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laughed Basil. “Coming up with that doctrine to begin with and then, when they find it inconvenient, declaring one of God’s creatures to be something it is clearly not.”
    He sensed a slight chill drift over the table. It appeared that members of the Osmond household were more tolerant of other religions than they ought to be. He should have noticed that before.
    Mrs. Osmond defused the situation. “How long has it been since you started ministering at St. Mark’s, Reverend Hudson? It must be three or four months now, is it?”
    â€œIt will be four months next Tuesday.”
    â€œMy, how the time goes,” said Ada. “It seems like only yesterday that we had you for your first meal with us.”
    â€œOh, that’s just two months less than I’ve been teaching here,” said Emily.
    â€œThen, that’s my loss; I should have come earlier,” he smiled, noting a pinkish hue spreading across Emily’s cheeks. A much better reaction to his words.
    â€œRemind me again; did you come here right from England or were you in St. John’s for a spell?” Ada asked.
    â€œI travelled from Liverpool to St. John’s on the SS Nova Scotia of the Furness Line. We sailed into a violent tempest not long after we left England, and it stayed with us for most of the journey. I have to confess that I was seasick for much of the trip.”
    â€œOh, we know somebody with the Furness Line,” said Jim.
    â€œHenry Horwood, from Cottle’s Island.”
    â€œYou don’t say,” Basil replied. “He’s one of the officers, is he?”
    â€œOh, no, just a crewmember, but he plans to become an officer,” said Jim.
    â€œYes, I see. After I spent some time touring St. John’s I took the train to Lewisville—”
    â€œYou must mean Lewisporte,” Emily interrupted.
    â€œYes, quite, Lewisporte. From there I intended to take a cruise on one of the ships that sail from there to communities in Notre Dame Bay, but there was ice in the bay so the service had apparently been discontinued for the winter. I was in a bit of a bind until a colleague in Lewisporte provided a horse and sleigh and we had a jolly trip over the ice. And here I am!”
    â€œYou’ve settled in well,” Ada observed.
    â€œIt’s quite an interesting place,” said Basil carefully.
    â€œIt’s a beautiful place,” said Emily.
    â€œWell, yes.” He cleared his throat. “I suppose one could call it a rugged beauty—”
    â€œWhat do you see when you look around, Basil?” she asked, waving her arms expansively as though she were on the stage. “Are you not moved by the cliffs and the wild storms and the trees all leaning in the same direction from the constant winds? I would love to be a painter so I could capture all the wonders that Nature has bestowed on us. I would spend a lifetime learning its moods—sombre in the fog, fitful with its winds, placid with the sun, peaceful with its blanket of snow.”
    â€œIn that case,” Basil ventured with a half-smile, “I get the impression you experience a lot of peace here.”
    â€œSo you find Twillingate to be an interesting place, do you Reverend?” said Ada. “What’s the most interesting thing?”
    â€œOh, the accents, I suppose. The old words. I find the propensity to shorten names quite interesting.”
    â€œYou mean like with Daddy, whose name is James but they call him Jim?” Emily asked slyly.
    â€œWell, no, not like that—”
    â€œOr my brother, whose name is William, but is known as Bill. You mean there are no Bills in England?”
    â€œYou’re poking fun at me now, Emily. I’m referring to names that don’t normally get shortened, like Myrtle Knight, who is called Myrt, or Clarence Taylor, always called…”
    â€œClar!” Ada jumped in.
    â€œPrecisely,” he replied, nodding