I've laid by
now, and gev up to the young uns. Ask them as have been to school at
Tarley: they've learnt pernouncing; that's come up since my day.'
'If you're pointing at me, Mr Macey,' said the deputy clerk, with
an air of anxious propriety, 'I'm nowise a man to speak out of my
place. As the psalm says-
I know what's right, nor only so,
But also practise what I know.'
'Well, then, I wish you'd keep hold o' the tune when it's set for
you; if you're for practising, I wish you'd practise that,' said a
large jocose-looking man, an excellent wheelwright in his week-day
capacity, but on Sundays leader of the choir. He winked, as he
spoke, at two of the company, who were known officially as 'the
bassoon' and 'the key-bugle', in the confidence that he was expressing
the sense of the musical profession in Raveloe.
Mr Tookey, the deputy-clerk, who shared the unpopularity common
to deputies, turned very red, but replied, with careful moderation-
'Mr Winthrop, if you'll bring me any proof as I'm in the wrong, I'm
not the man to say I won't alter. But there's people set up their
own ears for a standard, and expect the whole choir to follow 'em.
There may be two opinions, I hope.'
'Aye, aye,' said Mr Macey, who felt very well satisfied with this
attack on youthful presumption: 'you're right there, Tookey: there's
allays two 'pinions; there's the 'pinion a man has of himsen, and
there's the 'pinion other folks have on him.
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