The auctioneer was screamed at for favouring his friends, and at times the roup became so noisy that men and women had to be forcibly ejected.
Then was Pete's chance.

Hovering at the gate, he caught the angry people on their way home and took them into his workshop by an outside stair.

There he assisted them in denouncing the parish kirk, with the view of getting them to forswear it.

Pete made a good many Auld Lichts in his time out of unpromising material.
Sights were to be witnessed in the parish church at times that could not have been made more impressive by the Auld Lichts themselves.

Here sinful women were grimly taken to task by the minister, who, having thundered for a time against adultery in general, called upon one sinner in particular to stand forth.