omission on my part toward you."

Here the pastor was wrong. Not having done his duty when he ought, he
should have said nothing now it was needless for the wronged, and likely
only to irritate the wrong-doer.

"Don't mention it, pray," said Mr. Barwood. "This is a time to forget
every thing."

"I ought to have pointed out to you, Mr. Barwood," pursued the minister,
"both for your own sake and that of those poor families, your tenants,
that your property in this lower part of the town was quite unfit for
the habitation of human beings."

"Don't let your conscience trouble you on the score of that neglect,"
answered the deacon, his face flushing with anger, while he tried to
force a smile: "I shouldn't have paid the least attention to it if you
had. My firm opinion has always been that a minister's duty is to preach
the gospel, not meddle in the private affairs of the members of his
church; and if you knew all, Mr. Drake, you would not have gone out of
your way to make the remark. But that's neither here nor there, for it's
not the business as we've come upon.--Mr. Drake, it's a clear thing to
every one as looks into it, that the cause will never prosper so long as
that's the chapel we've got. We did think as perhaps a younger man might
do something to counteract church-influences; but there don't seem any
sign of betterment yet. In fact, thinks looks worse. No, sir! it's the
chapel as is the stumbling-block. What has religion got to do with
what's ugly and dirty! A place that any lady or gentleman, let he or she
be so much of a Christian, might turn up the nose and refrain the foot
from! No! I say; what we want is a new place of worship. Cow-lane is