Lady Cicely called on Mrs. Holland, and begged the shape of her baby’s pinafore, thus showing that, though Lady Cicely was by every inherited affinity a churchwoman, she was, nevertheless, so far leavened by her husband’s purer ecclesiastical origin, as not to suspect contamination lurking in a dissenting baby’s bib and frills. The result was that the chapel people—from Mr. Holland to Jack Dadd—were strongly in favour of John Hartley, to the extent of considering him in part their own property and candidate. For though he had not promised to procure the disestablishment of the church, he had engaged to remain neutral on the Burials Bill, while Colonel Hastings was openly antagonistic to dissenting prayers prayed by a dissenting clergyman, over a dissenter’s corpse in a parish churchyard. And the chapel constituents were assured they would procure yet better terms from their member. They began to grow rashly secure of his good offices and to plume themselves beforehand on the distinction that was awaiting them. Oliver’s fresh secession was therefore not only an affront to his co-religionists, they were driven to reckon him guilty of uncalled-for schism and lukewarm treachery, where the interests of the chapel were concerned. For unluckily, his example affected others—only a contemptible few, no doubt—malcontents, jealous of the leading deacons and the larger contributors, such as were to be found in every congregation, discontented Adullamites, the breath of whose nostrils was mischief. These were mostly men among the poorer members of no repute, who had failed in business, who had erred in their religious profession and moral practice, persons who did little credit to Oliver Constable as his followers, on whom he probably did not count, as he did not encourage their adherence. But he made them prominent to the disgust of the rest of the congregation. He instigated them, whether he meant it or not, when they would otherwise have wrangled aimlessly, to show that ‘the connection’ was divided, to make a definite demonstration, which, however small, was a scandal in the eyes of the magnates of the chapel, for Colonel Hastings.