They had completely forgotten all about it . Dr. Cooper had concluded with a fervent appeal , had wiped the perspiration from his massive brow , had said `` Let us pray '' as he was famed for saying it , and had duly prayed . There was a slight pause . In Glen St. Mary church the old fashion of taking the collection after the sermon instead of before still held -- mainly because the Methodists had adopted the new fashion first , and Miss Cornelia and Elder Clow would not hear of following where Methodists had led . Charles Baxter and Thomas Douglas , whose duty it was to pass the plates , were on the point of rising to their feet . The organist had got out the music of her anthem and the choir had cleared its throat . Suddenly Faith Meredith rose in the manse pew , walked up to the pulpit platform , and faced the amazed audience . Miss Cornelia half rose in her seat and then sat down again . Her pew was far back and it occurred to her that whatever Faith meant to do or say would be half done or said before she could reach her . There was no use making the exhibition worse than it had to be . With an anguished glance at Mrs. Dr. Blythe , and another at Deacon Warren of the Methodist Church , Miss Cornelia resigned herself to another scandal . `` If the child was only dressed decently itself , '' she groaned in spirit . Faith , having spilled ink on her good dress , had serenely put on an old one of faded pink print . A caticornered rent in the skirt had been darned with scarlet tracing cotton and the hem had been let down , showing a bright strip of unfaded pink around the skirt . But Faith was not thinking of her clothes at all . She was feeling suddenly nervous . What had seemed easy in imagination was rather hard in reality . Confronted by all those staring questioning eyes Faith 's courage almost failed her . The lights were so bright , the silence so awesome . She thought she could not speak after all .
But she MUST -- her father MUST be cleared XXXXX suspicion .
If With about after around as before in of out