The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

498 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
door, and left Madge to ascend in her own manner and alone to the high
places of the synagogue; but this was impossible without a degree of violent resistance, which seemed to her inconsistent with the time and place,
and she was accordingly led in captivity up the whole length of the church
by her grotesque conductress, who, with half-shut eyes, a prim smile upon
her lips, and a mincing motion with her hands, which corresponded with
the delicate and affected pace at which she was pleased to move, seemed to
take the general stare of the congregation, which such an exhibition necessarily excited, as a high compliment, and which she returned by nods and
half-curtesies to individuals amongst the audience, whom she seemed to
distinguish as acquaintances. Her absurdity was enhanced in the eyes of
the spectators by the strange contrast which she formed to her companion,
who, with dishevelled hair, downcast eyes, and a face glowing with shame,
was dragged, as it were, in triumph after her.
Madge's airs were at length fortunately cut short by her encountering in
her progress the looks of the clergyman, who fixed upon her a glance, at
once steady, compassionate, and admonitory. She hastily opened an empty
pew which happened to be near her, and entered, dragging in Jeanie after
her. Kicking Jeanie on the shins, by way of hint that she should follow
her example, she sunk her head upon her hand for the space of a minute.
Jeanie, to whom this posture of mental devotion was entirely new, did not
attempt to do the like, but looked round her with a bewildered stare, which
her neighbours, judging from the company in which they saw her, very
naturally ascribed to insanity. Every person in their immediate vicinity
drew back from this extraordinary couple as far as the limits of their pew
permitted; but one old man could not get beyond Madge's reach, ere she
had snatched the prayer-book from his hand, and ascertained the lesson
of the day. She then turned up the ritual, and, with the most overstrained
enthusiasm of gesture and manner, showed Jeanie the passages as they
were read in the service, making, at the same time, her own responses so
loud as to be heard above those of every other person.
Notwithstanding the shame and vexation which Jeanie felt in being thus
exposed in a place of worship, she could not and durst not omit rallying
her spirits so as to look around her, and consider to whom she ought to
appeal for protection so soon as the service should be concluded. Her first
ideas naturally fixed upon the clergyman, and she was confirmed in the
resolution by observing that he was an aged gentleman, of a dignified
appearance and deportment, who read the service with an undisturbed and
decent gravity, which brought back to becoming attention those younger
members of the congregation who had been disturbed by the extravagant
behaviour of Madge Wildfire. To the clergyman, therefore, Jeanie resolved
to make her appeal when the service was over.
It is true she felt disposed to be shocked at his surplice, of which she
had heard so much, but which she had never seen upon the person of a
preacher of the word. Then she was confused by the change of posture
adopted in different parts of the ritual, the more so as Madge Wildfire, to
whom they seemed familiar, took the opportunity to exercise authority
over her, pulling her up and pushing her down with a bustling assiduity,
which Jeanie felt- must make them both the objects of painful attention.
But, notwithstanding these prejudices, it was her prudent resolution, in
this dilemma, to imitate as nearly as she could what was done around her.
The prophet, she thought, permitted Naaman the Syrian to bow even in
the house of Rimmon. Surely if I, in this streight, worship the God of
my fathers in mine own language, although the manner thereof be strange
to me, the Lord will pardon me in this thing.
In this resolution she became so much confirmed, that, withdrawing herself from Madge as far as the pew permitted, she endeavoured to evince,
by serious and composed attention to what was passing, that her mind was