It was the hour of Vespers. The voice of the priest was answered by
the deep peal of the organ and the chanting of the choir. The vast
edifice was filled with harmony, in the pauses of which the ear
seemed to catch the sound of the river of life as it flows out of
the throne of God and the Lamb.
The demeanor of the crowd of worshippers was quiet and reverential.
A few gay groups, however, whose occupation was mainly to see and
be seen, exchanged the idle gossip of the day with such of their
friends as they met there. The fee of a prayer or two did not seem
excessive for the pleasure, and it was soon paid.
The perron outside was a favorite resort of the gallants of fashion
at the hour of Vespers, whose practice it was to salute the ladies
of their acquaintance at the door by sprinkling their dainty fingers
with holy water. Religion combined with gallantry is a form of
devotion not quite obsolete at the present day, and at the same
place.
The church door was the recognized spot for meeting, gossip,
business, love-making, and announcements; old friends stopped to
talk over the news, merchants their commercial prospects.
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