ng clergyman of her
native town should be invited to exchange one Sabbath with Mr.
Worthiman. This he promised should be effected, and took his leave for
the purpose. As the parsonage was in his way home, he called to pay
his respects to his minister, whom he found confined to the house by
an indisposition that would prevent his preaching the following
Sabbath; so he requested the deacon to read a sermon, as usual under
such circumstances. This was opportune for proposing to call in the
aid of a neighboring minister, which Mr. Worthiman acceding to, the
matter was soon arranged, and word given out through the village that
Mr. Newlight would fill the pulpit the coming Sabbath.

Providence, or _some_ invisible agent, seemed on the side of Mrs.
Tiptop, under the inspiration of which she went from house to house,
promising the parishioners a treat new to them from Mr. Worthiman's
pulpit.

The Sabbath was an anxious one to her, and an eventful one in the
Congregational church of Green Valley; the spirit-stirring tones of
Mr. Newlight's voice--his forceful manner, and novel forms of
presenting old truths, had such an electric effect upon his audience
that Mrs. Tiptop's eyes drank their fill of satisfaction, and
gratified ambition began to revel in her brain. Nothing was talked of
the succeeding day but Mr. Newlight's great sermon; and wishes were
openly expressed, mostly by the younger members of the congregation,
that Mr. Worthiman was more like him. Dissatisfaction spread like an
infectious disease, and before the year expired, a meeting had been
called to confer on the subject--the church was divided against
itself, and the iron had entered the soul of poor Mr. Worthiman. But
the oldest and best of his people, those who had been the pillars of
the church, were not to be so easily moved out of place, and the
result was, that the disaffected members--including at least one
half--immigrated in a body, under the lead of Deacon Heedful and Mrs.
Tiptop; were formed into another church, built a modern house of
worship, and called a new-school minister to fill its pulpit.

Mr. Lion was a man of strong sense, strong principle, and strong will.
His wife was an English lady of family and attainments, who, under the
influence of a fervid attachment, had left a high-born circle of
friends in her native land, to share the lot of an humble American
clergyman, when too young to have attained that maturity of
good-breeding which accomm