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。