As he paused, however, to think of all this, there came upon him the
conviction that in this thing that was to be done the Marquis was
determined to punish him personally, and he could not resist the
temptation of fighting the Marquis. And then, if he succumbed easily
in this matter, would it not follow almost as a matter of course that
the battle against him would be carried on elsewhere? If he yielded
now, resolving to ignore altogether any idea of his own comfort or
his own taste, would he thereby maintain that tranquillity in his
parish which he thought so desirable? He had already seen that in Mr.
Puddleham's manner to himself which made him sure that Mr. Puddleham
was ambitious to be a sword in the right hand of the Marquis.
Personally the Vicar was himself pugnacious. Few men, perhaps, were
more so. If there must be a fight let them come on, and he would do
his best. Turning the matter thus backwards and forwards in his mind,
he came at last to the conclusion that there must be a fight, and
consequently he wrote the following letter to the Marquis;--

Bullhampton Vicarage, January 3, 186--.

MY LORD MARQUIS,

I learned by chance the other day in the village that
a new chapel for the use of the Methodist congregation
of the parish was to be built on the little open green
immediately opposite the Vicarage gate, and that this
special spot of ground had been selected and given by
your lordship for this purpose. I do not at all know what
truth there may be in this,--except that Mr. Grimes, the
carpenter here, has received orders from your agent about
the work. It may probably be the case that the site has
been chosen by Mr. Packer, and not by your lordship. As no
real delay to the building can at this time of the year
arise from a short postponement of the beginning, I have
asked Mr. Grimes to desist till I shall have written to
you on the subject.

I can assure your lordship, in the first place, that no
clergyman of the Established Church in the kingdom can be
less unwilling than I am that they who dissent from my
teaching in the parish should have a commodious place of
worship. If land belonged to me in the place I would give
it myself for such a purpose; and were there no other
available site than that chosen, I would not for a moment
remonstrate against it. I had heard, with satisfaction,
from Mr. Puddleham himself that another s