bly saved his life. For when the doctor came, he shook
his head, and immediately pronounced it lung inflammation of a virulent
type. The Doctor protested furiously that he must go to the meeting on
Tuesday. He would go, even if he had to be carried. His daughter said
nothing, but locked the door and put the key in her pocket, till she got
the chance of conveying away every vestige of his clerical clothing out
of his reach, locking it where Marget Lamont, his faithful servant,
could not find it. Marget would have brought him a rope to hang himself
if the Doctor had called for it. Sometimes in his delirium he made the
speeches which he had meant to make at the school-board meeting on
Tuesday; and sometimes, but more rarely, he opened the meeting with
prayer. Grace sat by the side of the bed and moistened his lips. He said
it was ridiculous--that he was quite well, and would certainly go to the
meeting. Grace said nothing, and gave him a drink. Then he went babbling
on.

The meeting was duly held. As the Kers had foretold, Mr. Calvin was
voted into the chair unanimously, owing to a feint of Saunders Ker's,
who proposed that the publican majority elder take the chair and open
the proceedings with prayer--which so frightened that gentleman that he
proposed Mr. Calvin before he knew what he was about. It was "more
fitting," he said.

Dr. Hutchison fitted him afterwards for this.

At the close of the prayer, which was somewhat long, the Clerk proposed
that, owing to the absence of an important member, they should adjourn
the meeting till that day three weeks.

Mr. Calvin looked over at the Clerk, who was a broad, hearty, dogmatic
man, accustomed to wrestle successfully with tenants about reductions
and improvements.

"Mr. Clerk," he said sharply, "it is your business to advise us as to
points of law. How many members of this board does it take to make a
quorum?"

"Three," said the solicitor promptly.

"Then," answered Mr. Calvin, with great pith and point, "as we are one
more than a quorum, we shall proceed to our business. And yours, Mr.
Clerk, is to read the minutes of last meeting, and to take note of the
proceedings of this. It will be as well for you to understand soon as
syne that you have no _locus standi_ for speech on this board, unless
your opinion is asked for by the chair."

This was an early instance of what was afterwards, in affairs imperial,
called the _closure_, a political weapon of some importance.