lesiastical status, merely remarking that there was work for the
Session at last. By nightfall he had been in every croft within the
Session's jurisdiction, laying off his tale in each, and as he got
practice and more vehemence with constant repetition, he attained
extreme fluency and impressiveness before the day was done. An
unspeakable joy came over the community at the prospect of a delicious
scandal. To avoid the breach being healed by an apology, many of the
crofters sought to envenom the quarrel by refusing to believe that the
elder was altogether right. "Crows," they said, "had been known to play
havoc with cabbage. Elders were but human, and so, hasty in laying
charges on insufficient evidence. The case was certainly one for the
Church courts. The housekeeper must have a good defence to make, and
would no doubt make it at the proper time and in the proper place. We
must hear both sides." One may see by this that the spirit which
animates a great nation (the desire, namely, to divert itself with the
contentions of those who come before the public eye), animates also the
smallest communities in the realm. The great passion-stirring process,
_Hens versus Crows_, lasted for some seven months. Over and over again
the hedge was examined. Now the elder thought he had the best of it,
only to be damped by a revulsion of feeling in favour of the
housekeeper. The finding of the Session was adverse to the lady. The
fact that she had practically called the elder a son of Belial could not
be got over. The minister, holding the scales of justice, was forced, in
spite of himself, to declare against her. Considering her position,
some mildness was shown in pronouncing her condemnation and the penalty.
Having regard to the dignity of the offended man, nothing less than the
sentence of _keeping off_ could meet the ends of ecclesiastical law. But
one "keeping off" was deemed adequate. The elder was avenged. At the
ensuing communion, he was seen to smile and rub his hands diabolically,
as he glanced towards the back of the church, where sat, outside the
pale of the privileged elect, the unhappy and vanquished housekeeper,
who had called him an impostor.

TORQUIL HALCROW.

Torquil Halcrow's case presents features of a different order. For some
reason a _fama_ spread abroad respecting him to the effect that his
language and demeanour left much to be desired, and that not even the
presence, or at least proximity, of women operated