TotheHouseMrHardingwent，andlefthisnote，notfindingSirAbrahamthere。Headdedamostpiteousentreatythathemightbefavouredwithananswerthatevening，forwhichhewouldreturn。HethenjourneyedbacksadlytotheChapterCoffeeHouse，digestinghisgreatthoughts，asbesthemight，inaclatteringomnibus，wedgedinbetweenawetoldladyandajourneymanglazierreturningfromhisworkwithhistoolsinhislap。Inmelancholysolitudehediscussedhismuttonchopandpintofport。Whatisthereinthisworldmoremelancholythansuchadinner？Adinner，thougheatenalone，inacountryhotelmaybeworthyofsomeenergy；thewaiter，ifyouareknown，willmakemuchofyou；thelandlordwillmakeyouabowandperhapsputthefishonthetable；
ifyouringyouareattendedto，andthereissomelifeaboutit。
AdinnerataLondoneating-houseisalsolivelyenough，ifithavenootherattraction。Thereisplentyofnoiseandstiraboutit，andtherapidwhirlofvoicesandrattleofdishesdispersessadness。Butasolitarydinnerinanold，respectable，sombre，solidLondoninn，wherenothingmakesanynoisebuttheoldwaiter’screakingshoes；whereoneplateslowlygoesandanotherslowlycomeswithoutasound；wherethetwoorthreeguestswouldassoonthinkofknockingeachotherdownasofspeaking；wheretheservantswhisper，andthewholehouseholdisdisturbedifanorderbegivenabovethevoice——
whatcanbemoremelancholythanamuttonchopandapintofportinsuchaplace？
HavinggonethroughthisMrHardinggotintoanotheromnibus，andagainreturnedtotheHouse。Yes，SirAbrahamwasthere，andwasthatmomentonhislegs，fightingeagerlyforthehundredandseventhclauseoftheConventCustodyBill。MrHarding’snotehadbeendeliveredtohim；andifMrHardingwouldwaitsometwoorthreehours，SirAbrahamcouldbeaskedwhethertherewasanyanswer。TheHousewasnotfull，andperhapsMrHardingmightgetadmittanceintotheStrangers’Gallery，whichadmission，withthehelpoffiveshillings，MrHardingwasabletoeffect。
ThisbillofSirAbraham’shadbeenreadasecondtimeandpassedintocommittee。Ahundredandsixclauseshadalreadybeendiscussedandhadoccupiedonlyfourmorningsandfiveeveningsittings；nineofthehundredandsixclauseswerepassed，fifty-fivewerewithdrawnbyconsent，fourteenhadbeenalteredsoastomeanthereverseoftheoriginalproposition，elevenhadbeenpostponedforfurtherconsideration，andseventeenhadbeendirectlynegatived。Thehundredandseventhorderedthebodilysearchingofnunsforjesuiticalsymbolsbyagedclergymen，andwasconsideredtobetherealmainstayofthewholebill。Nointentionhadeverexistedtopasssuchalawasthatproposed，butthegovernmentdidnotintendtoabandonittilltheirobjectwasfullyattainedbythediscussionofthisclause。ItwasknownthatitwouldbeinsistedonwithterriblevehemencebyProtestantIrishmembers，andasvehementlydenouncedbytheRomanCatholic；anditwasjustlyconsideredthatnofurtherunionbetweenthepartieswouldbepossibleaftersuchabattle。TheinnocentIrishfellintothetrapastheyalwaysdo，andwhiskeyandpoplinsbecameadruginthemarket。
Aflorid-facedgentlemanwithaniceheadofhair，fromthesouthofIreland，hadsucceededincatchingthespeaker’seyebythetimethatMrHardinghadgotintothegallery，andwasdenouncingtheproposedsacrilege，hiswholefaceglowingwithafinetheatricalfrenzy。
’AndthisisaChristiancountry？’saidhe。Loudcheers；
countercheersfromtheministerialbenches。’Somedoubtastothat，’fromavoicebelowthegangway。’No，itcanbenoChristiancountry，inwhichtheheadofthebar，thelagaladviserloudlaughterandcheers-yes，Isaythelagaladviserofthecrowngreatcheersandlaughter——canstandupinhisseatinthishouseprolongedcheersandlaughter，andattempttolagaliseindacentassaultsonthebodiesofreligiousladies。’Deafeningcheersandlaughter，whichwereprolongedtillthehonourablememberresumedhisseat。
WhenMrHardinghadlistenedtothisandmuchmoreofthesamekindforaboutthreehours，hereturnedtothedooroftheHouse，andreceivedbackfromthemessengerhisownnote，withthefollowingwordsscrawledinpencilonthebackofit:
’To-morrow，10P。M——mychambers——A。H。’
Hewassofarsuccessful——but10P。M。:whatanhourSirAbrahamhadnamedforalegalinterview！MrHardingfeltperfectlysurethatlongbeforethatDrGrantlywouldbeinLondon。DrGrantlycouldnot，however，knowthatthisinterviewhadbeenarranged，norcouldhelearnitunlesshemanagedtogetholdofSirAbrahambeforethathour；andasthiswasveryimprobable，MrHardingdeterminedtostartfromhishotelearly，merelyleavingwordthatheshoulddineout，andunlessluckweremuchagainsthim，hemightstillescapethearchdeacontillhisreturnfromtheattorney-general’schambers。
Hewasatbreakfastatnine，andforthetwentiethtimeconsultedhisBradshaw，toseeatwhatearliesthourDrGrantlycouldarrivefromBarchester。Asheexaminedthecolumns，hewasnearlypetrifiedbythereflectionthatperhapsthearchdeaconmightcomeupbythenight-mailtrain！Hisheartsankwithinhimatthehorrididea，andforamomenthefelthimselfdraggedbacktoBarchesterwithoutaccomplishinganyportionofhisobject。ThenherememberedthathadDrGrantlydoneso，hewouldhavebeeninthehotel，lookingforhimlongsince。
’Waiter，’saidhe，timidly。
Thewaiterapproached，creakinginhisshoes，butvoiceless。
’Didanygentleman——aclergyman，arriveherebythenight-
mailtrain？’
’No，sir，notone，’whisperedthewaiter，puttinghismouthnearlyclosetothewarden’sear。
MrHardingwasreassured。
’Waiter，’saidheagain，andthewaiteragaincreakedup。
’Ifanyonecallsforme，Iamgoingtodineout，andshallreturnabouteleveno’clock。’
Thewaiternodded，butdidnotthistimevouchsafeanyreply；andMrHarding，takinguphishat，proceededouttopassalongdayinthebestwayhecould，somewhereoutofsightofthearchdeacon。
BradshawhadtoldhimtwentytimesthatDrGrantlycouldnotbeatPaddingtonstationtill2P。M。，andourpoorfriendmightthereforehavetrustedtotheshelterofthehotelforsomehourslongerwithperfectsafety；buthewasnervous。Therewasnoknowingwhatstepsthearchdeaconmighttakeforhisapprehension:amessagebyelectrictelegraphmightdesirethelandlordofthehoteltosetawatchuponhim；somelettermightcomewhichhemightfindhimselfunabletodisobey；
atanyrate，hecouldnotfeelhimselfsecureinanyplaceatwhichthearchdeaconcouldexpecttofindhim；andat10A。M。hestartedforthtospendtwelvehoursinLondon。
MrHardinghadfriendsintownhadhechosentoseekthem；buthefeltthathewasinnohumourforordinarycalls，andhedidnotnowwishtoconsultwithanyoneastothegreatstepwhichhehaddeterminedtotake。Ashehadsaidtohisdaughter，nooneknowswheretheshoepinchesbutthewearer。
Therearesomepointsonwhichnomancanbecontentedtofollowtheadviceofanother——somesubjectsonwhichamancanconsulthisownconscienceonly。Ourwardenhadmadeuphismindthatitwasgoodforhimatanycosttogetridofthisgrievance；hisdaughterwastheonlypersonwhoseconcurrenceappearednecessarytohim，andshedidconcurwithhimmostheartily。Undersuchcircumstanceshewouldnot，ifhecouldhelpit，consultanyonefurther，tilladvicewouldbeuseless。Shouldthearchdeaconcatchhim，indeed，therewouldbemuchadvice，andmuchconsultationofakindnottobeavoided；buthehopedbetterthings；andashefeltthathecouldnotnowconverseonindifferentsubjects，heresolvedtoseenoonetillafterhisinterviewwiththeattorney-general。
HedeterminedtotakesanctuaryinWestminsterAbbey，soheagainwentthitherinanomnibus，andfindingthatthedoorswerenotopenformorningservice，hepaidhistwopence，andwentinasasightseer。Itoccurredtohimthathehadnodefiniteplaceofrestfortheday，andthatheshouldbeabsolutelywornoutbeforehisinterviewifheattemptedtowalkaboutfrom10A。M。to10P。M。，sohesathimselfdownonastonestep，andgazedupatthefigureofWilliamPitt，wholooksasthoughhehadjustenteredthechurchforthefirsttimeinhislifeandwasanythingbutpleasedatfindinghimselfthere。
Hehadbeensittingunmolestedabouttwentyminuteswhenthevergeraskedhimwhetherhewouldn’tliketowalkround。
MrHardingdidn’twanttowalkanywhere，anddeclined，merelyobservingthathewaswaitingforthemorningservice。
Theverger，seeingthathewasaclergyman，toldhimthatthedoorsofthechoirwerenowopen，andshowedhimintoaseat。
Thiswasagreatpointgained；thearchdeaconwouldcertainlynotcometomorningserviceatWestminsterAbbey，eventhoughhewereinLondon；andherethewardencouldrestquietly，and，whenthetimecame，dulysayhisprayers。
Helongedtogetupfromhisseat，andexaminethemusic-
booksofthechoristers，andthecopyofthelitanyfromwhichtheservicewaschanted，toseehowfarthelittledetailsatWestminstercorrespondedwiththoseatBarchester，andwhetherhethoughthisownvoicewouldfillthechurchwellfromtheWestminsterprecentor’sseat。Therewould，however，beimproprietyinsuchmeddling，andhesatperfectlystill，lookingupatthenobleroof，andguardingagainstthecomingfatiguesoftheday。
Bydegreestwoorthreepeopleentered；theverysamedampoldwomanwhohadnearlyobliteratedhimintheomnibus，orsomeotherjustlikeher；acoupleofyoungladieswiththeirveilsdown，andgiltcrossesconspicuousontheirprayer-books；anoldmanoncrutches；apartywhowereseeingtheabbey，andthoughttheymightaswellheartheservicefortheirtwopence，asopportunityserved；andayoungwomanwithherprayer-bookdoneupinherhandkerchief，whorushedinlate，and，inherhurriedentry，tumbledoveroneoftheforms，andmadesuchanoisethateveryone，eventheofficiatingminorcanon，wasstartled，andsheherselfwassofrightenedbytheechoofherowncatastrophethatshewasnearlythrownintofitsbythepanic。
MrHardingwasnotmuchedifiedbythemanneroftheservice。Theminorcanoninquestionhurriedin，somewhatlate，inasurplicenotintheneatestorder，andwasfollowedbyadozenchoristers，whowerealsonotastrimastheymighthavebeen:theyalljostledintotheirplaceswithaquickhurriedstep，andtheservicewassooncommenced。Sooncommencedandsoonover——fortherewasnomusic，andtimewasnotunnecessarilylostinthechanting。OnthewholeMrHardingwasofopinionthatthingsweremanagedbetteratBarchester，thougheventhereheknewthattherewasroomforimprovement。