'Nay, nay,' said Mr. Tadpole with a chuckle, 'I don't think we shall find
the Church attacked again in a hurry. I only wish they would try! A good
Church cry before a registration,' he continued, rubbing his hands; 'eh,
my Lord, I think that would do.'

'But how are we to turn them out?' said the Duke.

'Ah!' said Mr. Taper, 'that is a great question.'

'What do you think of a repeal of the Malt Tax?' said Lord Fitz-Booby.
'They have been trying it on in ----shire, and I am told it goes down very
well.'

'No repeal of any tax,' said Taper, sincerely shocked, and shaking his
head; 'and the Malt Tax of all others. I am all against that.'

'It is a very good cry though, if there be no other,' said Tadpole.

'I am all for a religious cry,' said Taper. 'It means nothing, and, if
successful, does not interfere with business when we are in.'

'You will have religious cries enough in a short time,' said Mr. Rigby,
rather wearied of any one speaking but himself, and thereat he commenced a
discourse, which was, in fact, one of his 'slashing' articles in petto on
Church Reform, and which abounded in parallels between the present affairs
and those of the reign of Charles I. Tadpole, who did not pretend to know
anything but the state of the registration, and Taper, whose political
reading was confined to an intimate acquaintance with the Red Book and
Beatson's Political Index, which he could repeat backwards, were silenced.
The Duke, who was well instructed and liked to be talked to, sipped his