"Not a bad sort of man!" cried Fullerton, indignantly; "why, it's a burning shame for him to have charge of this parish at all. What's a parson for?"

"Well," said Tomlinson, mildly, "I suppose to have the care of the parish."

"Yes, and to rule and manage it," said Warton.

"Yes," cried Fullerton, "of course; and here's a man who can't manage his own household, which is the wastefullest in the place."

"Might keep your family on what they waste, eh, Fullerton?" said Warton, the saddler, with a chuckle, for he was a great friend of Smithson; and it was a fact often commented upon by neighbours, that Fullerton's domestic economy was of the most parsimonious character.

"I'm not the man to eat the parson's leavings," said Fullerton, angrily, "nor yet the man to go cringing and touching my hat to him in hopes of getting a harness-mending order."

Mr Warton refilled his pipe.

"I say," continued Fullerton, "that a man who can't rule his own sons can't properly rule a parish."

"Nay, nay, nay," cried Tomlinson; "don't be too hard upon him, man.

He's a very good sort of fellow is Mallow, and I should be very sorry to go against him."

"But you will go against him," said Fullerton, triumphantly; and he looked very hard in the ironmonger's face.

Mr Tomlinson's pipe needed seeing to just then, and he let his eyes rest upon the glowing fire therein, as he recalled certain little speculative money transactions that had taken place between him and Fullerton, and felt how awkward it might be if he offended his fellow-townsman.

It would be very awkward to have to side against the Rector, but of two evils Tomlinson felt bound to choose the least.

"I'm afraid that in this instance I must go against Mr Mallow," said Tomlinson, deliberately; and Fullerton gave a triumphant glance round the room.

"Hah!" he said to himself, "there's a wonderful power in money, and one never knows what it will do."

PART ONE, CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

THE GOVERNORS' MEETING.

Market morning again at Lawford, and the customary business going on.

There were a few pigs in the pens; a larger amount of b.u.t.ter than usual at the cross, some of it holding a good two ounces of salt to the pound.

A sale by auction of some old furniture was to take place, and gigs, cars, and carts were coming in.

The rectory carriage, with Julia and Cynthia Mallow looking sweet and attractive enough to tempt the tradespeople who quarrelled with the father to touch their hats, came in quite early, setting down the Rector, who had to visit the bookseller's and order a new volume for the society library, and soon after he was on his way to the chief point of attraction that morning, to wit, the special meeting of the governors of Lawford School, with the Rector in the chair.

The meeting, according to custom, had been called for the vestry-room, which would only comfortably hold six, and then adjourned to the King's Head, where the townspeople and those interested in the important event were gathered in force.

Thirty years before, when Humphrey Bone obtained his appointment, only three people were present--to wit, the then rector of the parish and a couple of governors. But there was no opposition in those days.

Dissent had not taken so strong a hold on the little town, and the disposition for making a party fight over every trifling matter had not grown into the ascendant.

On this particular day, however, though to a man every one present, whether Nonconformist or supporter of Church and State, would have stoutly denied that party feeling or local politics had anything to do with his presence, it was very evident that there were two opposing sides, and that the meeting was pretty evenly divided between the supporters of the Rector, who believed in the time being come for the appointment of a new master, and those who nailed their colours to the mast old style, and openly declared that any change made must be for the worse.

Humphrey Bone was there one of the first, making the boards echo with his thick boot, and it was noticed that the said boot had been thoroughly blacked, that Humphrey was well shaved, his hair had been cut, and that he had on a clean white shirt.

Fullerton was there, too, talking to him aside, and Tomlinson, Smithson, and Warton soon put in an appearance, one and all looking as important and solemn as if the const.i.tution of the country were at stake, in place of so mild a question as that which was to be settled--whether Humphrey Bone was to be superseded, or not.

The room was growing pretty full. Michael Ross, the tanner, had entered, followed by his son, who looked very pale and determined, speaking in a quick, decided way to Portlock, the churchwarden, who came up and shook hands with both his father and him in turn.

Then the Rector entered, followed by Cyril, who sauntered into the room with a careless air, nodding at first one and then another, till his eyes met those of Luke Ross, when he started slightly, but returned the keen fixed gaze with one full of angry resentment before looking down.

Then there was a little bustle and settling down in seats as the Rector took the chair. The vestry clerk opened a big calf-skin covered book, stuck a new quill pen behind his ear, and drew the ink a little nearer to him, when there was a breathless pause, during which all who could looked from Luke Ross, the young, to Humphrey Bone, the old, as if they were the champions of the two causes a.s.sembled here, and as though they were expected to come forward in front of the Rector's chair and do battle manfully for the post.

Then the Rector quietly announced that the meeting that day was for the purpose of confirming the appointment of the new master to the boys'

school, and also to accept the resignation of the late master, Mr Humphrey Bone.

"Never resigned," shouted that individual; and he involuntarily wiped his mouth, as if to remove all traces of his having been seeking for support at the King's Head bar.

Mr Mallow frowned slightly, and there was a low buzz of satisfaction on one side of the room.

"Didn't resign, and don't want to resign," said Humphrey Bone more loudly, being encouraged by the looks of approbation he received.

"And to confirm the dismissal of Mr Humphrey Bone from the office of master of the school," said the Rector, firmly. "I beg pardon, gentlemen, I was under the impression that Mr Bone had resigned. I may add, gentlemen, that the preliminaries have been settled at the former meeting, and all that is requisite now is for a majority of the governors to sign the minute that the clerk to the vestry will prepare.

If any gentleman has a remark or two he would like to make, we shall be most happy to hear him."

"Yes, that's easy enough to say," whispered Warton to Smithson. "He's used to speaking in public. I always feel as if my heart's getting into my mouth."

"Mr Fullerton, I think, wishes to address you, gentlemen," said the Rector, smiling and sitting down.

Mr Fullerton looked as if he would have liked to strangle the Rector for that smile. It was a perfectly innocent smile, in no wise directed at the would-be speaker, but it seemed to Fullerton that the Rector was ridiculing him, and it put him off his text for the moment, but he recovered himself, and in a very florid speech, full of wanderings from the point, opposed the appointment of a new master on the ground that Humphrey Bone having been duly nominated and appointed, unless he had in some special way become unfit for his post, the Rector had no right to dismiss him.

Mr Bone uttered a very loud "Hear, hear!"

Two more of the townsmen, followers of Fullerton, rose in turn to speak, but were silenced on the spot by the announcement of the Rector, that this was not an ordinary meeting of ratepayers, but of the governors of the school, who alone had a right to make any motion and speak to the proposition before the meeting.

This being so, Tomlinson was forced into action by his neighbour, and in smooth tones regretted that he was compelled to go in opposition to "our worthy Rector," but, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, he must object to the appointment of so young a man as Mr Luke Ross to so important a post, and after a long speech, in which he went round and round the subject a dozen times, he ended by declaring that he should vote against the appointment.

To his annoyance, the Rector, as the meeting went on, found himself undoubtedly in the minority, and he felt bitterly the position in which Luke Ross had been placed.

Just then, however, a couple of the governors, upon whom he knew that he could depend, entered the room, and the tables, he felt, were turned.

Luke had been sitting, chafing at every word that had been said against his appointment, and every now and then, as he met Cyril Mallow's eye, it seemed to him to be full of triumph at his discomfiture.

Then, too, he kept glancing at Portlock, and as he did so the bluff, wealthy farmer's words came back, mingled with the contempt he seemed to feel for the pittance that was to be the young master's for the first few years.

Five hundred a year--five hundred a year--seemed to keep repeating itself to Luke Ross, as his eyes once more met those of Cyril Mallow, whose countenance wore a decided sneer.

"Then now, gentlemen, I think," said the Rector, "we will proceed to vote."

"Stop!" cried Luke Ross.

It was on the impulse of the moment. He had had no such thought when he entered the room.

"We will hear you, Mr Ross, after the voting is over," said the Rector, quietly.