He related with great glee the dilemma into which such a grave Friend and acute man of business as Mr. Heritage had fallen. A lady of the Society, a woman of fortune, living some miles out of town, had come under the dealings of the meeting for her infringements of its practices, in dressing gaily, and having much free and easy intercourse with the aristocratic families around her. As she did not reform after repeated official visits and admonitions, even committing the enormity of going to the theatre, she was formally disowned—that is, excommunicated. In drawing up the minute of disownment, the Friends had unadvisedly worded the cause of disownment as for “disorderly walking.” This imputation on a lady, Mrs. Jerram noticeably resented, and as Mr. Heritage was the clerk of the meeting, she commenced an action against him at law for defamation. The trial, which took place in Castleborough, went in her favour, and brought her heavy damages. The damages, of course, were borne by the Society, but Mr. Heritage was so much annoyed at being thus made so prominent in the case against a lady, and his own cousin, too, that he resigned the office of clerk, lest he might fall into other such snares. Mrs. Jerram begged her cousin Heritage not to think for a moment that she bore the least ill-will to him personally on account of this offensive document; she excused him on account of his only discharging his official duty. To show her perfect freedom from resentment, but not, perhaps, without a little triumph on the occasion, she often drove over to Fair Manor, and made herself as agreeable as possible. “But,” said Sylvanus, “thou canst imagine that these visits were not quite so agreeable to my master. People don’t like, the best of them, to be publicly beaten, and ridiculed, as they are in such cases.” “Well,” said Thorsby, “but you Friends should be more regenerate and forgiving than all that.” “True,” replied Sylvanus, “it would be better, but it is difficult to purge the old Adam quite out of us. I fear that there may be a little of the old Adam in myself, but I try to keep him down, and I trust he will not be permitted to obtain undue influence. I earnestly desire to be led and guided right.” “Ah, don’t trust too much to that leading and guiding you talk so much about,” said Thorsby; “for two of your friends came to my house awhile ago, saying they were moved to come and speak to me as a wild young man, and these were no other than your William Fairfax and David Qualm; and, would you believe it? in going out they took a wrong door, and Fairfax fell down my low kitchen stairs and hurt himself confoundedly. Mind, Sylvanus, that you are better led and guided than that.” “Thou likes a jest, friend Thorsby; but I was going to tell thee the clever way my master got rid of Mary Jerram’s visits.” “Ah, by all means,” said Thorsby.