where most of the people have lived, to be near the fish — is rocky, indeed. The eye accustomed to softer scenes finds something of startling beauty in its bold, hard outlines against the sky. It has been the home of hardy, faithful, kindly people. Among these lies the scene of our story. I( CHAPTER I. A RARE INTRUDER. jHIRTY years ago, or longer, one bright day in August, the Church missionary, the Reverend Ar- thur Wellon, left his house in Peterport, with strong step, and swinging his cane ; a stoutly-built Eng- lishman, of good height, not very handsome, but open, kindly, intelligent, and reverend-looking ; in dress just grave enough and just enough unlike other gentlemen to mark his office to those who would not know it from his face. He is the central person, though not the chief actor, in our story. This is what was thought of him : He was a frank and kindly man ; straightforward, honest, and, in a rather homely way, a little humorous. He had seen something of the world, in living thirty years, and to good purpose ; had a mind large enough (because it opened into his heart) to take in more things than the mere habits of his order or his social rank ; and while he loved, heartily, the faith and services of the Church, he had that common sense without which Eng- lish folk would never have got and kept our Common Prayer. He was a good scholar, too, as well as a good parish priest. " The Pareson," his people called him. When near his gate, without turning, he called, with mock sternness, " Epictetus ! " — A dog's black head 16 THE NEW PRIEST. rubbed his hand softly ; and he patted and stroked it. As thej went down the harbor he broke forth, now and then, in a cheery snatch of (not profane) song. The first turn in the road brought him in sight of two persons walking in company in advance of him, — a gentle- man of about his own age, and looking like a clergyman, and a tuU, large, strongly-moulded fisherman of some sixty years. The former seemed to be listening, rather than talking, while his companion spoke earnestly, as appeared from his homely gestures. On the hill-top, near Bcachy Cove, (named from its strip of sand and shingle edging the shore,) they stood still ; and Mr. Wellou, who was not far behind them, could scarcely help hearing what was said. The fisher- man btill spoke ; his voice and manner having the gentle- ness an(' modesty almost of a child. On one arm was hanging a coil of small rope ; and in the hand he held, with a carefulness that never forsook him, a bright- colored seaweed. The gentleman listened to him as if he had the honeyed speech of Nestor. It was some story of the sea, apparently, that he was telling, or commenting upon. Our pastor looked curiously toward the group, as they stood, not noticing him ; and then, after a momentary hesi- tation, went across a little open green, and into the enclos- ure of a plain, modest-looking house, about which creepers and shrubs and flowers, here and tiiere, showed taste and will more than common. Epictetus, having loitered his little while near the talkers, came — a noble great black fellow — to his master, here, and waited at his side, as he stood before the door, after knocking. The parting words of the stranger, thanking his com- panion for his society in their walk, and of the stout fisher- A BARK INTRUDER. 17 man turning meekly back the thanks, came throngh the still air, across from where they stood. " It was very good of 'ee, sir," said the latter, " to come along wi* me, and hear my poor talk. — I wish 'ee a very good mornin, sir, an' I '11 carry this bit of a thing to my mjiid,* please God. One o' the nighbors sen'd it. She makes a many bright things o' such." When he had done speaking, his strong steps were heard as he wen on his way, alone ; for the whole scene was as it had been for hours, still and quiet, as if, in going to their fishing, the people had left no life behind them. There had been scarce a moving thing, (if the eye sought one,) save a light reek from a chimney, (a fairer thing, as it floated over the poor man's dwelling, than ducal or royal banner,) and a lone white summer-cloud, low over the earth; where the wind, taking holiday elsewhere, left it to itself. Finding that Mrs. Barre, for whom he asked, had walked down the harbor with Miss Dare, Mr. Wellon went forth again, toward the road. At the top of the hill, where he had stood with the fisherman, the stranger was still standing, now gazing over the water, toward the hills in the far southwest ; a very striking and interesting looking person he was. It was impossible for a well-bred man to go by without salu- tation, and the dog loitered. The stranger returned Mr. Wellon's greeting gracefully, and came forward. " This atmosphere becomes the scane extremely ! " he said, as if sure of speaking to a kindred taste. His way was very taking ; and there was a realness (and no affectation) in his speech. He was fine, too, in face and person; with features full of life; a fresh hue; eyes of open blue, deep-lighted, and a broad glance. * Maid is pronounced myde ; bay, bj/e ; play, plye ; neighbor, nye- bor, &c. Let the ' Chaucer Society ' mark tliis lastingness. 18 THE NEW PRIEST. A sudden mermaif'. could hardly be more strange. Our lone pastor c^M his eyes over the landscape. The summer weather as, at its best, it is there, was beautiful. The eye did not seek shade, as in other countries ; and it seemed almost as if the air were so bright that shadows did not fall. The waves came slowly breaking on the beach, or in great cool dashes against the rocks. One little clump of trees, spruces and firs, tame captives from the woods, stood on the ris- ing ground, not far away. Ilocks showed themselves on every side, breaking out through the soil, sometimes as ridges, sometimes in single masses ; and beyond the low woods which could be seen a mile or two inland, great, bald, rounded, strange-looking heads of mountain-rocks. " Yes, we've got our rough beauties, 1 suppose," said the Parson ; " a good ocean, and a pretty show of rocks." " Some handsome rocks, indeed," said the stranger ; " those over on the other side of the Bay, for example, with their strong red, and green, and white, as if all the colors of grass, and leaves, and flowers, had been laid on a huge stone pallet, before painting the earth with them." " Not many have ever been laid upon the land," said the Parson ; " they all stayed upon the pallet ; and an Indian tradition was, that Newfoundland was the heap of rubbish that the Great Maker threw into the sea, after He'd finished the neighboring continent." " And yet," said the stranger, warmly, " Cormac, the first white man that ever crossed the Island, brings word that there's a great rich country there, like other great countries! — But — for beauty — sea and rock, alone, make plenty; give woods, besides, and sunshine, and shade, and passing clouds, and twilight, and night, and it's inexhaustible. — Then, too, if you look along such A RARE INTRUDER. 19 cliffa (as on the other shore) you know that many a little bay turns in and is lost behind the great wall ; and that there (you'll excuse my Virgil) • Omnis ab jilto Frangitur, Inquc sinus scindit scse unda rcductos.' * Does n't the very heart yearn after them, as if it miglit find sweet peace in those far still retreats ? " A glow came with a part of this speech, and a slight melancholy touched the last sentence. After a short pause, our parson said : — "You've a better eye than mine. I go up hill and down, into the coves and across the water, without thinking much more of sea and rock than as places for catching or drying cod." " I don't think that," said the other. " Who can look at those mountains yonder coolly, knowing that one can float over their likes, at Wadham Islands, standing up thou- sands of feet in water, as these in air, and gaze down their dreadful sides, just as one can stare up at these. They'll be coming long distances, yet, to see Newfoundland ! " " Why ! you know the country ! " said the Parson. " May ' say that at first I took you for a stray Church clergyman, and wondered how you got by my house ? " " No, I'm not," said the stranger, embarrassed ; " but I ought to know the country ; I grew up in it." " Pray excuse me ! " said our pastor. " Black cassocks are fewer here than * white coats,' f and I jump at one." "/ought to apologize for looking so," the other said. " I aw a parson of my own sort. — May I walk with you ? I'm for the Backside, wherever it is." "I know every track," said the Peterport parson, " and will make you free of all for your company." * Every wave from the deep Is broken, and fritters itself into far inlets. t Young seals. ' I I 20 TIIK M:W I'UIKST. Tliifj hearty 8|)otM'li tho 8lran^'t;r mot lu'artily. ♦Slust now," lio isui«l prosciitly, "a |>laiil«'r inturostcd ixui ^roatly. Ho really lias a most toiicliiiig way of tell- iii<; u i^tory, aii«l draws a ntoral woinleriully.*' *' Yos," said tlu! lislu'rmairs pastor, " (It'or^^ii Harbury." Tlic strani^(!r, with surprising interest, vvtuiL on: — " II(! WHS ;jfivin,'jj nie an at^coinit of \\h\ wreck of ono James Knierson, wliieli yon. very liki'Iy, know all about: (I can't tell it as he told it me, hut) 'the man was ;j;oin;^ to run his boat into a passaj^je iutween a reef and the shore, where nothin