the electioneering morality; and the faithful and fearless
minister of religion having rebuked, from the pulpit, some gross and
public enormities and violations of the Sabbath by the canvassers for
the earl's candidate, within the precincts of his pastoral charge, this
was a sad and unpardonable aggravation of his rebellion. Nay, having
published a little tract on the duty of attending public worship, of
which he was the known author, this was regarded as a direct personal
insult to the lord of the manor--because his lordship was so much
engrossed with politics and his other affairs, that he had, for some
time, ceased entirely to go to church. These little incidents were
aggravated by the perfidy of the parson of the parish within which Mr.
Douglas' chapel was situated. That gentleman had formed a scheme for
transferring his residence from the ancient manse, in a remote part of
the parish, to the more populous and flourishing burgh of barony of
Bellerstown--intending to officiate himself in the chapel (receiving,
of course, the additional accommodation applicable to that cure),
and consigning the care of the souls in the parish church to the
schoolmaster--a preacher whom he satisfied with a bonus of L10 or L12
a-year. And for the accomplishment of this object, it was no difficult
thing, as matters stood, to ingratiate himself into the patron's favour,
and to accomplish his own personal objects, by whispering into the
earl's greedy ear every remark that would suit his purpose, made by Mr.
Douglas, in the most unbounded confidence of private intercourse and
seeming friendship.

[I] This was written in 1829, before the Reform Act was dreamt
of.--ED.

When the wrath which had accumulated in the heart of the earl was fanned
to its height, he issued his orders to the factor in the following
decree:--"Rackrent--_Us_"--(a grammatical singularity which his lordship
always used, surpassing even the royal or editorial majesty, indicated
by the first person plural)--"_Us_ is determined to root out that
rebellious fellow Douglas, and to banish him from our grounds. Rackrent,
order Spulzie, the scribe, instantly to serve the fellow with a summons
of removing from Stablebarns; and, do you hear, go to Bellerstown, lock
and nail up the chapel door, and tell the fellow that he shall never
preach there again against _us_. Tell him to go to the devil, as _us_
will not suffer rebels against our will."

This mandate was instantly obe