第9章
加入书架 A- A+
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  ’Yes,IthinkIdid。’

  ’Anybodymusthavebelievedhim——exceptoldTempest,whoneverbelievesanybody,andFothergill,whoalwayssuspectseverybody。Thetruthis,thathefoundthechequeandputitby,anddidnotrememberanythingaboutit。’

  ’But,Lufton,surelythatwouldamounttostealingit?’

  ’Yes,ifitwasn’tthatheissuchapoor,cracked,crazycreature,withhismindallabroad。IthinkSoamesdiddrophisbookinhishouse。I’msureSoameswouldnotsaysounlesshewasquiteconfident。Somebodyhaspickeditup,andinsomewaythechequehasgotintoCrawley’shand。

  Thenhehaslockeditupandforgottenallaboutit;andwhenthatbutcherthreatenedhim,hehasputhishanduponit,andhethought,orbelieved,thatithadcomefromSoamesorthedeanorfromheaven,ifyouwill。Whenamanissocrazyasthat,youcan’tjudgeofhimasyoudoofothers。’

  ’Butajurymustjudgehimasitwouldofothers。’

  ’Andthereforethereshouldbealawyertotellthejurywhattodo。

  Theyshouldhavesomebodyupoutoftheparishtoshowthatheisbesidehimselfhalfthetime。Hiswifewouldbethebestperson,onlyitwouldbehardlinesonher。’

  ’Veryhard。Andafterallhewouldonlyescapebybeingshowntobemad。’

  ’Andheismad。’

  ’MrsProudiewouldcomeuponhiminsuchacaseasthat,andsequesterhisliving。’

  ’AndwhatwillMrsProudiedowhenhe’saconvictedthief?Simplyunfrockhim,andtakeawayhislivingaltogether。NothingonearthshouldinducemetofindhimguiltyifIwereonajury。’

  ’Butyouhavecommittedhim。’

  ’Yes——I’vebeenone,atleast,indoingso。IsimplydidthatwhichWalkertolduswemustdo。Amagistrateisnotlefttohimselfasajurymanis。I’deatthebiggestpairofbootsinBarchesterbeforeI

  foundhimguilty。Isay,Mark,youmusttalkitoverwiththewomen,andseewhatcanbedoneforthem。Lucytellsmethatthey’resopoor,thatiftheyhavebreadtoeat,it’sasmuchastheyhave。’

  OnthiseveningArchdeaconGrantlyandhiswifedinedandsleptatFramleyCourt,therehavingbeenaverylongfamilyfriendshipbetweenoldLadyLuftonandtheGrantlys,andDrThornewithhiswife,fromChaldicotes,alsodinedatFramley。TherewasalsothereanotherclergymanfromBarchester,oneMrChampion,oneoftheprebendsofthecathedral。Therewereonlythreenowwhohadhousesinthecitysincetheretrenchmentsoftheecclesiasticalcommissionhadcomeintofullforce。AndthisMrChampionwasdeartotheDowagerLadyLufton,becausehecarriedonworthilytheclericalwaragainstthebishopwhichhadragedinBarchestereversinceDrProudiehadcomethere——whichwaroldLadyLufton,goodandpiousandcharitableasshewas,consideredthatshewasboundtokeepup,eventotheknife,tillDrProudieandallhissatellitesshouldhavebeenbanishedintotheouterdarkness。AsthelightoftheProudiesstillshonebrightly,itwasprobablethatpooroldLadyLuftonmightdiebeforeherbattlewasaccomplished。Sheoftensaidthatitwouldbeso,butwhensosaying,alwaysexpressedawishthatismightbecarriedonafterherdeath。’Ishallnever,neverrestinmygrave,’shehadoncesaidtothearchdeacon,’whilethatwomansitsinyourfather’spalace。’Forthearchdeacon’sfatherhadbeenBishopofBarchesterbeforeDrProudie。WhatmodeofgettingridofthebishoporhiswifeLadyLuftonproposedtoherself,Iamunabletosay;

  butIthinkshelivedinhopesthatinsomewayitmightbedone。IfonlythebishopcouldhavebeenfoundtohavestolenachequefortwentypoundsinsteadofpoorMrCrawley,LadyLuftonwould,Ithink,havebeensatisfied。

  InthecourseofthesebattlesFramleyCourtwouldsometimesassumeaclericalaspect——havingaprevailinghue,asitwere,ofblackcoats,whichwasnotaltogethertothetasteofLordLufton,andastowhichhewouldmakecomplainttohiswife,andtoMarkRobarts,himselfaclergyman。’There’smoreofthisthanIcanstand,’he’dsaytothelatter。’There’sdeucedmoreofitthanyoulikeyourself,Iknow。’

  ’It’snotformetolikeordislike。It’sagreatthinghavingyourmotherintheparish。’

  ’That’sallverywell;andofcourseshe’lldoasshelikes。Shemayaskwhomshepleaseshere,andIshan’tinterfere。It’sthesameasthoughitwasherownhouse。ButIshalltakeLucytoLufton。’NowLordLuftonhadbeenbuildinghishouseatLuftonforthelastsevenyearsanditwasnotyetfinished——ornearlyfinished,ifallthathiswifehadsaidweretrue。Andiftheycouldhavetheirway,itneverwouldbefinished。Andso,inorderthatLordLuftonmightnotactuallybedrivenawaybytheturmoilsofecclesiasticalcontest,theyoungerLadyLuftonwouldendeavourtomoderateboththewrathandthezealoftheelderone,andwouldstruggleagainstthecomingclergymen。Onthisday,however,threesatattheboardatFramley,andLadyLufton,inherjustificationtoherson,sworethattheinvitationhadbeengivenbyherdaughter—in—law。’Youknow,mydear,’thedowagersaidtoLordLufton,’somethingmustbedoneforthesepoorCrawleys;andasthedeanisaway,Lucywantstospeaktothearchdeaconaboutthem。’

  ’Andthearchdeaconcouldnotsubscribehisten—poundnotewithouthavingChampiontobackhim?’

  ’MydearLudovic,youdoputitinsuchaway。’

  ’Nevermind,mother。I’venospecialdislikeforChampion,onlyasyouarenotpaidfivethousandpoundayearforyourtrouble,itisratherhardthatyoushouldhaveto&alltheworkofoppositionbishopinthediocese。’

  Itwasfeltbythemall——includingLordLuftonhimself,whobecamesointerestedinthematterastoforgivetheblackcoatsbeforetheeveningwasover——thatthismatterofMrCrawley’scommittalwasveryserious,anddemandedthefullenergiesoftheirparty。ItwasknowntothemallthatthefeelingatthepalacewasinimicaltoMrCrawley。

  ’Thatshe—Beelzebubhateshimforhispoverty,andbecauseArabinbroughthimintothediocese,’saidthearchdeacon,permittinghimselftouseverystronglanguageinhisallusiontothebishop’swife。Itmustberecordedonhisbehalfthatheusedthephraseinthepresenceonlyofthegentlemenoftheparty。IthinkhemighthavewhisperedthewordintheearofhisconfidentialfriendoldLadyLufton,andperhapshavegivennooffence;buthewouldnothaveventuredtousesuchwordsaloudinthepresenceofladies。

  ’Youforget,archdeacon,’saidDrThorne,laughing,’thattheshe—Beelzebubismywife’sparticularfriend。’

  ’Notabitofit,’saidthearchdeacon。’Yourwifeknowsbetterthanthat。YoutellherwhatIcallher,andifshecomplainsofthenameI’llunsayit。’ItmaythereforebesupposedthatDrThorne,andMrsThorne,andthearchdeacon,kneweachotherintimately,andunderstoodeachother’sfeelingsonthesematters。

  ItwasquitetruethatthepalacepartywasinimicaltoMrCrawley。MrCrawleyundoubtedlywaspoor,andhadnotbeensosubmissivetoepiscopalauthorityasitbehovesanyclergymantobewhoseloavesandfishesarescanty。Hehadraisedhisbackmorethanonceagainstordersemanatingfromthepalaceinamannerthathadmadethehairsontheheadofthebishop’swifetostandalmostonend,andhadtakenasmuchuponhimselfasthoughhislivinghadbeenworthtwelvehundredayear。

  MrsProudie,almostasenergeticinherlanguageasthearchdeacon,hadcalledhimabeggarlyperpetualcurate。’Wemusthaveperpetualcurates,mydear,’thebishophadsaid。’Theyshouldknowtheirplacesthen。Butwhatcanyouexpectofacreaturefromthedeanery?Allthatoughttobealtered。Thedeanshouldhavenopatronageinthediocese。Nodeanshouldhaveanypatronage。Itisanabusefromthebeginningtotheend。

  DeanArabin,ifhehadanyconscience,wouldbedoingthedutyatHogglestockhimself。’Howthebishopstrovetoteachhiswife,withthemildestwords,whatreallyoughttobeadean’sduty,andhowthewiferejoinedbyteachingherhusband,notinthemildestwords,whatoughttobeabishop’sduty,wewillnotfurtherinquirehere。ThefactthatsuchdialoguestookplaceatthepalaceisrecordedsimplytoshowthatthepalatialfeelinginBarchesterrancountertoMrCrawley。

  Andthiswascauseenough,ifnoothercauseexisted,forpartialitytoMrCrawleyatFramleyCourt。But,ashasbeenpartlyexplained,thereexisted,ifpossible,evenstrongergroundthanthisforadherencetotheCrawleycause。TheyoungerLadyLuftonhadknowntheCrawleysintimately,andtheelderLadyLuftonhadreckonedthemamongtheneighbouringclericalfamiliesofheracquaintance。BoththeseladieswerethereforestaunchintheirdefenceofMrCrawley。Thearchdeaconhimselfhadhisownreasons——reasonswhichatpresenthekeptaltogetherwithinhisownbosom——forwishingthatMrCrawleyhadneverenteredthediocese。Whethertheperpetualcurateshouldorshouldnotbedeclaredathief,itwouldterribletohimtohavetocallthechildofthatperpetualcuratehisdaughter—in—law。Butnotthelessonthisoccasionwashetruetohisorder,truetohissideofthediocese,truetohishatredofthepalace。

  ’Idon’tbelieveitforamoment,’hesaid,ashetookhisplaceontherugbeforethefireinthedrawing—roomwhenthegentlemencameinfromtheirwine。Theladiesunderstoodatoncewhatitwasthathecouldn’tbelieve。MrCrawleyhadforthemomentsousurpedthecountythatnobodythoughtoftalkingofanythingelse。

  ’Howisitthe,’saidMrsThorne,’thatLordLufton,andmyhusband,andtheotherwiseacresatSilverbridge,havecommittedhimfortrial?’

  ’Becausewearetoldtodosobythelawyer,’saidDrThorne。

  ’Ladieswillneverunderstandthatmagistratesmustactinaccordancewiththelaw,’saidLordLufton。

  ’Butyouallsayhe’snotguilty,’saidMrsRobarts。

  ’Thefactis,thatthemagistratecannottrythequestion,’saidthearchdeacon;’theyonlyhearprimaryevidence。InthiscaseIdon’tbelieveCrawleywouldeverhavebeencommittedifhehademployedanattorney,insteadofspeakingforhimself。’

  ’Whydidn’tsomebodymakehimhaveanattorney?’saidLadyLufton。

  ’Idon’tthinkanyattorneyintheworldcouldhavespokenforhimbetterthanhespokeforhimself,’saidDrThorne。

  ’Andyetyoucommittedhim,’saidhiswife。’Whatcanwedoforhim?

  Can’twepaythebailandsendhimofftoAmerica?’

  ’Ajurywillneverfindhimguilty,’saidLordLufton。

  ’Andwhatisthetruthofit?’askedtheyoungerLadyLufton。

  Thenthewholematterwasdiscussedagain,anditwassettledamongthemallthatMrCrawleyhadundoubtedlyappropriatedthechequethroughtemporaryobliquityofjudgment——obliquityofjudgmentandforgetfulnessastothesourcefromwhencethechequehadcometohim。’Hehaspickeditupaboutthehouse,andthenhasthoughtthatitwashisown,’saidLordLufton。Hadtheycometotheconclusionthatsuchanappropriationofmoneyhadbeenmadebyoneoftheclergyofthepalace,byoneoftheProudieianparty,theywoulddoubtlesshavebeenveryloudandverybitterastotheiniquityoftheoffender。Theywouldhavesaidasmuchastotheweaknessofthebishopandthewickednessofthebishop’swife,andwouldhavedeclaredtheappropriatortohavebeenasveryathiefaseverpickedapocketoropenedabill;——buttheywereunanimousintheiracquittalofMrCrawley。Ithadnotbeenhisintention,theysaid,tobeathief,andamanshouldbejudgedonlybyhisintention。

  ItmustnowbetheirobjecttoinduceaBarchesterjurytolookatthematterinthesamelight。

  ’Whentheycometounderstandhowthelandlies,’saidthearchdeacon,’theywillbeallright。There’snotatradesmaninthecitywhodoesnothatethatwomanasthoughshewere——’

  ’Archdeacon,’saidhiswife,cautioninghimtorepresshisenergy。

  ’Theirbillsareallpaidbythisnewchaplainthey’vegot,andheismadetoclaimdiscountoneverylegofmutton,’saidthearchdeacon。

  Arguingfromwhichfact——orfromwhichassertion,hecametotheconclusionthatnoBarchesterjurywouldfindMrCrawleyguilty。

  ButitwasagreedonallsidesthatitwouldnotbewelltotrusttotheunassistedfriendshipoftheBarchestertradesmen。MrCrawleymustbeprovidedwithlegalassistance,andthismustbefurnishedtohimwhetherheshouldbewillingorunwillingtoreceiveit。Thattherewouldbeadifficultywasacknowledged。MrCrawleywasknowntobeamannoteasyofpersuasion,withawillofhisown,withagreatenergyofobstinacyonpointswhichhechosetotakeasbeingofimportancetohiscalling,ortohisownprofessionalstatus。Hehadpleadedhisowncausebeforethemagistrates,anditmightbethathewouldinsistondoingthesamethingbeforethejudge。AtlastMrRobarts,theclergymanfromFramley,wasdeputedfromtheknotofCrawleianadvocatesassembledatLadyLufton’sdrawing—room,toundertakethedutyofseeingMrCrawley,andofexplainingtohimthathisproperdefencewasregardedasamatterappertainingtotheclergyandgentrygenerallyofthatpartofthecountry,andthatforthesakeoftheclergyandgentrythedefencemustofcoursebeproperlyconducted。Insuchcircumstancestheexpenseofthedefencewouldofcoursebebornebytheclergyandgentryconcerned。ItwasthoughtthatMrRobartscouldputthemattertoMrCrawleywithsuchamixtureofthestrengthofmanlyfriendshipandthesoftnessofclericalpersuasion,astoovercometherecogniseddifficultiesofthetask。

  CHAPTERXI

  THEBISHOPSENDSHISINHIBITION

  TidingsofMrCrawley’sfatereachedthepalaceatBarchesterontheafternoonofthedayonwhichthemagistrateshadcommittedhim。Allsuchtidingstravelveryquickly,conveyedbyimperceptiblewires,anddistributedbyindefatigablemessageboyswhomRumourseemstosupplyforthepurpose。BarchesteristwentymilesfromSilverbridgebyroad,andmorethanfortybyrailway。Idoubtwhetheranyonewascommissionedtosendthenewsalongtheactualtelegraph,andyetMrsProudieknewitbeforefouro’clock。Butshedidnotknowitquiteaccurately。’Bishop,’

  shesaid,standingatherhusband’sstudydoor。’Theyhavecommittedthatmantogaol。Therewasnohelpforthemunlesstheyhadforeswornthemselves。’

  ’Notforeswornthemselves,mydear,’saidthebishop,striving,aswasusualwithhim,bysomemeekandineffectualwordtoteachhiswifethatshewasoccasionallyledbyherenergyintoerror。Heneverpersistedinthelessonswhenhefound,aswasusual,thattheyweretakenamiss。

  ’Isayforeswornthemselves!’saidMrsProudie;’andnowwhatdoyoumeantodo?ThisisThursday,andofcoursethemanmustnotbeallowedtodesecratethechurchofHogglestockbyperformingtheSundayservices。’

  ’Ifhehasbeencommitted,mydear,andisinprison——’

  ’Isaidnothingaboutprison,bishop。’

  ’Gaol,mydear。’

  ’Isaidtheycommittedhimtogaol。Somyinformanttellsme。ButofcourseallPlumsteadandFramleysetwillmoveheavenandearthtogethimout,sothathemaybethereasadisgracetothediocese。Iwonderhowthedeanwillfeelwhenhehearsofit!Idoindeed。Forthedean,thoughheisanidle,uselessman,withnochurchprinciples,andnorealpiety,stillhehasaconscience。Ithinkhehasaconscience。’

  ’I’msurehehas,mydear。’

  ’Well;——letushopeso。Andifhehasaconscience,whatmustbehisfeelingswhenhehearsthatthiscreaturewhomhehasbroughtintothediocesehasbeencommittedtogaolalongwithcommonfelons。’

  ’Notwithfelons,mydear;atleast,Ishouldthinknot。’

  ’Isaywithcommonfelons!Adownrightrobberyoftwentypounds,justasthoughhehadbrokenintothebank!Andsohedid,withslyartifice,whichisworseinsuchhandsthanacrowbar。Andnowwhatarewetodo?

  HereisThursday,andsomethingmustbedonebeforeSundayforthesoulsofthosepoorbenightedcreaturesatHogglestock。’MrsProudiewasreadyforthebattle,andwasevennowsniffingthebloodfaroff。’Ibelieveit’sahundredandthirtypoundsayear,’shesaid,beforethebishophadcollectedhisthoughtsufficientlyforareply。

  ’Ithinkwemustfindout,firstofall,whetherheisreallytobeshutupinprison,’saidthebishop。

  ’Andsupposeheisnottobeshutup。Supposetheyhavebeenweak,oruntruetotheirduty——andfromwhatweknowofthemagistratesofBarsetshire,thereistoomuchreasontosupposetheywillhavebeenso;

  supposetheyhavelethimout,ishetogoaboutlikearoaringlion——amongthesoulsofthepeople?’

  Thebishopshookinhisshoes。WhenMrsProudiebegantotalkofthesoulsofthepeoplehealwaysshookinhisshoes。Shehadaneloquentwayofraisinghervoiceoverthewordsoulsthatwasqualifiedtomakeanyordinarymanshakeinhisshoes。Thebishopwasaconscientiousman,andwellknowthatpoorMrCrawley,even,wouldnotroaratHogglestocktotheinjuryofanyman’ssoul。Hewasawarethatthispoorclergymanhaddonehisdutylaboriouslyandefficiently,andhewasalsoawarethatthoughhemighthavebeencommittedbythemagistrates,andthenletoutuponbail,heshouldnotberegardednow,inthesedaysbeforetrial,asaconvictedthief。ButtoexplainallthistoMrsProudiewasbeyondhispower。HeknewwellthatshewouldnothearawordinmitigationofMrCrawley’spresumedoffence。MrCrawleybelongedtotheotherparty,andMrsProudiewasathorough—goingpartisan。Iknowaman——anexcellentfellow,who,beinghimselfastrongpolitician,constantlyexpressedabeliefthatallpoliticiansopposedtohimarethieves,child—murderers,parricides,loversofincest,demonsuponearth。Heisastrongpartisan,butnot,Ithink,sostrongasMrsProudie。Hesaysthathebelievesallevilofhisopponents;butshereallybelievedtheevil。ThearchdeaconhadcalledMrsProudieashe—

  Beelzebub;butthatwasasimpleebullitionofmortalhatred。Hebelievedhertosimplyavulgar,interfering,brazen—facedvirago。MrsProudieintruthbelievedthatthearchdeaconwasanactualemanationfromSatan,senttothesepartstodevoursouls——asshewouldcallit——andthatsheherselfwasanemanationofanothersort,sentfromanothersourceexpresslytoBarchester,topreventsuchdevouring,asfarasitmightbepreventedbyamortalagency。Thebishopknewitall——understooditall。Heregardedthearchdeaconasaclergymanbelongingtoapartyopposedtohisparty,andhedislikedtheman。Heknewthatfromhisfirstcomingintothediocesehehadbeenencounteredwithenmitybythearchdeaconandthearchdeacon’sfriends。Iflefttohimselfhecouldfeelandtoacertainextentcouldresentsuchenmity。

  Buthehadnofaithinhiswife’sdoctrineofemanations。Hehadnotfaithinmanythingswhichshebelievedreligiously;——andyetwhatcouldhedo?Ifheattemptedtoexplain,shewouldstophimbeforehehadgotthroughthefirsthalfofhisfirstsentence。

  ’Ifheisoutonbail——’commencedthebishop。

  ’Ofcoursehewillbeoutonbail。’

  ’ThenIthinkheshouldfeel——’

  ’Feel!Suchmenneverfeel!Whatfeelingcanoneexpectfromaconvictedthief?’

  ’Notconvictedyet,mydear,’saidthebishop。

  ’Aconvictedthief,’repeatedMrsProudie;andshevociferatedthewordsinsuchatonethatthebishopresolvedthathewouldforthefutureletthewordconvictedpasswithoutnotice。Afterallshewasonlyusingthephraseinapeculiarsensegiventoitbyherself。

  ’Itwon’tbeproper,certainly,thatheshoulddotheservices,’

  suggestedthebishop。

  ’Proper!Itwouldbeascandaltothewholediocese。Howcouldheraisehisheadashepronouncedtheeighthcommandment?Thatmustbeatleastprevented。’

  Thebishop,whowasseated,frettedhimselfinhischair,movingaboutwithlittlemovements。Heknewthattherewasamiserycominguponhim;

  and,asfarashecouldsee,itmightbecomeagreatmisery——ahugeblisteringsoreuponhim。Whenmiseriescametohim,astheydidnotunfrequently,hewouldunconsciouslyendeavourtofathomthemandweighthem,andthen,withsomegallantry,resolvetobearthem,ifhecouldfindthattheirdepthandweightwerenottoogreatforhispowersofendurance。Hewouldletthecoldwindwhistlebyhim,puttingupthecollarofhiscoat,andwouldbepatientunderthewinterweatherwithoutcomplaint。Andhewouldbepatientunderthesun,knowingwellthattranquillityisbestforthosewhohavetobeartropicalheat。Butwhenthestormthreatenedtoknockhimoffhislegs,whentheearthbeneathhimbecametoohotforhispoortenderfeet——whatcouldhedothen?Therehadbeenwithhimsuchperiodsofmisery,duringwhichhehadwailedinwardlyandhadconfessedtohimselfthatthewifeofhisbosomwastoomuchforhim。Nowthestormseemedtobecomingveryroughly。Itwouldbedemandedofhimthatheshouldexercisecertainepiscopalauthoritywhichheknewdidnotbelongtohim。Now,episcopalauthorityadmitsofbeingstretchedorcontractedaccordingtothecharacterofthebishopwhousesit。Itisnotalwayseasyforabishophimselftoknowwhathemaydo,andwhathemaynotdo。Hemaycertainlygiveadvicetoanyclergymaninhisdiocese,andhemaygiveitinsuchformthatitwillhaveinitsomethingofauthority。Suchadvicecomingfromadominantbishoptoaclergymanwithasubmissivemind,hasinitverymuchofauthority。ButBishopProudieknewthatMrCrawleywasnotaclergymanwithasubmissivemind,andhefearedthathehimself,asregardedfromMrCrawley’spointofview,wasnotadominantbishop。Andyethecouldonlyactbyadvice。’Iwillwritetohim,’saidthebishop’andwillexplaintohimthatasheiscircumstancedheshouldnotappearinthereading—desk。’

  ’Ofcoursehemustnotappearinthereading—desk。Thatscandalmustatanyratebeinhibited。’Nowthebishopdidnotatallliketheuseofthewordinhibited,understandingwillthatMrsProudieintendedittobeunderstoodasimplyingsomeepiscopalcommandagainstwhichthereshouldbenoappeal;——butheletitpass。

  ’Iwillwritetohim,dear,tonight。’

  ’AndMrThumblecangooverwiththeletterfirstthinginthemorning。’

  ’Willnotthepostbebetter?’

  ’No,bishop;certainlynot。’

  ’Hewouldgetitsooner,ifIwritetonight,dear。’

  ’Ineithercasehewillgetittomorrowmorning。Anhourortwowillnotsignify,andifMrThumbletakesithimselfweshallknowhowitisreceived。ItwillbewellthatThumbleshouldbethereinpersonashewillwanttolookforlodgingsintheparish。’

  ’But,mydear——’

  ’Well,bishop?’

  ’Aboutlodgings?IhardlythinkMrThumble,ifwedecidethatMrThumbleshouldundertaketheduty——’

  ’WehavedecidedthatMrThumbleshouldundertaketheduty。Thatisdecided。’

  ’ButIdonotthinkheshouldtroublehimselftolookforlodgingsatHogglestock。HecangooverontheSundays。’

  ’Andwhoistodotheparishwork?Wouldyouhavethatman,aconvictedthief,tolookaftertheschools,andvisitthesick,andperhapsattendthedying?’

  ’Therewillbeagreatdifficulty;therewillindeed,’saidthebishop,becomingveryunhappy,andfeelingthathewasdrivenbycircumstanceseitherasserthisownknowledgeorteachhiswifesomethingofthelawwithreferencetohispositionasabishop。’WhoistopayMrThumble?’

  ’Theincomeoftheparishmustbesequestrated,andhemustbepaidoutofthat。Ofcoursehemusthavetheincomewhilehedoesthework。’

  ’But,mydear,Icannotsequestratetheman’sincome。’

  ’Idon’tbelieveit,bishop。Ifthebishopcannotsequestrate,whocan?

  Butyouarealwaystimidinexercisingtheauthorityputintoyourhandsforwisepurposes。Notsequestratetheincomeofamanwhohasbeenprovedtobeathief!Youleavethattous,andwewillmanageit。’The’us’namedcomprisedMrsProudieandthebishop’smanagingchaplain。

  ThenthebishopwasleftaloneforanhourtowritetheletterwhichMrThumblewastocarryovertoMrCrawley——andafterawhilehedidwriteit。Beforehecommencedthetask,however,hesatforsomemomentsinhisarm—chairclosebythefire—side,askinghimselfwhetheritmightnotbepossibleforhimtoovercomehisenemyinthismatter。Howwoulditgowithhimsupposeheweretoleavetheletterunwritten,andsendinamessagebyhischaplaintoMrsProudie,sayingthatasMrCrawleywasoutonbail,theparishmightbeleftforthepresentwithoutepiscopalinterference?Shecouldnotmakehiminterfere。Shecouldnotforcehimtowritetheletter。So,atleast,hesaidtohimself。Butashesaidit,healmostthoughtthatshecoulddothesethings。Inthelastthirtyyears,ormore,shehadevercontrivedbysomepowerlatentinhertohaveherwilleffected。Butwhatwouldhappenifnow,evennow,heweretorebel?Thathewouldpersonallybecomeveryuncomfortable,hewaswellaware,buthethoughthecouldbearthat。Thefoodwouldbecomebad——mereashes,betweenhisteeth,thedailymodicumofwinewouldloseitsflavour,thechimneyswouldallsmoke,thewindwouldcomefromtheeast,andtheservantswouldnotanswerthebell。

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