Page:Scarlet Sister Mary (1928).pdf/347

 around at the assembled crowd. The time had come. He got up and took the cow-bell off the mantelpiece and made a few hoarse tinkles, then he began lining out the hymn to be sung, two lines at a time:

Brer Dee raised it, all the people joined in singing it; high treble voices mingled with deep basses, but Mary stood dumb. If she cracked her teeth and tried to sing she would break down and cry like a child.

Andrew's voice rose high and his eyes stared at something away above Mary's head.

When the hymn was sung, Brer Dee read out of the Book how the angels in Heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents; then he prayed a short prayer asking God and Jesus to guide the deacons to-night; to help them know whether the sister who was a candidate here before them was truly saved or if she had only been deceived by a vision from Satan.

Mary felt a vague dread of standing up try