bring him into
trouble, and that nothing but harm had ever come of her canting, Methody
ways, and he had a good mind to kick her out at once to the workhouse,
and would do so, if she brought them Gobblealls down on him again.
There had been nothing but plague ever since they came into the parish,
and he wouldn't have them come poll-prying about his house. No, he
wouldn't.

Judith knew this was a vain threat, for he was always out of the house
when they came, and she also knew that he was the last man to give up
the small payment that she was in the habit of making quarterly, or what
was begged from her besides, so she was not afraid of any such measure;
but she was much shaken, and felt quite ill afterwards, and Molly did
not stint her blame and lamentations. Nothing happened in consequence,
except that, from that time forward, Dan's incipient dislike to "they
Gobblealls" was increased, and they could do nothing which he did not
find fault with; though his wife, grumbling at them all the time, was
quite willing to get everything possible out of them.

CHAPTER TEN.

INNOVATIONS.

"Timotheus placed on high
Among the tuneful choir,
With flying fingers touched the lyre."
_Dryden_.

On the first of October the new beginning was to be made. The new
curate, Mr Harford, arrived, and spent his first few days at Greenhow,
while looking out for a lodging at Downhill, for he was to be shared
between the two parishes as before, and Mr Atkins still undertook to
assist on Sundays. Mr Harford looked very young, almost a boy, and was
small and thin, but not in the least delicate. He had only worked off
his superfluous flesh in study and parish cares at Oxford, and he was
likely to do the same in his new home. He looked on it as likely to be
his residence for a long time, for, as the President had already told
Mrs Carbonel, he was engaged to a young lady, whose father would not
consent to her marriage till he had a living worth 500 pounds a year,
and there were a good many fellows senior to him.

He seemed to have no fears of any amount of work, and the first thing he
thought of was how to arrange for Uphill to have two services on Sunday,
as he thought could be contrived by giving the Downhill people, who
mostly lived near the church, their second service in the evening
instead of the morning; and, as Mr Atkins would thus have more to do,
he gave up to that gentleman the addition to his stipend, which the
Pr