Novels of the sisters Bront - 1905 Author:Charlotte Brontė Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. MR. YORKB. Cheerfulness, it would appear, is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within, as on the state of things wit... more »hout and around us. I make this trite remark, because I happen to know that Messrs. Helstone and Moore trotted forth from the mill-yard gates, at the head of their very small company, in the best possible spirits. When a ray from a lantern (the three pedestrians of the party carried each one) fell on Mr. Moore's face, you could see an unusual, because a lively, spark dancing in his eyes, and a new-found vivacity mantling on his dark physiognomy; and when the Rector's visage was illuminated, his hard features were revealed all agrin and ashine with glee. Yet a drizzling night, a somewhat perilous expedition, you would think were not circumstances calculated to enliven those exposed to the wet and engaged in the adventure. If any member or members of the crew who had been at work on Stilbro' Moor had caught a view of this party, they would have hadgreat pleasure in shooting either of the leaders from behind a wall: and the leaders knew this; and, the fact is, being both men of steelly nerves and steady-beating hearts, were elate with the knowledge. I am aware, reader, and you need not remind me, that it is a dreadful thing for a parson to be warlike : I am aware that he should be a man of peace. I have some faint outline of an idea of what a clergyman's mission is amongst mankind, and I remember distinctly whose servant he is ; whose message he delivers, whose example he should follow; yet, with all this, if you are a parson-hater, you need not expect me to go along with you every step of your dismal, downward-tending unchristian road ; you need not expect me to join in your deep anathemas, at once so narrow and so sweepi...« less