CHAPTER VI.

COMMUTATION.

THE bells, or the rumours of them, made themselves heard beyond the parish. The vicar was little moved by them; but uncle Jerom was seen by Alice, the next morning, approaching in a state of sad perturbation. As he could not prevail upon his brother to modify his system through a consideration for his personal safety and dignity, he now tried a different kind of appeal. He asked whether it was not a deplorable scandal to the church that there should be bell-ringing at the prospect of a clergyman being taken from. his flock.

It was less that than the belief that I had been rebuked by my superior which caused the exultation," quietly replied the vicar. "But you know that neither the one nor the other is true. I will not, by yielding my own claims, give occasion for the supposition that my superior yields those of the church."

"But if you allow proprietors to buy up the tithes on their own lands,-Parker for instance,you will cease to have such for enemies; and it will be a very different thing from selling the dues of the church to an intermediate layman."

"Ah! Jerom, there you touch my conscience in the only tender part. I have long repented letting my tithes to Peterson, as you recommended.

It was bad advice, Jerom, as is all advice to rate at an average a revenue for sacred objects, of which revenue it is the primary quality that, as God's seasons vary, it must vary. Jerom, your's was bad advice."

"Indeed it seems to have been so, by the aggravation of your troubles since Peterson became your lessee. But I find from him that Sir William Hood is about to allow the great tithes to be bought up, in order to put a stop to the deterioration of husbandry in the parish; and I really think you could not do a better thing than follow his example when so good an opportunity offers."

The vicar spread both hands before his brother, in emphatic refusal.

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Papa," said Alice, "I wish you would do as you are bid, sometimes, as you are always telling me to do. Why don't you mind what uncle Jerom says, and what every body says? Well, it may not be every body's business; but I know what Jane says; and I am sure she is as fond of you as any body can be."

The being fond of him argued such a right mind towards the church, that the vicar was immediately prepared to hear what Mrs. Byrne had to say.

"She says that she is frightened to hear how people talk; and that she shall never be easy to see you out walking till you have somehow put other people into your place about collecting the tithes. If there must be tithes, so that Mr. Parker must always look out of humour, and the

Lamberts grow sad, and Mr. Byrne give up more and more things in his garden, the blame ought to go where it is due, she says; and that is to the church, and not to you. And it would be so, she thinks, if people all bought their own, and there was an end of the quarrelling that there is now, twice a year."

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I wonder who suggested the idea to her," observed the vicar. "If I thought it was Mr. Mackintosh”

"I think it was not Mr. Mackintosh, papa. I think it was the man that

"I know whom you mean," said Jerom; "the stranger who has been hanging about the parish lately, no one can tell why. Some of my people suspect that he is an agent in the rickburning plot. I am sorry that Byrne lets him within his doors."

"And so is Jane, I think," said Alice. "She always tries to prevent my seeing him, if he happens to be in the cottage; and once I observed her cry the moment she saw her husband bringing him up the road. Perhaps he will go away, papa, if you will do as they wish you should."

This was not the very best kind of appeal that Alice could have used. He yielded so far, however, as to allow his brother to bring him word how the bargains for the great tithes between Peterson and the payers were framed, and what effect they appeared to produce on the minds and manners of the discontented. He would determine accordingly as to revising his scruples, or dismissing the matter entirely from his thoughts.

Of course, those who were visited by Mr. Peterson and his companion varied in their eagerness to buy up their tithes, in proportion to the duration of their interest in the land. A farmer who had just entered upon a long lease offered a twenty years' purchase at 77. per acre, all round, -arable and pasture. Others who were near the end of their lease, and were discouraged by the unfavourable aspect of the season, desired to buy up their tithes year by year, if they could but be secure against competition. Mr. Parker was willing to make a liberal thirty years' purchase, in order to free his own estate, and leave himself at liberty to improve it without discouragement, or bequeath it to his son without disadvantage. The sum demanded from him, as a hopgrower, was, however, so enormous, that he declared he would rather give up growing hops, as others had done before him, than pay such a merciless impost. Peterson asked him what he would have; and showed him that other people's hop-grounds had yielded at the rate of 31. per acre. Mr. Parker wished to proceed upon the basis of an average of the last five or seven years; but this was declared to be the most fallacious of guides. Peterson contended that the seasons had been peculiarly unfavourable, and that the modes of management had so varied within six years as to leave no reasonable average. He proposed to value the land and the tithe, deducting the poor-rate and a per centage for the owner's trouble in stacking, thatching, and threshing his farm produce, and carrying his hops

to market. He considered it very liberal to offer a further reduction of 20 per cent. in consideration of the security of the impropriator from the accidents of chance and change: but Mr. Parker hesitated and grumbled, and treated Peterson's companion with nearly as fine a lament over the assimilating qualities of the church as Mr. Mackintosh himself could have offered. He related that he had a pretty farm near town which had never before been let by him for less than 5l. per acre. It was with difficulty that he could now get 31., on account of the enormous tithe. It was bad enough to have the poor's-rate as high as 13s. per acre, and the sewer's-rate perhaps 7s. or 88. more; but the amount of tithe paid in addition was intolerable. The three rates together amounted to nearly 31. per acre over the whole farm. He hoped Mr. Hellyer thought he contributed his share towards promoting the piety of the nation, when his land thus paid 31. per acre to maintaining a single clergyman.

Peterson wished to know in what proportion the different kinds of produce yielded. ~ Mr. Parker was remarkable for a good memory as to the several amounts of tithe.