第13章
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  twohundredthousandheartswouldswellwithindignationatthegripinginjustice,thebarefacedrobberyofthewardenofBarchesterHospital!Andhowwashetoanswerthis?Howwashetoopenhisinmosthearttothismultitude,tothesethousands,theeducated,thepolished,thepickedmenofhisowncountry;howshowthemthathewasnorobber,noavaricious,lazypriestscramblingforgold,butaretiring,humble-spiritedman,whohadinnocentlytakenwhathadinnocentlybeenofferedtohim?

  ’WritetoTheJupiter,’suggestedthebishop。

  ’Yes,’saidthearchdeacon,moreworldlywisethanhisfather,’yes,andbesmotheredwithridicule;tossedoverandoveragainwithscorn;shakenthiswayandthat,asaratinthemouthofapractisedterrier。Youwillleaveoutsomewordorletterinyouranswer,andtheignoranceofthecathedralclergywillbeharpedupon;youwillmakesomesmallmistake,whichwillbeafalsehood,orsomeadmission,whichwillbeself-condemnation;youwillfindyourselftohavebeenvulgar,ill-tempered,irreverend,andilliterate,andthechancesaretentoone,butthatbeingaclergyman,youwillhavebeenguiltyofblasphemy!Amanmayhavethebestofcauses,thebestoftalents,andthebestoftempers;hemaywriteaswellasAddison,orasstronglyasJunius;butevenwithallthishecannotsuccessfullyanswer,whenattackedbyTheJupiter。

  Insuchmattersitisomnipotent。WhattheCzarisinRussia,orthemobinAmerica,thatTheJupiterisinEngland。Answersuchanarticle!No,warden;whateveryoudo,don’tdothat。

  Weweretolookforthissortofthing,youknow;butweneednotdrawdownonourheadsmoreofitthanisnecessary。’

  ThearticleinTheJupiter,whileitsogreatlyharassedourpoorwarden,wasanimmensetriumphtosomeoftheoppositeparty。SorryasBoldwastoseeMrHardingattackedsopersonally,itstillgavehimafeelingofelationtofindhiscausetakenupbysopowerfulanadvocate:andastoFinney,theattorney,hewasbesidehimself。What!tobeengagedinthesamecauseandonthesamesidewithTheJupiter;tohavetheviewshehadrecommendedseconded,andfurthered,andbattledforbyTheJupiter!PerhapstohavehisownnamementionedasthatofthelearnedgentlemanwhoseeffortshadbeensosuccessfulonbehalfofthepoorofBarchester!HemightbeexaminedbeforecommitteesoftheHouseofCommons,withheavenknowshowmuchadayforhispersonalexpenses——hemightbeengagedforyearsonsuchasuit!

  TherewasnoendtothegloriousgoldendreamswhichthisleaderinTheJupiterproducedinthesoaringmindofFinney。

  Andtheoldbedesmen,theyalsoheardofthisarticle,andhadaglimmering,indistinctideaofthemarvellousadvocatewhichhadnowtakenuptheircause。AbelHandylimpedhitherandthitherthroughtherooms,repeatingallthatheunderstoodtohavebeenprinted,withsomeadditionsofhisownwhichhethoughtshouldhavebeenadded。HetoldthemhowTheJupiterhaddeclaredthattheirwardenwasnobetterthanarobber,andthatwhatTheJupitersaidwasacknowledgedbytheworldtobetrue。HowTheJupiterhadaffirmedthateachoneofthem——’eachoneofus,JonathanCrumple,thinkofthat!’——hadaclearrighttoahundredayear;andthatifTheJupiterhadsaidso,itwasbetterthanadecisionoftheLordChancellor:andthenhecarriedaboutthepaper,suppliedbyMrFinney,which,thoughnoneofthemcouldreadit,stillaffordedinitsverytouchandaspectpositivecorroborationofwhatwastoldthem;andJonathanCrumplepondereddeeplyoverhisreturningwealth;andjobSkulpitsawhowrighthehadbeeninsigningthepetition,andsaidsomanyscoresoftimes;andSpriggsleeredfearfullywithhisoneeye;andMoody,ashemorenearlyapproachedthecominggoldenage,hatedmoredeeplythaneverthosewhostillkeptpossessionofwhathesocoveted。EvenBillyGazyandpoorbed-riddenBellbecameactiveanduneasy,andthegreatBuncestoodapartwithloweringbrow,withdeepgriefseatedinhisheart,forheperceivedthatevildayswerecoming。

  Ithadbeendecided,thearchdeaconadvising,thatnoremonstrance,explanation,ordefenceshouldbeaddressedfromtheBarchesterconclavetotheeditorofTheJupiter;buthithertothatwastheonlydecisiontowhichtheyhadcome。

  SirAbrahamHaphazardwasdeeplyengagedinpreparingabillforthemortificationofpapists,tobecalledthe’ConventCustodyBill,’thepurportofwhichwastoenableanyProtestantclergymanoverfiftyyearsofagetosearchanynunwhomhesuspectedofbeinginpossessionoftreasonablepapersorJesuiticalsymbols;andasthereweretobeahundredandthirty-sevenclausesinthebill,eachclausecontainingaseparatethornforthesideofthepapist,andasitwasknownthebillwouldbefoughtinchbyinch,byfiftymaddenedIrishmen,thedueconstructionandadequatedovetailingofitdidconsumemuchofSirAbraham’stime。Thebillhadallitsdesiredeffect。Ofcourseitneverpassedintolaw;butitsocompletelydividedtheranksoftheIrishmembers,whohadboundthemselvestogethertoforceontheministryabillforcompellingallmentodrinkIrishwhiskey,andallwomentowearIrishpoplins,thatfortheremainderofthesessiontheGreatPoplinandWhiskeyLeaguewasutterlyharmless。

  ThusithappenedthatSirAbraham’sopinionwasnotatonceforthcoming,andtheuncertainty,theexpectation,andsufferingofthefolkofBarchesterwasmaintainedatahighpitch。

  PlumsteadEpiscopiThereadermustnowberequestedtovisittherectoryofPlumsteadEpiscopi;andasitisasyetstillearlymorning,toascendagainwithusintothebedroomofthearchdeacon。

  Themistressofthemansionwasathertoilet;onwhichwewillnotdwellwithprofaneeyes,butproceedintoasmallinnerroom,wherethedoctordressedandkepthisbootsandsermons;andherewewilltakeourstand,premisingthatthedooroftheroomwassoopenastoadmitofaconversationbetweenourreverendAdamandhisvaluedEve。

  ’It’sallyourownfault,archdeacon,’saidthelatter。’I

  toldyoufromthebeginninghowitwouldend,andpapahasnoonetothankbutyou。’

  ’Goodgracious,mydear,’saidthedoctor,appearingatthedoorofhisdressing-room,withhisfaceandheadenvelopedintheroughtowelwhichhewasviolentlyusing;’howcanyousayso?Iamdoingmyverybest。’

  ’Iwishyouhadneverdonesomuch,’saidthelady,interruptinghim。’Ifyou’djusthaveletJohnBoldcomeandgothere,asheandpapaliked,heandEleanorwouldhavebeenmarriedbythistime,andweshouldnothaveheardonewordaboutallthisaffair。’

  ’But,mydear——’

  ’Oh,it’sallverywell,archdeacon;andofcourseyou’reright;Idon’tforamomentthinkyou’lleveradmitthatyoucouldbewrong;butthefactis。you’vebroughtthisyoungmandownuponpapabybuffinghimasyouhavedone。’

  ’But,mylove——’

  ’Andallbecauseyoudidn’tlikeJohnBoldforabrother-

  in-law。Howissheevertodobetter?Papahasn’tgotashilling;andthoughEleanoriswellenough,shehasnotatallatakingstyleofbeauty。I’msureIdon’tknowhowshe’stodobetterthanmarryJohnBold;oraswellindeed,’addedtheanxioussister,givingthelasttwisttoherlastshoe-string。

  DrGrantlyfeltkeenlytheinjusticeofthisattack;butwhatcouldhesay?HecertainlyhadbuffedJohnBold;hecertainlyhadobjectedtohimasabrother-in-law,andaveryfewmonthsagotheveryideahadexcitedhiswrath:butnowmatterswerechanged;JohnBoldhadshownhispower,and,thoughhewasasodiousasevertothearchdeacon,powerisalwaysrespected,andthereverenddignitarybegantothinkthatsuchanalliancemightnothavebeenimprudent。Nevertheless,hismottowasstill’nosurrender’;hewouldstillfightitout;hebelievedconfidentlyinOxford,inthebenchofbishops,inSirAbrahamHaphazard,andinhimself;anditwasonlywhenalonewithhiswifethatdoubtsofdefeateverbesethim。HeoncemoretriedtocommunicatethisconfidencetoMrsGrantly,andforthetwentiethtimebegantotellherofSirAbraham。

  ’Oh,SirAbraham!’saidshe,collectingallherhousekeysintoherbasketbeforeshedescended;’SirAbrahamwon’tgetEleanorahusband;SirAbrahamwon’tgetpapaanotherincomewhenhehasbeenworretedoutofthehospital。MarkwhatItellyou,archdeacon:whileyouandSirAbrahamarefighting,papawilllosehispreferment;andwhatwillyoudothenwithhimandEleanoronyourhands?besides,who’stopaySirAbraham?Isupposehewon’ttakethecaseupfornothing?’Andsotheladydescendedtofamilyworshipamongherchildrenandservants,thepatternofagoodandprudentwife。

  DrGrantlywasblessedwithahappy,thrivingfamily。

  Therewere,first,threeboys,nowathomefromschoolfortheholidays。Theywerecalled,respectively,CharlesJames,Henry,andSamuel。Thetwoyoungertherewerefiveinall

  weregirls;theelder,Florinda,borethenameoftheArchbishopofYork’swife,whosegodchildshewas:andtheyoungerhadbeenchristenedGrizzel,afterasisteroftheArchbishopofCanterbury。Theboyswereallclever,andgavegoodpromiseofbeingwellabletomeetthecaresandtrialsoftheworld;andyettheywerenotalikeintheirdispositions,andeachhadhisindividualcharacter,andeachhisseparateadmirersamongthedoctor’sfriends。

  CharlesJameswasanexactandcarefulboy;henevercommittedhimself;hewellknewhowmuchwasexpectedfromtheeldestsonoftheArchdeaconofBarchester,andwasthereforemindfulnottomixtoofreelywithotherboys。Hehadnotthegreattalentsofhisyoungerbrothers,butheexceededtheminjudgmentandproprietyofdemeanour;hisfault,ifhehadone,wasanover-attentiontowordsinsteadofthings;

  therewasathoughttoomuchfinesseabouthim,and,asevenhisfathersometimestoldhim,hewastoofondofacompromise。

  Thesecondwasthearchdeacon’sfavouriteson,andHenrywasindeedabrilliantboy。Theversatilityofhisgeniuswassurprising,andthevisitorsatPlumsteadEpiscopiwereoftenamazedatthemarvellousmannerinwhichhewould,whencalledon,adapthiscapacitytoapparentlymostuncongenialpursuits。HeappearedoncebeforealargecircleasLutherthereformer,anddelightedthemwiththeperfectmannerinwhichheassumedthecharacter;andwithinthreedaysheagainastonishedthembyactingthepartofaCapuchinfriartotheverylife。Forthislastexploithisfathergavehimagoldenguinea,andhisbrotherssaidtherewardhadbeenpromisedbeforehandintheeventoftheperformancebeingsuccessful。HewasalsosentonatourintoDevonshire;atreatwhichtheladwasmostanxiousofenjoying。Hisfather’sfriendsthere,however,didnotappreciatehistalents,andsadaccountsweresenthomeoftheperversityofhisnature。Hewasamostcourageouslad,gametothebackbone。

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