rs."

"He ought to have a fine pair of horses for so fine a carriage."

"And so he has. He bought a noble span, last week, for a thousand
dollars."

Mr. Elder said what he could in praise of the elegant carriage; but he
couldn't say much, for he had no heart to do so. He felt worse than
ever about the deficiency in Mr. Malcolm's salary. On the next day he
was in better spirits, and called in upon one of the members of the
church, as he passed to his store. He stated his errand, and received
this reply--

"I'll tell you what, Mr. Elder, I am of Larkin's opinion in this
matter. If our minister agreed to come for four hundred dollars, he
should stick to his contract. He's no business to go in debt, and then
call upon us to get him out of his difficulties. It isn't the clean
thing. I don't mind a few dollars any more than you do; but I like
principle. I like to see all men, especially ministers, stick to their
text. Malcolm knew before he came here what we could afford to give
him, and if he couldn't live upon that, he had no business to come.
That's what I think of it, and I always speak out my mind plainly."

Mr. Elder made no more begging calls on that day. But he tried it again
on the next, and found that Larkin had been over the ground before him,
and said so much about "the imposition of the thing," that he could do
little or nothing. There was a speciousness about Larkin's manner of
alluding to the subject, that carried people away with him;
particularly as what he said favoured their inclination to keep a tight
hold on their purse-strings. He was piqued with Elder, and this set him
to talking, and doing more mischief than he thought for.

The Rev. Mr. Malcolm was a man of about thirty years of age. He had
taken orders a couple of years previous to the date of his call to the
parish where he now preached. At the time of doing so, he was engaged
in teaching a school; from which he received a very comfortable income.
The bishop who ordained him recommended the parish at C--, when Mr.
Pelton left there, to apply for Mr. Malcolm; which was done. The latter
was an honest, conscientious man, and sincere in his desire to do good
in the sacred office to which he believed himself called. When the
invitation to settle at C-- came, he left home and visited the parish,
in order that he might determine whether it was his duty to go there or
not. On his return, his wife inquired, with a good deal of interest,
how he liked t