Eric usually sat with Duncan and Llewellyn, immediately behind the benches allotted to chance visitors.

The bench in front of them happened on this afternoon to be occupied by some rather odd people, viz., an old man with long white hair, and two ladies remarkably stout, who were dressed with much juvenility, although past middle age.

Their appearance immediately attracted notice, and no sooner had they taken their seats than Duncan and Llewellyn began to titter.
The ladies' bonnets, which were of white, trimmed with long green leaves and flowers, just peered over the top of the boys' pew, and excited much amusement.

But Eric had not yet learnt to disregard the solemnity of the place, and the sacred act in which they were engaged.

He tried to look away, and attend to the service, and for a time he partially succeeded, although, seated as he was between the two triflers, who were perpetually telegraphing to each other their jokes, he found it a difficult task, and secretly he began to be much tickled.
At last the sermon commenced, and Llewellyn, who had imprisoned a grasshopper in a paper cage, suddenly let it hop out.