ough he's generally glad to get any one to
read as will."

"Surely," Eloquent said severely, "he does not carry his political
views into his religious life, to the extent of boycotting those who do
not agree with him."

"It's his church," Miss Gallup rejoined stoutly; "no one can read in it
without 'tis his wish."

"My dear aunt, you surely don't imagine that I want to read the lessons
at Redmarley except as a matter of kindness . . . assistance to Mr
Molyneux. What other reason can I have?"

"Well," said Miss Gallup, shrewdly, "it might be that you wanted to
show how well you could do it . . ." she paused.

Eloquent blushed in the darkness.

"And with an election coming on, you never know what motives folks
has," she continued. "But it's my belief Mr Molyneux'd be pleased as
Punch. He's all for friendliness, he is. I know who wouldn't be
pleased, though----"

"Who is that?" asked Eloquent, as his aunt had stopped, evidently
waiting to be questioned.

"Why, Mr Ffolliot; he don't take much part in politics, but he thinks
Redmarley belongs to him, and he'd be mighty astonished if you was to
get up and read in the parish church, and him not been told anything
about it."

"I shall certainly call on Mr Molyneux tomorrow," said Eloquent.

CHAPTER VI

THE SQUIRE

Hilary Ffolliot, squire of Redmarley in the county of Garsetshire, did
not appreciate the blessings heaped upon him by providence in the shape
of so numerous a family, and from their very earliest years manifested
a strong determination that no child of his should be spoilt through
any injudicious slackening of discipline.

His rules and regulations were as the sands of the sea for number, and
as they all tended in the same direction, namely, to the effacement of
his lively and ubiquitous offspring, it is hardly surprising that such
a large and healthy family found it difficult, not to say impossible,
to attain to his ideal of the whole duty of children. And although a
desire not to transgress his code regarding silence and decorum in such
parts of the house as were within ear-shot of his study was strong in
the children, knowing how swift and sure was the retribution overtaking
such offenders--yet, however willing the spirit, the flesh was weak,
and succumbed to temptations to jump whole flights of stairs, to slide
down bannisters, arriving with a sounding thump at the bottom, and
occasionally to bang the schoolroom door in the faces of t