ll known in the town
that there was trouble between them; so instead of making any answer,
she hastened to usher them into the study. The minister awaited them,
and business began. First was displayed the list of subscriptions for
the coming half-year. This was quite encouraging. Three hundred and
fifty and odd dollars. This looked well. There had never been so much
subscribed in Merleville before. The deacons were elated, and evidently
expected that the minister should be so, too. He would be well off now,
said they. But the minister was always a quiet man, and said little,
and the last half-year's settlement was turned to.

There were several sheets of it. The minister in danger of getting
bewildered among the items, turned to the sum total. "Two hundred and
seventy-two dollars, sixty-two and a-half cents." He was a little
mystified still, and looked so.

"If there is anything wrong, anything that you object to, it must be put
right," said Deacon Slowcome.

Deacon Fish presumed, "that when Mr Elliott should have compared it
with the account which he had no doubt kept, it would be found to be all
right."

Mr Elliott had to confess that no such account had been kept. He
supposed it was all it should be. He really could say nothing with
regard to it. He left the management of household affairs entirely to
his daughter and Mrs Nasmyth. It was suggested that Mrs Nasmyth
should be called in, and the deacon cleared his voice to read it to her.

"If there's anything you don't seem to understand or remember," prefaced
the accommodating Deacon Slowcome, "don't feel troubled about saying so.
I expect we'll make things pretty straight after a while."

Mrs Nasmyth looked at the minister, but the minister did not look at
her, and the reading began. After the name of each person, came the
days' work, horse hire, loads of firewood, bushels of corn, pounds of
butter and cheese, sugar and dried apples, which he or she had
contributed. Deacon Fish's subscription was chiefly paid by his horse
and his cow. The former had carried the minister on two or three of his
most distant visits, and the latter had supplied a quart or two of milk
daily during a great part of the winter. It was overpaid indeed by just
seventeen and a-half cents, which, however, the deacon seemed inclined
to make light of.

"There ain't no matter about it. It can go right on to the next half
year. It ain't no matter about it anyhow," said