Thisadvice，besidesbeingobviouslysensible，wouldendinsavingErnestbothtimeandsuspenseofmind，sowehadnohesitationinadoptingit。Thecasewascalledonabouteleveno’clock，butwegotitadjournedtillthree，soastogivetimeforErnesttosethisaffairsasstraightashecould，andtoexecuteapowerofattorneyenablingmetoactforhimasIshouldthinkfitwhilehewasinprison。
ThenallcameoutaboutPryerandtheCollegeofSpiritualPathology。ErnesthadevengreaterdifficultyinmakingacleanbreastofthisthanhehadhadintellingusaboutMissMaitland，buthetoldusall，andtheupshotwasthathehadactuallyhandedovertoPryereveryhalfpennythathethenpossessedwithnoothersecuritythanPryer’sI。O。U。’sfortheamount。Ernest，thoughstilldecliningtobelievethatPryercouldbeguiltyofdishonourableconduct，wasbecomingalivetothefollyofwhathehadbeendoing；
hestillmadesure，however，ofrecovering，atanyrate，thegreaterpartofhispropertyassoonasPryershouldhavehadtimetosell。
TowneleyandIwereofadifferentopinion，butwedidnotsaywhatwethought。
Itwasdrearyworkwaitingallthemorningamidsuchunfamiliaranddepressingsurroundings。IthoughthowthePsalmisthadexclaimedwithquietirony，“Onedayinthycourtsisbetterthanathousand。”
andIthoughtthatIcouldutteraverysimilarsentimentinrespectoftheCourtsinwhichTowneleyandIwerecompelledtoloiter。Atlast，aboutthreeo’clockthecasewascalledon，andwewentroundtothepartofthecourtwhichisreservedforthegeneralpublic，whileErnestwastakenintotheprisoner’sdock。Assoonashehadcollectedhimselfsufficientlyherecognisedthemagistrateastheoldgentlemanwhohadspokentohiminthetrainonthedayhewasleavingschool，andsaw，orthoughthesaw，tohisgreatgrief，thathetoowasrecognised。
MrOttery，forthiswasourattorney’sname，tookthelinehehadproposed。Hecallednootherwitnessesthantherector，Towneleyandmyself，andthrewhimselfonthemercyofthemagistrate。Whenhehadconcluded，themagistratespokeasfollows：“ErnestPontifex，yoursisoneofthemostpainfulcasesthatIhaveeverhadtodealwith。Youhavebeensingularlyfavouredinyourparentageandeducation。Youhavehadbeforeyoutheexampleofblamelessparents，whodoubtlessinstilledintoyoufromchildhoodtheenormityoftheoffencewhichbyyourownconfessionyouhavecommitted。YouweresenttooneofthebestpublicschoolsinEngland。ItisnotlikelythatinthehealthyatmosphereofsuchaschoolasRoughboroughyoucanhavecomeacrosscontaminatinginfluences；youwereprobably，Imaysaycertainly，impressedatschoolwiththeheinousnessofanyattempttodepartfromthestrictestchastityuntilsuchtimeasyouhadenteredintoastateofmatrimony。AtCambridgeyouwereshieldedfromimpuritybyeveryobstaclewhichvirtuousandvigilantauthoritiescoulddevise，andevenhadtheobstaclesbeenfewer，yourparentsprobablytookcarethatyourmeansshouldnotadmitofyourthrowingmoneyawayuponabandonedcharacters。Atnightproctorspatrolledthestreetanddoggedyourstepsifyoutriedtogointoanyhauntwherethepresenceofvicewassuspected。Bydaythefemaleswhowereadmittedwithinthecollegewallswereselectedmainlyonthescoreofageandugliness。Itishardtoseewhatmorecanbedoneforanyyoungmanthanthis。Forthelastfourorfivemonthsyouhavebeenaclergyman，andifasingleimpurethoughthadstillremainedwithinyourmind，ordinationshouldhaveremovedit：nevertheless，notonlydoesitappearthatyourmindisasimpureasthoughnoneoftheinfluencestowhichIhavereferredhadbeenbroughttobearuponit，butitseemsasthoughtheironlyresulthadbeenthis——
thatyouhavenoteventhecommonsensetobeabletodistinguishbetweenarespectablegirlandaprostitute。
“IfIweretotakeastrictviewofmydutyIshouldcommityoufortrial，butinconsiderationofthisbeingyourfirstoffence，I
shalldeallenientlywithyouandsentenceyoutoimprisonmentwithhardlabourforsixcalendarmonths。”
TowneleyandIboththoughttherewasatouchofironyinthemagistrate’sspeech，andthathecouldhavegivenalightersentenceifhewould，butthatwasneitherherenorthere。WeobtainedleavetoseeErnestforafewminutesbeforehewasremovedtoColdbathFields，wherehewastoservehisterm，andfoundhimsothankfultohavebeensummarilydealtwiththathehardlyseemedtocareaboutthemiserableplightinwhichhewastopassthenextsixmonths。
Whenhecameout，hesaid，hewouldtakewhatremainedofhismoney，goofftoAmericaorAustraliaandneverbeheardofmore。
Welefthimfullofthisresolve，I，towritetoTheobald，andalsotoinstructmysolicitortogetErnest’smoneyoutofPryer’shands，andTowneleytoseethereportersandkeepthecaseoutofthenewspapers。Hewassuccessfulasregardsallthehigher-classpapers。Therewasonlyonejournal，andthatofthelowestclass，whichwasincorruptible。
Isawmysolicitoratonce，butwhenItriedtowritetoTheobald，I
founditbettertosayIwouldrundownandseehim。Ithereforeproposedthis，askinghimtomeetmeatthestation，andhintingthatImustbringbadnewsabouthisson。IknewhewouldnotgetmylettermorethanacoupleofhoursbeforeIshouldseehim，andthoughttheshortintervalofsuspensemightbreaktheshockofwhatIhadtosay。
NeverdoIremembertohavehaltedmorebetweentwoopinionsthanonmyjourneytoBattersbyuponthisunhappyerrand。WhenIthoughtofthelittlesallow-facedladwhomIhadrememberedyearsbefore，ofthelongandsavagecrueltywithwhichhehadbeentreatedinchildhood——crueltynonethelessrealforhavingbeenduetoignoranceandstupidityratherthantodeliberatemalice；oftheatmosphereoflyingandself-laudatoryhallucinationinwhichhehadbeenbroughtup；ofthereadinesstheboyhadshowntoloveanythingthatwouldbegoodenoughtolethim，andofhowaffectionforhisparents，unlessIammuchmistaken，hadonlydiedinhimbecauseithadbeenkilledanew，againandagainandagain，eachtimethatithadtriedtospring。WhenIthoughtofallthisIfeltasthough，ifthematterhadrestedwithme，IwouldhavesentencedTheobaldandChristinatomentalsufferingevenmoreseverethanthatwhichwasabouttofalluponthem。Butontheotherhand，whenIthoughtofTheobald’sownchildhood，ofthatdreadfuloldGeorgePontifexhisfather，ofJohnandMrsJohn，andofhistwosisters，whenagainIthoughtofChristina’slongyearsofhopedeferredthatmakeththeheartsick，beforeshewasmarried，ofthelifeshemusthaveledatCrampsford，andofthesurroundingsinthemidstofwhichsheandherhusbandbothlivedatBattersby，Ifeltasthoughthewonderwasthatmisfortunessopersistenthadnotbeenfollowedbyevengraverretribution。
Poorpeople！Theyhadtriedtokeeptheirignoranceoftheworldfromthemselvesbycallingitthepursuitofheavenlythings，andthenshuttingtheireyestoanythingthatmightgivethemtrouble。
Asonhavingbeenborntothemtheyhadshuthiseyesalsoasfaraswaspracticable。Whocouldblamethem？Theyhadchapterandverseforeverythingtheyhadeitherdoneorleftundone；thereisnobetterthumbedprecedentthanthatforbeingaclergymanandaclergyman’swife。Inwhatrespecthadtheydifferedfromtheirneighbours？HowdidtheirhouseholddifferfromthatofanyotherclergymanofthebettersortfromoneendofEnglandtotheother？
Whythenshouldithavebeenuponthem，ofallpeopleintheworld，thatthistowerofSiloamhadfallen？
SurelyitwasthetowerofSiloamthatwasnaughtratherthanthosewhostoodunderit；itwasthesystemratherthanthepeoplethatwasatfault。IfTheobaldandhiswifehadbutknownmoreoftheworldandofthethingsthataretherein，theywouldhavedonelittleharmtoanyone。Selfishtheywouldhavealwaysbeen，butnotmoresothanmayverywellbepardoned，andnotmorethanotherpeoplewouldbe。Asitwas，thecasewashopeless；itwouldbenousetheirevenenteringintotheirmothers’wombsandbeingbornagain。Theymustnotonlybebornagainbuttheymustbebornagaineachoneofthemofanewfatherandofanewmotherandofadifferentlineofancestryformanygenerationsbeforetheirmindscouldbecomesuppleenoughtolearnanew。Theonlythingtodowiththemwastohumourthemandmakethebestofthemtilltheydied——
andbethankfulwhentheydidso。
TheobaldgotmyletterasIhadexpected，andmetmeatthestationnearesttoBattersby。AsIwalkedbackwithhimtowardshisownhouseIbrokethenewstohimasgentlyasIcould。Ipretendedthatthewholethingwasingreatmeasureamistake，andthatthoughErnestnodoubthadhadintentionswhichheoughttohaveresisted，hehadnotmeantgoinganythinglikethelengthwhichMissMaitlandsupposed。Isaidwehadfelthowmuchappearanceswereagainsthim，andhadnotdaredtosetupthisdefencebeforethemagistrate，thoughwehadnodoubtaboutitsbeingthetrueone。
TheobaldactedwithareadierandacutermoralsensethanIhadgivenhimcreditfor。
“Iwillhavenothingmoretodowithhim。”heexclaimedpromptly，“I
willneverseehisfaceagain；donotlethimwriteeithertomeortohismother；weknowofnosuchperson。Tellhimyouhaveseenme，andthatfromthisdayforwardIshallputhimoutofmymindasthoughhehadneverbeenborn。Ihavebeenagoodfathertohim，andhismotheridolisedhim；selfishnessandingratitudehavebeentheonlyreturnwehaveeverhadfromhim；myhopehenceforthmustbeinmyremainingchildren。”