The congregation would
go gloomily home to dinner, and old Sandy MacQuhot would
remark to his wife, "It's hard to say why will the Doctor
get himself in sic a state aboot mere numbers. We're told
'where two or three are gathered together.' But the
Doctor's all for a grand congregation."
Knox Church, under such auspices could hardly fail to
enlarge her borders; but Elgin enlarged hers faster.
Almost before you knew where you were there spread out
the district of East Elgin, all stacks of tall chimneys
and rows of little houses. East Elgin was not an attractive
locality; it suffered from inundation sometimes, when
the river was in spring flood; it gave unresentful room
to a tannery. It was the home of dubious practices at
the polls, and the invariable hunting-ground for domestic
servants. Nevertheless, in the view of Knox Church, it
could not bear a character wholly degraded; too many
Presbyterians, Scotch foremen, and others, had their
respectable residence there. For these it was a far cry
to Dr Drummond in bad weather, and there began to be talk
of hiring the East Elgin schoolhouse for Sunday exercises
if suitable persons could be got to come over from Knox
Church and lead them. I do not know who was found to
broach the matter to Dr Drummond; report says his relative
and housekeeper, Mrs Forsyth, who perhaps might do it
under circumstances of strategical advantage.
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