Thanks to Miss Helstone's promptitude, they arrived in good time. While yet trees hid the church, they heard the bell tolling a measured but urgent summons for all to assemble. The trooping in of numbers, the trampling of many steps and murmuring of many voices, were likewise audible. From a rising ground, they presently saw, on the Whinbury road, the Whinbury school approaching. It numbered five hundred souls. The rector and curate, Boultby and Donne, headed it--the former looming large in full canonicals, walking as became a beneficed priest, under the canopy of a shovel-hat, with the dignity of an ample corporation, the embellishment of the squarest and vastest of black coats, and the support of the stoutest of gold-headed canes. As the doctor walked, he now and then slightly flourished his cane, and inclined his shovel-hat with a dogmatical wag towards his aide-de-camp. That aide-de-camp--Donne, to wit--narrow as the line of his shape was, compared to the broad bulk of his principal, contrived, notwithstanding, to look every inch a curate. All about him was pragmatical and self-complacent, from his turned-up nose and elevated chin to his clerical black gaiters, his somewhat short, strapless trousers, and his square-toed shoes.

Thanks to Miss Helstone, they arrived in good time. They heard the bell tolling a summons for all to assemble. The trampling of many steps and murmuring of many voices were audible. Soon they saw the Whinbury school approaching, numbering five hundred souls. Boultby and Donne headed it - the former walking under the canopy of a shovel-hat, with the squarest and vastest of black coats, and the stoutest of gold-headed canes. Donne looked every inch a curate, from his turned-up nose and complacent, lifted chin to his clerical black gaiters, his somewhat short trousers, and his square-toed shoes.
