put down, not only the bell, but with the
bell the ill-conditioned peer who had caused it to be put up--on
glebe land. All this went through his mind again and again, as he
determined that on that day, being Sunday, he would think no more
about it.

When the Monday came it was necessary that he should show the letter
to his wife,--to his wife, and to the Squire, and to Mary Lowther. He
had no idea of keeping the matter secret from his near friends and
advisers; but he had an idea that it would be well that he should
make up his mind as to what he would do before he asked their advice.
He started, therefore, for a turn through the parish before breakfast
on Monday morning,--and resolved as to his course of action. On no
consideration whatever would he have the chapel pulled down. It was
necessary for his purpose that he should have his triumph over the
Marquis,--and he would have it. But the chapel had been built for a
good purpose which it would adequately serve, and let what might be
said to him by his wife or others, he would not have a brick of it
disturbed. No doubt he had no more power to give the land for its
present or any other purpose than had the Marquis. It might very
probably be his duty to take care that the land was not appropriated
to wrong purposes. It might be that he had already neglected his
duty, in not knowing, or in not having taken care to learn the
precise limits of the glebe which had been given over to him for
his use during his incumbency. Nevertheless, there was the chapel,
and there it should stand, as far as he was concerned. If the
churchwardens, or the archdeacon, or the college, or the bishop had
power to interfere, as to which he was altogether ignorant, and chose
to exercise that power, he could not help it. He was nearly sure that
his own churchwardens would be guided altogether by himself,--and as
far as he was concerned the chapel should remain unmolested. Having
thus resolved he came back to breakfast and read Mr. Quickenham's
letter aloud to his wife and Mary Lowther.

"Glebe!" said the Vicar's wife.

"Do you mean that it is part of your own land?" asked Mary.

"Exactly that," said the Vicar.

"And that old thief of a Marquis has given away what belongs to us?"
said Mrs. Fenwick.

"He has given away what did not belong to himself," said the Vicar.
"But I can't admit that he's a thief."

"Surely he ought to have known," said Mary.

"As for that, so ought I to have known,