The Great Acceptance: The Life Story of F. N. Charrington

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Thorne Guy. The Great Acceptance: The Life Story of F. N. Charrington

CHAPTER I. THE GREAT ACCEPTANCE

CHAPTER II. BEGINNINGS

CHAPTER III. MORE BEGINNINGS

CHAPTER IV. DAVID AND JONATHAN

CHAPTER V. THE BATTLE OF THE MUSIC HALLS

CHAPTER VI. THE FIGHT ON THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL

CHAPTER VII. THE FIGHT FOR THE PURITY OF THE EAST END

CHAPTER VIII. FRUITION!

CHAPTER IX. THE APOSTLE OF TEMPERANCE

THE LAST CHAPTER. LORD OF THE MANOR OF OSEA

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There is a certain passage at the end of the "Apostles," by Ernest Renan, which has always seemed to me to be one of singularly penetrating beauty.

Translated, it runs as follows: "I am impatient to tell again that unparalleled epic, to depict those roads stretching infinitely from Asia to Europe, along which they sowed the seed of the Gospel, those waves over which they fared so often under conditions so diverse. The great Christian Odyssey is about to begin. Already the Apostolic barque has shaken forth her sails; the wind is blowing, and aspires for naught save to bear upon its wings words of Jesus."

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"Mr. Charrington's house," – so Mr. Richardson told me – "was the house of call in the neighbourhood, and by strange coincidence, everybody went there about mealtimes! Once, when Mr. Marcus Rainsford was staying in what was locally nicknamed the 'Monastery,' a certain zealous and holy man of God looked in. It was during the evening. Now, a peculiarity of the gentleman to whom I refer is, that when he goes anywhere, he never knows when it is time to leave. On the particular occasion that I remember, he stayed on and on until he missed the last omnibus that could take him to his home. He said to Mr. Charrington, 'You will have to put me up for the night.' Mr. Charrington told him that he hadn't a spare bed. Accordingly, Mr. – , nothing daunted, replied that he would sleep with Mr. Rainsford if he didn't mind. Mr. Rainsford did not seem at all delighted at the prospect, and said he preferred to take his rest undisturbed as a rule, but that for one night, at any rate, he didn't mind.

"Accordingly, the matter was arranged thus, and in the morning Mr. – got up first. There was a bathful of water in the bedroom, and the guest inquired if he could take his bath at once. Mr. Rainsford was still almost asleep, and mumbled some sort of an assent. When Mr. – had completed his ablutions, he asked Mr. Rainsford where he should empty the water, and Rainsford, who was by no means awake yet, and who hated being disturbed, growled out that he could pour it out of the window. The too literal Mr. – obeyed blindly, with the result that the bath-water descended in an unbroken stream upon the poor old housekeeper, who was breaking coal in the area below."

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