“It’s a true word as I say, sir,” rejoined Mr. Rann, compressing his mouth into a semicircular form and pausing long enough to indicate three notes of exclamation.  “She preached on the Green last night; an’ she’s laid hold of Chad’s Bess, as the girl’s been i’ fits welly iver sin’.”

“Well, Bessy Cranage is a hearty-looking lass; I daresay she’ll come round again, Joshua.  Did anybody else go into fits?”

“No, sir, I canna say as they did.  But there’s no knowin’ what’ll come, if we’re t’ have such preachin’s as that a-goin’ on ivery week—­there’ll be no livin’ i’ th’ village.  For them Methodisses make folks believe as if they take a mug o’ drink extry, an’ make theirselves a bit comfortable, they’ll have to go to hell for’t as sure as they’re born.  I’m not a tipplin’ man nor a drunkard—­nobody can say it on me—­but I like a extry quart at Easter or Christmas time, as is nat’ral when we’re goin’ the rounds a-singin’, an’ folks offer’t you for nothin’; or when I’m a-collectin’ the dues; an’ I like a pint wi’ my pipe, an’ a neighbourly chat at Mester Casson’s now an’ then, for I was brought up i’ the Church, thank God, an’ ha’ been a parish clerk this two-an’-thirty year:  I should know what the church religion is.”

“Well, what’s your advice, Joshua?  What do you think should be done?”

“Well, Your Reverence, I’m not for takin’ any measures again’ the young woman.  She’s well enough if she’d let alone preachin’; an’ I hear as she’s a-goin’ away back to her own country soon.  She’s Mr. Poyser’s own niece, an’ I donna wish to say what’s anyways disrespectful o’ th’ family at th’ Hall Farm, as I’ve measured for shoes, little an’ big, welly iver sin’ I’ve been a shoemaker.  But there’s that Will Maskery, sir as is the rampageousest Methodis as can be, an’ I make no doubt it was him as stirred up th’ young woman to preach last night, an’ he’ll be a-bringin’ other folks to preach from Treddles’on, if his comb isn’t cut a bit; an’ I think as he should be let know as he isna t’ have the makin’ an’ mendin’ o’ church carts an’ implemen’s, let alone stayin’ i’ that house an’ yard as is Squire Donnithorne’s.”

“Well, but you say yourself, Joshua, that you never knew any one come to preach on the Green before; why should you think they’ll come again?  The Methodists don’t come to preach in little villages like Hayslope, where there’s only a handful of labourers, too tired to listen to them.  They might almost as well go and preach on the Binton Hills.  Will Maskery is no preacher himself, I think.”

“Nay, sir, he’s no gift at stringin’ the words together wi’out book; he’d be stuck fast like a cow i’ wet clay.  But he’s got tongue enough to speak disrespectful about’s neebors, for he said as I was a blind Pharisee—­a-usin’ the Bible i’ that way to find nick-names for folks as are his elders an’ betters!—­and what’s worse, he’s been heard to say very unbecomin’ words about Your Reverence; for I could bring them as ’ud swear as he called you a ‘dumb dog,’ an’ a ‘idle shepherd.’  You’ll forgi’e me for sayin’ such things over again.”