Water!

The old Tory Hill Meeting House bulks its way into the foreground of the next
story, and the old Peabody Pew (which never existed) has somehow assumed a
quasi-historical aspect never intended by its author. There is a Dorcas
Society, and there is a meeting house; my dedication assures the reader of
these indubitable facts; and the Dorcas Society, in a season of temporary
bankruptcy, succeeding a too ample generosity, did scrub the pews when there
was no money for paint. Rumors of our strenuous, and somewhat unique,
activities spread through our parish to many others, traveling so far (even
over seas) that we became embarrassed at our easily won fame. The book was
read and people occasionally came to church to see the old Peabody Pew, rather
resenting the information that there had never been any Peabodys in the parish
and, therefore, there could be no Peabody Pew. Matters became worse when I
made, very reverently, what I suppose must be called a dramatic version of the
book, which we have played for several summers in the old meeting house to
audiences far exceeding our seating capacity. Inasmuch as the imaginary
love-tale of my so-called Nancy Wentworth and Justin Peabody had begun under
the shadow of the church steeple, and after the ten years of parting the happy
reunion had come to them in the selfsame place, it was possible to present
their story simply and directly, without offense, in a church building. There
was no curtain, no stage, no scenery, no theatricalism. The pulpit was moved
back, and four young pine trees were placed in front of it for supposed
Christmas decoration. The pulpit platform, and the "wing pews" left vacant for
the village players, took the place of a stage; the two aisles served for
exits and entrances; and the sexton with three rings of the church bell,
announced the scenes. The Carpet Committee of the Dorcas Society furnished the
exposition of the first act, while sewing the last breadths of the new,
hardly-bought ingrain carpet. The scrubbing of the pews ends the act, with
dialogue concerning men, women, ministers, church-members and their ways,