Dr Drummond liked a pretty
definite parallel; he had small opinion of the practice
of drawing a pint out of a thimble, as he considered
Finlay must have done when he preached the gospel of
imperialism from Deuteronomy XXX, 14. "But the word is
very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that
thou mayest do it." Moreover, to preach politics in Knox
Church was a liberty in Finlay.
The fact that Finlay had been beforehand with him operated
perhaps to reconcile the Doctor to his difficulty; and
the candidature of one of his own members in what was
practically the imperial interest no doubt increased his
embarrassment. Nevertheless, he would not lose sight of
the matter for more than two or three weeks together.
Many an odd blow he delivered for its furtherance by way
of illustrating higher things, and he kept it always, so
to speak, in the practical politics of the long prayer.
It was Sunday evening, and Abby and her husband, as usual,
had come to tea. The family was complete with the exception
of Lorne, who had driven out to Clayfield with Horace
Williams, to talk over some urgent matters with persons
whom he would meet at supper at the Metropole Hotel at
Clayfield. It was a thing Mrs Murchison thought little
short of scandalous--supper to talk business on the
Sabbath day, and in a hotel, a place of which the smell
about the door was enough to knock you down, even on a
weekday.
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