And how different an audience from the old London one.Every one had come on this occasion to see a show, and it was certainly a show that they were going to see.Maggie had entered during a pause, and all the faces that were there wore that look of expectation that demands the rising of the curtain.Soon, Maggie felt, they would stamp and whistle did the play not begin.
Thurston rose and announced:
"My brothers, we will sing hymn No.14 on the paper."Maggie looked and discovered that it was the hymn that had once moved her so dramatically in London with the words By all Thy sores and bloody pain Come down and heal our sins again.
and with the last refrain:
By the blood, by the blood, by the blood of the Lamb We beseech Thee.
Already, in spite of herself, in spite of her consciousness of the melodrama and meretricious glitter of the scene, her heart was beating.She was more deeply moved, even now, than she had ever been by all the services of the Skeaton Church.
And Thurston had learnt his job by this time.Softly one of the violins played the tune.Then Thurston said:
"The first verse of this hymn will be sung by the choir alone.The congregation is asked to stand and then to join in the second verse.
The fourth verse will be sung by the soloist."The audience rose.There was a hush of expectation throughout the building.The choir, to the accompaniment of the fiddlers alone, sang the first verse.They had been well selected and trained.
Thurston obviously spared no expense.For the second verse, the whole orchestra combined, the drum booming through the refrain.At first the congregation was timid, but the tune was simple and attractive.The third verse was sung by every one, and Maggie found herself, almost against her will, joining in.At the fourth verse there was again the hush of expectation, then a soprano, thin and clear, accompanied again by one violin, broke the silence.
There was no doubt that this was very moving.Men and women sat down at the hymn's close quite visibly affected.