congregational meeting immediately following, and without further
comment the service was brought to a close.

A number of the congregation, among them Barry's father, departed.

"Sit down, Neil," said Mrs. Innes to Neil Fraser. "You'll be wanted I
doot." And Neil, protesting that he knew nothing about church business,
sat down.

At the back of the church were gathered Harry Hobbs, young Pickles,
and others of the less important attendants of the church, who had been
induced to remain by the rumour of a "scrap."

By a fatal mischance, the pliant Nathan Pilley was elected chairman.
This gentleman was obsessed by the notion that he possessed in a high
degree the two qualities which he considered essential to the harmonious
and expeditious conduct of a public meeting, namely, an invincible
determination to agree with every speaker, and an equally invincible
determination to get motions passed.

In a rambling and aimless speech, Mr. Pilley set forth in a somewhat
general way the steps leading up to this meeting, and then called
upon Mr. Innes, the chairman of the Board of Management, to state more
specifically the object for which it was called.

Mr. Innes, who was incurably averse to voluble speech, whether public or
private, arose and said, in rolling Doric:

"Weel, Mr. Chair-r-man, there's no much to be done. We're behind a few
hundred dollars, but if some one will go about wi' a bit paper, nae doot