Everybody believed that the next thing he would say , church or no church , would be something that would have to be spelt with asterisks ; but at that moment Norman encountered his wife 's eye and he fell back with a thud on Holy Writ . `` You whited sepulchre ! '' he bellowed , with a final shake , and cast Whiskers-on-the-moon from him with a vigour which impelled that unhappy pacifist to the very verge of the choir entrance door . Mr. Pryor 's once ruddy face was ashen . But he turned at bay . `` I 'll have the law on you for this , '' he gasped . `` Do -- do , '' roared Norman , making another rush . But Mr. Pryor was gone . He had no desire to fall a second time into the hands of an avenging militarist . Norman turned to the platform for one graceless , triumphant moment . `` Do n't look so flabbergasted , parsons , '' he boomed . `` You could n't do it -- nobody would expect it of the cloth -- but somebody had to do it . You know you 're glad I threw him out -- he could n't be let go on yammering and yodelling and yawping sedition and treason . Sedition and treason -- somebody had to deal with it . I was born for this hour -- I 've had my innings in church at last . I can sit quiet for another sixty years now ! Go ahead with your meeting , parsons . I reckon you wo n't be troubled with any more pacifist prayers . '' But the spirit of devotion and reverence had fled . Both ministers realized it and realized that the only thing to do was to close the meeting quietly and let the excited people go .
Mr. Meredith addressed a few earnest words to the boys in khaki -- which probably saved Mr. Pryor 's windows from a second onslaught -- and Mr. Arnold pronounced an incongruous benediction , at least he felt it was incongruous , for he could not at once banish from his memory the sight XXXXX gigantic Norman Douglas shaking the fat , pompous little Whiskers-on-the-moon as a huge mastiff might shake an overgrown puppy .
Pryor at for from of on second that to with