ormless, which suggested sleep. This, to the lady behind
him, partook of the nature of an affront to her minister. Consequently
she considered it her duty to arouse the snoozing McFettridge with a
vigorous poke in the small of the back.

The effect was instantaneously apparent. As if her insistent finger had
touched a button and released an electric current, Mr. McFettridge's
sagging form shot convulsively into rigidity, and impinging violently
upon the peacefully slumbering Mr. Boggs on the extreme end of the
bench, toppled him over into the aisle.

The astonished Boggs, finding himself thus deposited upon the floor, and
beholding the irate face of Mr. McFettridge glooming down upon him, and
fancying him to be the cause of his present humiliating position, sprang
to his feet, swung a violent blow upon Mr. Fettridge's ear, exclaiming
sotto voce:

"Take that, will you! And mind your own business! You were sleeping
yourself, anyway!"

Before the astonished and enraged Mr. McFettridge could gather his wits
sufficiently for action, there rang over the astonished congregation a
peal of boyish laughter. It was from the minister. A few irrepressible
youngsters joined in the laugh; the rest of the congregation, however,
were held rigid in the grip of a shocked amazement.

"Oh, I say! do forgive me, Mr. McFettridge!" cried the young man at the
desk. "It was quite involuntary, I assure you." Then, quickly recovering
himself, he added, "And now we shall conclude the service by singing the
seventy-ninth hymn."

Before the last verse was sung he reminded the audience of the
congregational meeting immediately following, and without further
comment the service was brought to a close.

A number of the congregation, among them Barry's father, departed.

"Sit down, Neil," said Mrs. Innes to Neil Fraser. "You'll be wanted I
doot." And Neil, protesting that he knew nothing about church business,
sat down.

At the back of the church were gathered Harry Hobbs, young Pickles,
and others of the less important attendants of the church, who had been
induced to remain by the rumour of a "scrap."

By a fatal mischance, the pliant Nathan Pilley was elected chairman.
This gentleman was obsessed by the notion that he possessed in a high
degree the two qualities which he considered essential to the harmonious
and expeditious conduct of a public meeting, namely, an invincible
determination to agree with every speaker, and an equally invinci