Mrs. Petulengro opened it and entered, followed by Tawno Chikno. I
myself went last of all, following Mr. Petulengro, who, before I
entered, turned round, and, with a significant nod, advised me to
take care how I behaved. The part of the church which we had
entered was the chancel; on one side stood a number of venerable
old men--probably the neighbouring poor--and on the other a number
of poor girls belonging to the village school, dressed in white
gowns and straw bonnets, whom two elegant but simply dressed young
women were superintending. Every voice seemed to be united in
singing a certain anthem, which, notwithstanding it was written
neither by Tate nor Brady, contains some of the sublimest words
which were ever put together, not the worst of which are those
which burst on our ears as we entered:


"Every eye shall now behold Him,
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at nought and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing,
Shall the true Messiah see."


Still following Mrs. Petulengro, we proceeded down the chancel and
along the aisle; notwithstanding the singing, I could distinctly
hear as we passed many a voice whispering, "Here come the gypsies!
here come the gypsies!" I felt rather embarrassed, with a somewhat
awkward doubt as to where we were to sit; none of the occupiers of
the pews, who appeared to consist almost entirely of farmers, with
their wives, sons, and daughters, opened a door to admit us. Mrs.