Mr. Schulze said very little, but sketched out
a plan of improvement.

The people of good taste or impartiality
had made up their minds to vote for the new
candidate. But there were too many opinions
in Twirlington, to allow merit to have an
undivided influence. In the first place, a
great number of people resolved to vote for
Mr. Nicolas Newborn, because he was "a
young man just beginning the world." A
greater number did not scruple to designate
Mr. Nicolas Newborn with the strong expression
that he was a "sanctified humbug," and
declared their resolution to vote for Mr.
Thomas Brogue, because "they cared nothing
about music, and had known him a long time."
The farrier's large family was a prepossessing
reason for the patronage of mothers; and, the
sympathy in his favour was increased by his
honest confession of the greater ability of the
new candidate. Another set of persons resolved
not to vote at all, to avoid giving
offence, and another set voted for the old candidates,
because they "didn't want the church
turned into an Opera House."

Meanwhile Mr. Twirk had secured for his
friend all the musical interest in Twirlington;
in spite of a report, that if Mr. Schulze got the
situation, the parish would be plunged into
debt and bankruptcy to build a new organ.
Another report was, that he was a German
Roman Catholic; another, that he was a Calvinist;
another, that he was going to be
married to a public concert-singer; another,
that he knew the Reverend Epitaph Bronze,
and that he was going to introduce Gregorian
chants, and Puseyism in general. Fortunately,
however, it came out that Mr. Nicolas
Newborn had twice been in the county
gaol at Slocumb-upon-Thames, for debt;
and that his piety was a novelty, only
dating from the recent epoch when he gave
up skittles. This changed the old maids and
Evangelical party, and brought a wonderful
accession of strength to the collecting forces
of Mr. Sebastian Bach Schulze.

At length the election-day came. The
Brogue party made a last effort by calling
upon the Twirlingtonians to oppose foreigners
and Puseyism,—a call which gave much entertainment
to its object and his adherents. Despite
the hand-bills, squibs, reports, mis-statements
of the poll, and other electioneering
manœuvres, Mr. Sebastian Bach Schulze found
himself successful. The farrier shook him by
the hand, congratulated him with honest sincerity,
and went home, a little disappointed,
perhaps, but without a shade of ill-feeling.

A few weeks after, a vestry was called
to determine on the steps to be taken for
the repairs of the organ. Hawks, the
upholsterer, declaimed against any such proceeding,
because "the music cost too much
already." Shotts, the haberdasher, was for
voting fifty pounds, when Mr. Twirk quietly
announced that upwards of three hundred
pounds had been subscribed by private parties,
and that nothing but voluntary offerings
were required. Grumbling and opposition
were silenced, and the malcontents relapsed
into whispers of Popery, Puseyism, Papistry,
Jesuitism, and the Seven Hills.

At last, despite all opposition, "a grand
performance on the organ, re-constructed for
Twirlington parish church," was announced
by Messrs. Green and Smith, and a large
party of amateurs and idlers were assembled
at their workshops, on the rough seats "run
up" for their accommodation. Mr. Schulze
gave a performance that showed not only the
player, but the organ. Confining himself
wholly to sacred music, he displayed, alternately
the sweetness of the portions preserved
from the old organ, and the power and
scientific appliances of the modernized ones.
People wondered when they heard the mellow
old diapason pipes blending with the ponderous
tones of the new pedal organ. They were
surprised to find, that although the power
was tripled, nothing seemed noisy. In a word,
whilst a large portion of the organ was of
some two hundred years' standing, the superstructure
grafted on the old foundation,
seemed to have always stood there. Despite
the number of couplet-stops, the pedals yielded
easily to pressure, and spoke simultaneously
with the touch. The pneumatic lever prevented
the jerking and wavering of the wind in
the pipes, and lightened the touch of the keys.

The Twirlington organ met with equal
favour when it once more appeared in the
old gallery. Although it contained nearly
double its former number of stops, no one
complained of the noise; and although it was
susceptible of every variety of change, no one
complained that they could not follow its
changes with the voice. But this was owing
to the organist. Strict in making the instrument
subservient to the voice, he made use
of the fancy stops sparingly, and then made
them serve to give the key-note; for which
their purity and distinctness admirably qualified
them. Nor did he make the perfect construction
of the instrument an excuse for perplexing
feats of skill. A quiet, regulated
dignity; a judicious blending, not a violent
contrast, of light and shade, was the prevailing
feature of his playing, and the calm soberness
of his style was only equalled by the quietness
with which he occupied his seat. The
musical services were infinitely improved
without any one being bothered with out-of-the-way
changes. The Brogue party felt that
they had only placarded their ignorance, and
kept silent in the vestry on subsequent Easter
Mondays, when the reappointment of the
organist was mooted.

The "harmonious blacksmith" often gets a
quiet practice on the grand organ, by the
sociable permission of Mr. Schulze, and often
expresses his delight that the best player was
chosen. Mr. Twirk is one of Schulze's best
pupils, and is a greater musical lion than
ever.