One of you next Sunday , and another the next , and so on . And whoever preaches the best sermon is to get a prize . '' Dan promptly declared he would n't try to preach a sermon ; but Peter , Felix and I thought the suggestion a very good one . Secretly , I believed I could cut quite a fine figure preaching a sermon . `` Who 'll give the prize ? '' asked Felix . `` I will , '' said the Story Girl . `` I 'll give that picture father sent me last week . '' As the said picture was an excellent copy of one of Landseer 's stags , Felix and I were well pleased ; but Peter averred that he would rather have the Madonna that looked like his Aunt Jane , and the Story Girl agreed that if his sermon was the best she would give him that . `` But who 's to be the judge ? '' I said , `` and what kind of a sermon would you call the best ? '' `` The one that makes the most impression , '' answered the Story Girl promptly . `` And we girls must be the judges , because there 's nobody else . Now , who is to preach next Sunday ? '' It was decided that I should lead off , and I lay awake for an extra hour that night thinking what text I should take for the following Sunday . The next day I bought two sheets of foolscap from the schoolmaster , and after tea I betook myself to the granary , barred the door , and fell to writing my sermon . I did not find it as easy a task as I had anticipated ; but I pegged grimly away at it , and by dint of severe labour for two evenings I eventually got my four pages of foolscap filled , although I had to pad the subject-matter not a little with verses of quotable hymns . I had decided to preach on missions , as being a topic more within my grasp than abstruse theological doctrines or evangelical discourses ; and , mindful of the need of making an impression , I drew a harrowing picture of the miserable plight of the heathen who in their darkness bowed down to wood and stone . Then I urged our responsibility concerning them , and meant to wind up by reciting , in a very solemn and earnest voice , the verse beginning , `` Can we whose souls are lighted . '' When I had completed my sermon I went over it very carefully again and wrote with red ink -- Cecily made it for me out of an aniline dye -- the word `` thump '' wherever I deemed it advisable to chastise the pulpit .
I have XXXXX sermon still , all its red thumps unfaded , lying beside my dream book ; but I am not going to inflict it on my readers .
as at because for in like of on that to