"Oh! save your presence and clergy. It is well for one to feather one's own nest first. As to the Church, hers is downy enough without needing to pluck more geese to make her easier." "Then for whom?" "For myself, of course. This is a fair district; it is girded about with mountains; it has been occupied for centuries by a thrifty people who have hoarded their silver. Methinks I could soon contrive to make of it a barony of Caio for myself." "But," said Cadell, aghast, "these be Church lands. You would not rob the Church?" "By no means are they Church lands. This is tribal land, and it so chances that the head of the tribe has been for some time--how long I know not--an ecclesiastic. But that is an accident." "It is the sanctuary of David." "But not the property of the see of David. It is the sanctuary of Cynwyl, I take it; and it has so fallen out that the inheritor of the chieftainship has been for some years--it may be centuries--in priestly orders. But as to belonging to the see, that it never did. Now I take it, there shall be a separation of powers, and I will assume the secular rule, and constitute myself Baron of Caio--and thou, if it please thee, shalt be Archpriest, and exercise ecclesiastical authority. It will be best so--then I and my bull-dogs will be ever hard by to help thee in thy difficulties." "The bishop will never agree to this." "He must. Am I going to fight his battles and not be paid for it, and fix my price?" "Does he know of thy purpose?" "I care not whether he do or not. I shall take my course, and he cannot oppose me, because he dare not. By the soul of the Conqueror, Sir Chaplain, these fat farmers ooze with money. I have but given them a little squeeze, and they have run out silver--it is yonder, dost mark it? Hast thou seen cider made? They make it in my country. The apples are chopped up and cast into a broad, stone-grooved trough, and a lever is brought to bear, laden with immense weights, to crush them. You should see, man, how the juice runs out, and you would say that there was never another drop of liquor in them. Then the lever is raised, and the weight shifted; next with a knife the apple-cheese is pared all round and the parings are cast up in the middle. Again the lever is worked, and out flows as much as at first, till again it appears that all is drained away. And this process is renewed to five times, and every time out pours the generous and sweet must. It is not with apples as with grapes. These latter once well pressed yield all--apples must be pressed to six and even seven times. My Cadell--these peasants are juicy apples. If I send this first squeeze to my brother, I reserve the after outgushes for mine own drinking." Cadell looked down disconcerted. He knew very well that Rogier's scheme would mean the shrinkage to but little of his power and profits.