For the last half hour Jared had been wishing himself in Duplex Street,
and for the last five minutes he had indulged in a hope that he would be
passed over and forgotten. But as his name was uttered, he started and
mechanically left his seat, while Patty turned pale, and Mrs Pellet had
what she afterwards described as a rising sensation in her throat.
Anything but a formidable competitor seemed Jared Pellet as he rose from
his seat, gazing with a lost and wandering look round the old church,
and wiping the perspiration from his brow, till what with abject air,
want of confidence, and his anything but bright costume, poor Jared's
aspect was pitiable to an extent that made one of his brother's feet
work as if it wanted something to kick.
After the first glance, the audience resumed their conversation, and the
rival candidates, making common cause against their opponent, raised
their brows, tightened their lips, and shrugged their shoulders,
especially Herr Schtopffz, who quite covered his ears as he took a pinch
of snuff.
Jared gave one more glance round the church, as if he expected a miracle
to be performed in his favour, and that one of the stone angels by a
neighbouring tablet would suddenly whisk him off. He then stepped
slowly towards the vacant seat, rubbing his long bony fingers together
so that they crackled again.
The appearance of the organ was enough to make Jared approach it
reverently; and he shuffled on to the long stool, pressing down the
lowest pedal key as he passed, so that it gave forth a deep shuddering
rumble. This mishap seemed to add to his confusion, which, however,
culminated as he felt in his pocket for the roll of music from which he
was to have played. He felt in the next pocket, then in his breast, and
lastly looked in his hat, as if expecting to see it there. Then he
gazed in the faces of his fellow-candidates, as if to say, "What's
become of it?" But the roll was not forthcoming; and in despair, he now
glanced at himself in the glass reflector above the key-board. But
nothing was to be seen there but a doleful, hopeless-looking face,
seeming to tell him that every chance of success was gone.
But as Jared sat there, in full view of the whole church, he felt a
slight vibration in his seat, and heard the air rushing into the
wind-chest as the boy toiled on at his task to keep it filled and make
no more mistakes, for already, in anticipation, he was suffering from a
cut or two of Beadle Purkis's cane.
Jared gazed up at the towering pipes above his head, down at the keys
and stops on either side; and then seemed to come over him the
recollection of many a pleasant practice in a dim old church, where he
had forgotten the troubles of the present in the concord of sweet sounds
he had drawn from the instrument. He grew more agitated, his hands
trembled, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes brightened--his whole form
seemed to dilate, and he thrust his long fingers through his hair, as if
seeking to add to the oddity of his appearance, while the audience
ceased their murmuring hum of conversation as they witnessed his strange
gestures.
He pulled out a stop here and a stop there, tenderly, as if caressing
something he loved. Then pushing off his boots, he thrust in every
stop, seized them sharply to draw nearly all out, and struck so wild and
thrilling a chord, that his hearers started and craned forward to catch
the next notes.
Now there was silence, save the dying vibrations of the chord heard in
the distant corners and groinings of the roof, for not a whisper was
audible amongst the many listeners assembled.
Still silence, as Jared Pellet sat motionless before the great
instrument while you might have counted thirty, for the player was lost
in the crowd of recollections the sounds had evoked from the past
Competition, the audience, all had faded from his mental vision as once
more he leaned forward; and fingers were held up to command silence.
"He's a lunatic, sir," said one of the listeners to Mr Timson, as Jared
Pellet again bent over the keys.
"Then I should like to be at a concert of such lunatics, sir," answered
Mr Timson, who then gave forth an audible "Hush!" as, in a rapid rolling
passage, the huge pedal pipes thundered forth a majestic introduction;
when again for a few moments there was a pause, and the organist's
fingers were held crooked in mid-air, till with a spasmodic effort he
brought them down upon the keys, to pour forth crashing volley after
volley of wondrous chords, from end to end of the key-board, and with
the full power of the mighty pipes.
Again a rest, and again crashing forth with wondrous rapidity came the
spirit-thrilling passages, till, with suppressed breath, the listeners
leaned forward as though overpowered; while, after another slight pause,
came wailing and sobbing forth so sweetly mournful, so heavenly a
strain, that there were some present who were moved to tears, and two,
seated in a pew surrounded by children, joined hands and listened with
bended head. So sweet an air had never before pealed through the old
aisles of St Runwald's, and made to tremble the woodwork of the great
pews with which it was disfigured; for now the melody was wild and
piercing--now subdued and plaintive, to rise soon to the jubilant and
hopeful: it was the soul of the true musician pouring forth through the
medium of the divine art its every thought and feeling.
Again a pause, and the seven rivals, with parted lips, eagerly clustered
round the man who saw them not, who ignored church, audience, self,
everything but the majestic instrument before which he was seated; and
again and again, although the ten minutes had long expired, the audience
listened to the bursts of harmony which swayed them as one man, floating
around until the air seemed quivering and vibrating with the songs of a
multitude of heaven's own choristers. Louder and louder, chords grander
and more majestic, then softly sweet and dying away, while, after one
sweeping crescendo passage, Jared ended with a mighty chord which no
other man could have grasped, and the audience seemed to be released
from the spell which had bound them, as, stop by stop and interval by
interval, the chord was diminished, until the pedal key-note alone
vibrated shudderingly through the church.
"Rather warm work that, sir," said the little churchwarden, leaning over
into the vicar's pew.
"Hush, Timson," said the vicar; "he has not done."
But he had, though for a few minutes there was a silence that no one
cared to break, till, forgetful of place--everything but the strains
they had heard--from the vicar downwards, all joined in one loud burst
of applause; while, dull, lustreless, spiritless, Jared Pellet responded
to the congratulations of his rivals--one and all too true lovers of
their art to withhold the palm where they felt it to be well deserved.
Down in the nave, too, there was a pompous, bustling man, talking loudly
to those around, giving people to understand that the performer was his
brother--the man who, without hesitation, was elected to the post--and
for once in a way, Richard Pellet went and shook hands with Jared, and,
as he warmly asked him to dinner, forgot to tell him that he was a fool.
Volume 1, Chapter V.