ubled him little until he felt the pinch of
them himself. But when he found it hard to gather his tithe he began
to realize that the island was passing through sore straits. Then he
sold his tithe charges by auction in England, and they were knocked
down to a Scotch factor--a hard man, untroubled by sentiment, and not
too proud to get his own by means that might be thought to soil the
cloth of a Bishop.

When news of this transfer reached the island the Manx clergy looked
black, though they dared say nothing; but the poor people grumbled
audibly, for they knew what was coming. It soon came, in the shape of
writs from the Bishop's seneschal, served by the Bishop's sumner.
Then the cry of the poor reached the Governor at Castletown. No
powers had he to stay the seizure of goods and stock, for arrears
that were forfeit to the Church Courts, but he wrote to the Bishop,
asking him to stay execution at such a moment of the island's
necessity. The Bishop answered him curtly that the matter was now
outside his control. At that the Governor inquired into the legality
of the sale, and found good reason to question it. He wrote again to
the Bishop, hinting at his doubts, and then the Bishop told him to
mind his own business. "My business is the welfare of the people,"
the Governor answered, "and be you Bishop or Lord, or both, be sure
that while I am here I will see to it."

"Such is the penalty of setting a beggar on horseback," the Bishop
rejoined.

Meantime the Scotch factor went on with his work, and notices were
served that if arrears of tithe rent were not paid by a given date,
cattle or crop to the value of them would then be seized in the
Bishop's name. When the word came to Government House, the Governor
announced to Greeba his intention to be present at the first seizure.
She tried to restrain him, fearing trouble; but he was fully
resolved. Then she sent word by old Chalse A'Killey to her brothers
at Lague, begging them to go with their father and see him through,
but one and all refused. There was mischief brewing, and if the
Governor had a right to interfere, he had a right to have the civil
forces at the back of him. If he had no right to the help of Castle
Rushen he had no right to stop the execution. In any case, they had
no wish to meddle.

When old Chalse brought back this answer, Red Jason chanced to be at
Castletown. He had been at Government House oftener than usual since
the clouds had begun to hang on