The ceremony began by Archy getting too near the edge of his hassock,* falling off, pitching against the pew door,* bursting it open, and flying out among the free seats, head foremost. Nurse, a nimble and dexterous woman, dashed out, and caught him up, and actually got him out of the church door before he had time to fetch his breath for a scream. Gus and Flora were left alone with me.
Flora had a great scarlet and gold church service.* As soon as she opened it, she disconcerted me by saying aloud, to an imaginary female friend, ‘My dear, there is going to be a collection; and I have left my purse on the piano.’
At this time, also, Gus, seeing that the business was well begun, removed to the further end of the pew, sat down on the hassock, and took from his trousers’ pocket a large tin trumpet.
I broke out all over in a cold perspiration as I looked at him. He saw my distress, and putting it to his lips, puffed out his cheeks. Flora administered comfort to me. She said, ‘You are looking at that foolish boy. Perhaps he won’t blow it, after all. He mayn’t if you don’t look at him. At all events, he probably won’t blow it till the organ begins; and then it won’t matter so much.’
From Ravenshoe (1862) by Henry Kingsley (1830-1876).
* A cushion for kneeling on, typically tall and firm enough for a small child to use as a seat.
* For the most part, a church pew has a seat and a back, but a box pew is fully enclosed, complete with a door. Box pews are extremely rare today. Kingsley places the wedding in St Peter’s Church, Eaton Square, London, an imposing neoclassical building opened in 1827. Ten years after it opened, the interior was badly damaged by fire. In 1987, fire struck again and the church was completely rebuilt inside. No trace of the church as it was in Kingsley’s day remains, and the box pews are long gone.
* In this case, a church service means a book containing the words of the liturgy, presumably a copy of the Book of Common Prayer (1662).