Miss Eliza only answered by a blush, which made her look all the handsomer, but her aunt said,—­’Yes, Mr. Tryan, I have ever inculcated on my dear Eliza the importance of spending her leisure in being useful to her fellow-creatures.  Your example and instruction have been quite in the spirit of the system which I have always pursued, though we are indebted to you for a clearer view of the motives that should actuate us in our pursuit of good works.  Not that I can accuse myself of having ever had a self-righteous spirit, but my humility was rather instinctive than based on a firm ground of doctrinal knowledge, such as you so admirably impart to us.’

Mrs. Linnet’s usual entreaty that Mr. Tryan would ’have something—­some wine and water and a biscuit’, was just here a welcome relief from the necessity of answering Miss Pratt’s oration.

’Not anything, my dear Mrs. Linnet, thank you.  You forget what a Rechabite I am.  By the by, when I went this morning to see a poor girl in Butcher’s Lane, whom I had heard of as being in a consumption, I found Mrs. Dempster there.  I had often met her in the street, but did not know it was Mrs. Dempster.  It seems she goes among the poor a good deal.  She is really an interesting-looking woman.  I was quite surprised, for I have heard the worst account of her habits—­that she is almost as bad as her husband.  She went out hastily as soon as I entered.  But’ (apologetically) ’I am keeping you all standing, and I must really hurry away.  Mrs. Pettifer, I have not had the pleasure of calling on you for some time; I shall take an early opportunity of going your way.  Good evening, good evening.’

Chapter 4

Mr. Tryan was right in saying that the ‘row’ in Milby had been preconcerted by Dempster.  The placards and the caricature were prepared before the departure of the delegates; and it had been settled that Mat Paine, Dempster’s clerk, should ride out on Thursday morning to meet them at Whitlow, the last place where they would change horses, that he might gallop back and prepare an ovation for the triumvirate in case of their success.  Dempster had determined to dine at Whitlow:  so that Mat Paine was in Milby again two hours before the entrance of the delegates, and had time to send a whisper up the back streets that there was promise of a ‘spree’ in the Bridge Way, as well as to assemble two knots of picked men—­one to feed the flame of orthodox zeal with gin-and-water, at the Green Man, near High Street; the other to solidify their church principles with heady beer at the Bear and Ragged Staff in the Bridge Way.