e convenced?
Why, by oracular demonstrashun--'"

"Ocular, Caleb."

"Right you are, sir, an' thankye for the correcshun, as the boy said
to the pupil-teacher; 'by oc-u-lar demonstrashun,' says he.
'P'raps you dunno what ocular demonstrashun es, my brethren.
Well, I'll tell 'ee. That's a wall, ain't et? An' I'm a preacher,
arn't I? An' you be worms, bain't 'ee? Why, I can see that much
tho' I _han't_ but wan eye. An' that's ocular demonstrashun.'

"But, as I was sayin', wan eye _es_ a wisht business, howsomever you
may turn et up'ards an' call et your thorn i' the flesh, an' the
likes; an' more'n a few o' the 'Rig'nal Seceders fell away from th'
ould man's Meetin' House, and became backsliders dro' fear o' being
overlooked an' ill-wished, so they said. I reckon 'twas all
quignogs, but et _did_ luk plaguey like th' evil eye, an' that
there's no denyin'.

"Well, sir, matters went on i' this way for a brave time, an' the
'tendance got less, till Lawyer Mennear wos fairly at hes wits' end.
He talked a' weak-kneed brethren, an' 'puttin' your han's to the
plough,' an' dreshed the pilm [2] out o' cush'n afore 'un, an'
kicked up a purty dido, till you cou'd hear the randivoose o' Sunday
mornin's 'way over t'other side o' Carne hill; but 'twarn't no manner
o' good. An' as for the childer at the Sunday-school--th' ould
rapscallion laid powerful store by hes Sunday-school--'twas 'bear a
hand ivery wan' to get mun to face that eye: an' you mou't clane
their faces an' grease their hair as you wou'd, the mothers told me,
an' see mun off 'pon the road to Meetin' House; but turn your back,
an' they'd be mitchin' [3] in a brace o' shakes an' 'way to go for
Coombe beach, an' playin' hidey-peep in their clane pinnyfores 'mong
the rocks.

"Aw, 'twas shee-vo! 'mong the Church Members, an' no mistake; an' how
'twud ha' come round, there's no telling, ef et hadn' a-been for what
Lawyer Mennear called a vouchsafement o' marcy. An' the way thicky
vouchsafement comed about was this:

"Th' ould man was up to Plymouth wan day 'bout some shares he'd a-tuk
in a tradin' schooner; for he'd a finger in most pies. Nuthin' i'
the way o' bus'ness comed amiss to'n. Like Nicholas Kemp, he'd
occashun for all."

"Who was Nicholas Kemp?" inquired Mr. Fogo.

"On'y a figger o' speech, sir. Well, ould Mennear had a-done
bus'ness, an' was strollin' up Union Street 'long wi' his missus--
Aunt Deb'rah Mennear, as her name was--a fine, bowerly wo