benignly-smiling

Updated: May 10, 2025

But as I did not know the proper mantra for use upon such an occasion, I supplied one from memory, saying, in a hushed voice, "Hokey pokey winky wum," as I laid each one before the benignly-smiling statue. I have no doubt from their faces the priests imagined I was uttering a most powerful spell or prayer in my own language.

Grant Allen - Hilda Wade, a Woman with Tenacity of Purpose