“It is an extraordinary view of one’s duty, for a parson;” observed the captain.  “Let us reason backward a little, and ascertain where we shall come out.  You put the head of the household out of the question.  Has he no claims?  Is a father to be altogether overlooked in the struggle between the children?  Are his laws to be broken—­his rights invaded—­or his person to be maltreated, perhaps, and his curse disregarded, because a set of unruly children get by the ears, on points connected with their own selfishness?”

“I give up the household,” cried the chaplain, “for the bible settles that; and what the bible disposes of, is beyond dispute—­’Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee’—­are terrible words, and must not be disobeyed.  But the decalogue has not another syllable which touches the question.  ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ means murder only; common, vulgar murder—­and ‘thou shalt not steal,’ ‘thou shalt not commit adultery,’ &c., don’t bear on civil war, as I see.  ’Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy’—­’Thou shalt not covet the ox nor the ass’—­’Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain’—­none of these, not one of them, bears, at all, on this question.”

“What do you think of the words of the Saviour, where he tells us to ’render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s?  Has Caesar no rights here?  Can Massachusetts and my Lord North settle their quarrels in such a manner as to put Caesar altogether out of view?”

The chaplain looked down a moment, pondered a little, and then he came up to the attack, again, with renewed ardour.

“Caesar is out of the question here.  If His Majesty will come and take sides with us, we shall be ready to honour and obey him; but if he choose to remain alienated from us, it is his act, not ours.”

“This is a new mode of settling allegiance!  If Caesar will do as we wish, he shall still be Caesar; but, if he refuse to do as we wish, then down with Caesar.  I am an old soldier, Woods, and while I feel that this question has two sides to it, my disposition to reverence and honour the king is still strong.”

The major appeared delighted, and, finding matters going on so favourably, he pleaded fatigue and withdrew, feeling satisfied that, if his father fairly got into a warm discussion, taking the loyal side of the question, he would do more to confirm himself in the desired views, than could be effected by any other means.  By this time, the disputants were so warm as scarcely to notice the disappearance of the young man, the argument proceeding.