A Little Bit on the Side by John W O' Sullivan Read Free Book Online

miss it for worlds, far too mysterious.’

3
Ian Hamilton’s March
    St Matthew’s in Barton, a plain and undistinguished early Victorian structure, had not featured in the Mannings’ early Borders excursions, but the view from its churchyard more than compensated for the building’s failings. They didn’t hurry to get to the church on the Sunday following the visit from the vicar. Jack thought it best to leave their arrival until the last possible minute, and so the churchyard was deserted when they walked up the drive and pushed open the door just as the last notes of an organ voluntary faded away and died.
    Despite their best efforts to slip in quietly in the ensuing silence, Jack could not prevent a perverse door latch from snapping to with a loud metallic ‘clack’ that turned the heads of half the congregation, to be followed by the rest when their names were whispered around. Surprised to find themselves in a church almost full to capacity, they slipped into the end of the pew nearest to the door, only to find themselves sitting alongside Jimmy and Celia.
    ‘You too!’ whispered Jimmy. ‘Any idea what this is about? Larry Breakwell called in for a chat last night and suggested I should come, but said no more. Most of the hill seems to be here. What on earth is the old boy up to?’
    They sat in silent non-participation through a hymn, a prayer, another hymn and a reading, before the Rev Breakwell made his way into the low pulpit and faced his flock. He made no comment and expressed no surprise at the unique sight of his church full to the back pew, but throughout his address directed himself to the rows towards the front, as though the rest were empty, which they frequently were. It was unfortunate perhaps that he looked a little too often at poor old Ada Sutton, who left the church feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the thought that his remarks had been aimed particularly at her.
    ‘This morning, in a departure from the usual pattern of my sermons I will be taking not one, but three texts, my first being from the Weymouth New Testament, the Gospel of St Luke Chapter 18 Verse 13:
    “But the tax-gatherer, standing far back …”’
    Here he paused as the heads of the curious turned once again to sneak a look at the late arrivals, and there was a restrained murmur of surprise from his audience.
    ‘But the tax-gatherer, standing far back would not so much as lift his eyes to Heaven, but kept beating his breast and saying, "O God, be reconciled to me, sinner that I am.”’
    Here he paused again briefly as a few smiles were suppressed and the whispers died away.
    ‘My second is from Weymouth, Book of Romans Chapter 13, Verse 6:
    “Why, this is really the reason you pay taxes; for tax-gatherers are ministers of God, devoting their energies to this very work.”’
    He paused again, but this time there was no response as his congregation waited silently for the third text.
    ‘Finally from the Revised Standard Version of the Gospel of St Matthew Chapter 9, Verses 9 to 13, I turn to the Lord’s calling of St Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his disciples:
    “And as He sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when He heard it, He said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’”
    Here the vicar paused, and looking for a focus for what was to follow, unfortunately found it in the upturned face of Ada Sutton.
    ‘And don’t we all of us desire mercy, and tolerance, and understanding? And do we reflect often enough, as we should, on the great mercy the Lord has shown to us, and treat our neighbours with like mercy and kindness?’
    They hardly needed to stay to hear the rest of his sermon, an extended