The Bishop's Candlesticks by Norman Mckinnell (A simplified detailed summary for Class IX) Part One

The kitchen of the Bishop is simple but sufficiently furnished. There is a big mantelpiece (shelf) at the fireplace. There is a sofa lying there in the living room. There is also a table on which some writing material and a wooden image of Jesus Christ on the cross are lying. There is  also a dining table, chairs and some books, etc. There are two heavy candlesticks on the mantelpiece, which look strange in that simple surroundings.

The scene opens with the presence of Marie and Persome. Marie is stirring soup on the fire. Persome is laying the cloth.

There is a conversation between Persome and Marrie.

Persome asked Marie, the maidservant if the soup was ready. Marie replied that it was not ready. At this, Persome blames her that she had not tended the fire properly, that was why it was not ready on time. Marie answered her back saying that Persome had herself made the fire.

That made Persome angry and she warned her not to answer her back. It was rudeness if she did so.

Then Persome wondered as to where her brother, the Bishop could be. She comes to know from her maid that he had gone to attend her mother who was ill.

Persomes’ anger increased at this and she blamed her again that she must have informed her brother about the illness of her brother. That had made him go out of his bed in such a cold weather.

Marie changed the topic and told her mistress that the soup was boiling.

Persome instructed her to pour it in and advised her not to chatter. As she was pouring the soup in some container, Persome told her not to pour the soup in that manner. She started doing it herself and also asked the maid if she had put the silver salt cellars on the table.

Marrie gives her shocking news that those cellars were sold out in the market. It gave a rude shock to Persome. Marie informed Persome that the Bishop himself had instructed her to take those cellars to Mr. Gervais to sell them to him.

Persome again enquired of Marie as to what purpose, the Bishop required money. The maid told her that he needed it for MereGringoire.

Persome asked her if it was she who lived at top of the hill. Persome is not ready to believe that she was ill; rather she said that she was lazy and also avoided doing any work. She again wanted to know from Marie as to what she wanted to do with money that she would get from the bishop.

The maid servant told her that MereGringoire needed money to pay for the rent of her house. She also told her that the bailiff (an officer in the court) threatened her to be ousted from the house if she did not pay the rent on time.

Now Persome spoke about the Bishop’s financial crisis. She revealed that her brother’s estate was sold and his saving was spent and his furniture was also going. She felt sorry for the bad condition of her brother. According to her, it was all due to the bishop’s generosity.

In the meantime, the Bishop arrives in. He asks his sister as to why she was crying and felt so troubled and anxious.

Persome hid the reason of her worry.

Then the Bishop’s attention shifted to Marie. He told her not to worry about her mother as she was alright then and the doctor had seen her. He told her to run to her home to look after her mother. He also advised her not to disturb her sleep if she was sleeping at that time.

Marie thanked the Bishop.

But as she was going out of the room, the Bishop stopped her to take his comforter so that she might feel cosy (warm) as it was cold outside.

Persome was not at all happy with her brother’s so much charity in distributing his own personal things to others.

The Bishop defended his act of charity by telling Persome that she had not moved out of the warmth of the room. If she had done so, she would have experienced the chill of the weather outside.

Marie hesitated to wear the comforter.

Persome dissuaded her brother by saying that she would not be affected by the cold weather as she was young.

But the Bishop not only gave his comforter to Marie, but also helped her wear that.

Marie went out of the Bishop’s house.

Persome lost her patience with the Bishop and showed it in her conversation. She gave soup to him and told her brother that MereGringoire was not so ill that you had to go out to attend on her in such a chilly weather. People pretended to be ill for just calling the Bishop beside them. The Bishop said that it was kind of people that they liked his company. He also praised the soup prepared by his sister.

Persome also told her that people usually duped him by telling lie.

Persome further said that the day would come when the house would be empty if he continued helping the people by selling his things.

The Bishop said that there were so many sufferings in the world, so his service to them was very little.

Persome became sentimental and complained to her brother that he never cared for her and caused pain to her by ignoring. The Bishop pacified her by feeling sorry.

Again their conversation came to the topic of the salt cellars. She complained that he was like a child whom the people duped easily. In her absence, he just sold the salt cellars, so she did not want to leave him alone.

They also agreed that the salt cellars were there in their house for a long time and they were proud of them.

The Bishop then justified why he had paid money to MereGringoire.

Persome in a satirical way told him that some day he would sell off the candlesticks to pay off some other person’s rent.

The Bishop, showing his humility, said that those candlesticks were not his. He also reminded her that those candlesticks were given to him by his mother when she was on her deathbed. She had advised him to keep them as her sweet memory. He promised to his sister to keep the candlesticks with him but in the same breath he said that it was a sin to have attachment for material things.

Then both of them departed for sleep after wishing goodnight to each other.

The Bishop came near the table and looked up at the candlesticks. The thought that those would also serve somebody’s rent someday entered his mind. Then he stirred(moved) the fire, trimmed the lamp, arranged some books and papers on the table and sat down. He was restless and shivering also. The clock outside struck twelve and he settled to read. After sometime a convict entered from behind and seized(overpowered) the Bishop, whom he threatened not to raise his voice to call anybody in the house.

Then he demanded food from the Bishop and also told him that he was hungry for three days. The bishop told him that he would have to call his sister for the keys to serve him food. But the convict did not allow him to call her. He asked the Bishop to tell him where the food was. Then the Bishop assured him that they were only two members in the house and they would not cause any trouble to him. The convict threatened to pierce his heart with a knife if he (the bishop) tried to cheat him.

The Bishop called his sister to come because a hungry traveller needed food to eat.

She grumbled something to show her displeasure to her brother. But he insisted on her coming in. She comes after some minutes, but looking at the knife, she was frightened and complained to the Bishop that the stranger was glaring at her like a wild animal.

The convict threatened to them to give him food immediately. The Bishop told his sister to give him the keys and go to her room. But the convict blocked her way and ordered her not to go anywhere.

The Bishop requested Persome to give him her company at the table as he desired it. She accepted that and sat at the table staring at both of them. The Bishop served the Convict with some cold pie, a bottle of wine and some bread. The convict ordered the Bishop to stand in front of him. The Bishop opened the drawer in the table and took a knife and fork out. The convict took the fork and threw it away saying that they did not use forks in the prison.

At the mention of the word, ‘prison’, Persome got scared.

The convict started eating the slice in a wild manner and also asked them why they left the window un-shuttered and the door open. Then he shut them.

He mutters while eating that for the first time in thirty years….(He meant to say that he had eaten like that). He also threw the bones on the floor. That made Persome uncomfortable and irritated also. Bishop picked up the bone and put it in the plate.

He asked the Bishop if he was not afraid of the thieves. He replied that he felt sorry for them. Then he laughed roughly and drank wine. After that he asked the Bishop who he was. He told him that he was a Bishop.

Then the Bishop told Persome that she might go to her room. She was not in a mood to leave her brother with a criminal. But the Bishop persuaded her to go on the excuse that they would talk freely in her absence.