Rodney instantly darted after his pet, and seized it
just as it was about to disappear beneath the pulpit steps.
Triumphantly he carried it back to the seat where Mrs. Royal was
sitting.
To the latter it was only an amusing incident, as she understood the
spirit in which it was done. But to many in the church it was a most
disgraceful thing, and formed a choice topic of conversation for the
rest of the day in various households. They could not, and in truth
did not wish to remember the excellent sermon Parson Dan delivered that
morning. The picture of a little curly-headed boy speeding up the
aisle after the kitten obscured everything else.
It was that very week when Rodney made his next break, which branded
him as a red-handed criminal to several in the parish. The Ladies' Aid
Society was meeting at the rectory on a beautiful afternoon. There was
a good attendance, and the members freely discussed many questions of
vital interest.
The conversation at last drifted off to the training of children. This
was brought about most deftly by Mrs. Harmon, solely for Mrs. Royal's
benefit. Mrs. Harmon had no children, and, as is generally the case,
she considered herself a great authority as to how children should be
managed.
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