triumphantly。’AndthenI
  feltsureatthetimethatIhadleftitatCrawley’shouse!’
  MrWalkerwrotealettertothedean,whoatthatmomentwasinFlorence,onhiswaytoRome,fromwhencehewasgoingontotheHolyLand。TherecamebackaletterfromMrArabin,sayingthatonthe17thMarchhehadgiventoMrCrawleyasumoffiftypoundsandthatthepaymenthadbeenmadeinfiveBankofEnglandnotesoftenpoundseach,whichhadbeenhandedtohisfriendinthelibraryatthedeanery。Theletterwasveryshort,and,may,perhaps,bedescribedashavingbeenalmostcurt。MrWalker,inhisanxietytodothebesthecouldforMrCrawley,hadsimplyaskedaquestionastothenatureofthetransactionbetweenthetwogentlemen,sayingthatnodoubtthedean’sanswerwouldclearupalittlemysterywhichexistedatpresentrespectingachequefortwentypounds。Thedeaninanswersimplystatedthefactasithadbeengivenabove;buthewrotetoMrCrawleybeggingtoknowwhatwasintruththisnewdifficulty,andofferinganyassistanceinhispower。Heexplainedallthecircumstancesofthemoney,asherememberedthem。Thesunadvancedhadcertainlyconsistedoffiftypounds,andtherehadcertainlybeenfiveBankofEnglandnotes。Hehadputthenotesintoanenvelope,whichhehadnotclosed,buthadaddressedtoMrCrawley,andhadplacedthisenvelopeinhisfriend’shands。HewentontosaythatMrsArabinwouldhavewritten,butthewasinPariswithherson。MrsArabinwastoremaininParisduringhisabsenceintheHolyLand,andmeethiminItalyonhisreturn。Asshewassomuchnearerathand,thedeanexpressedahopethatMrsCrawleywouldapplytoheriftherewasanytrouble。
  ThelettertoMrWalkerwasconclusiveastothedean’smoney。MrCrawleyhadnotreceivedLordLufton’schequefromthedean。Thenwhencehadhereceivedit?Thepoorwifewasleftbythelawyertoobtainfurtherinformationfromherhusband。Ah,whocantellhowterriblewerethescenesbetweenthatpoorpairofwretches,asthewifeendeavouredtolearnthetruthfromhermiserable,half—maddenedhusband!Thatherhusbandhadbeenhonestthroughout,shehadnotanyshadowofdoubt。Shedidnotdoubtthattoheratleastheendeavouredtotellthetruth,asfarashispoorrackedimperfectmemorywouldallowhimtorememberwhatwastrueandwhatwasnottrue。Theupshotofitallwasthatthehusbanddeclaredthathestillbelievedthatthemoneyhadcometohimfromthedean。Hehadkeptitbyhim,notwishingtouseitifhecouldhelpit。Hehadforgottenit——sohesaidattimes——havingunderstoodfromArabinthathewastohavefiftypounds,andhavingreceivedmore。
  Ifithadnotcometohimfromthedean,thenithadbeensenttohimbythePrinceofEvilforhisutterundoing;andthereweretimesinwhichheseemedtothinkthatsuchhadbeenthemannerinwhichthefatalchequehadreachedhim。Inallthathesaidhewasterriblyconfused,contradictory,unintelligible——speakingalmostasamadmanmightspeak——endingalwaysindeclaringthatthecrueltyoftheworldhadbeentoomuchforhim,thatthewatersweremeetingoverhishead,andprayingtoGod’smercytoremovehimfromthisworld。Itneedhardlybesaidthathispoorwifeinthesedayshadaburdenonhershouldersthatwasmorethanenoughtocrushanywoman。
  SheatlastacknowledgedtoMrWalkerthatshecouldnotaccountforthetwentypounds。Sheherselfwouldwriteagaintothedeanaboutit,butshehardlyhopedforanyfurtherassistancethere。’Thedean’sanswerwasplain,’saidMrWalker。’HesaysthathegaveMrCrawleyfiveten—poundnotes,andthosefivenoteswehavetracedtoMrCrawley’shands。’ThenMrsCrawleycouldsaynothingfurtherbeyondmakingprotestationsofherhusband’sinnocence。
  CHAPTERII
  BYHEAVENS,HEHADBETTERNOT!
  ImustaskthereadertomakeacquaintancewithMajorGrantlyofCosbyLodge,beforeheisintroducedtothefamilyofMrCrawley,attheirparsonageatHogglestock。IthasbeensaidthatMajorGrantlyhadthrownafavourableeyeonGraceCrawley——bywhichreportoccasionwasgiventoallmenandwomeninthosepartstohintthattheCrawleys,withalltheirpietyandhumility,wereverycunning,andthatoneoftheGrantlyswas——tosaytheleastofit——verysoft,admittedasitwasthroughoutthecountyofBarsetshire,thattherewasnofamilythereinmorewidelyawaketotheaffairsgenerallyofthisworldandthenextcombined,thanthefamilyofwhichArchdeaconGrantlywastherespectedheadandpatriarch。MrsWalker,themostgood—naturedwomaninSilverbridge,hadacknowledgedtoherdaughterthatshecouldnotunderstandit——thatshecouldnotseeanythingatallinGraceCrawley。
  MrWalkerhadshruggedhisshouldersandexpressedaconfidentbeliefthatMajorGrantlyhadnotashillingofhisownbeyondhishalf—payandhislatewife’sfortune,whichwasonlysixthousandpounds。Others,whowereill—natured,haddeclaredthatGraceCrawleywaslittlebetterthanabeggar,andthatshecouldnotpossiblyhaveacquiredthemannersofagentlewoman。Fletcherthebutcherhadwonderedwhetherthemajorwouldpayhisfuturefather—in—law’sdebts;andDrTempest,theoldRectorofSilverbridge,whosefourdaughterswereallasyetunmarried,hadturneduphisoldnose,andhadhintedthathalf—paymajorsdidnotgetcaughtinmarriagesoeasilyasthat。
  SuchandsuchlikehadbeentheexpressionsoftheopinionsofmenandwomeninSilverbridge。ButthematterhadbeendiscussedfurtherafieldthanatSilverbridge,andhadbeenallowedtointrudeitselfasamostunwelcomesubjectintothefamilyconclaveofthearchdeacon’srectory。
  Tothosewhohavenotasyetlearnedthefactfromthepubliccharacterandwell—appreciatedreputationoftheman,letitbeknownthatArchdeaconGrantlywasatthistime,ashehadbeenformanyyearspreviously,ArchdeaconofBarchesterandRectorofPlumsteadEpiscopi。A
  richandprosperousmanhehadevenbeen——thoughhealsohadhadhissoretroubles,asweallhave——hishavingarisenchieflyfromwantofthathigherecclesiasticalpromotionwhichhissoulhadcoveted,andforwhichthewholetenorofhislifehadespeciallyfittedhim。Now,inhisgreenoldage,hehadceasedtocovet,buthadnotceasedtorepine。Hehadceasedtocovetaughtforhimself,butstillcovetedmuchforhischildren;andforhimsuchamarriageasthiswhichwasnowsuggestedforhisson,wasencompassedalmostwiththebitternessofdeath。’I
  thinkitwouldkillme,’hesaidtohiswife;’byheavens,Ithinkitwouldbemydeath!’
  Adaughterofthearchdeaconhadmadeasplendidmatrimonialalliance——sosplendidthatitshistorywasatthetimeknowntoallthearistocracyofthecounty,andhadnotbeenaltogetherforgottenbyanyofthosewhokeepthemselveswellinstructedinthedetailsofthepeerage。GriseldaGrantlyhadmarriedLordDumbello,theeldestdonoftheMarquisofHartletop——thanwhomnoEnglishnoblemanwasmorepuissant,ifbroadacres,manycastles,hightitle,andstarsandribbonsareanysignofpuissance——andshewasnow,herself,MarchionessofHartletop,withalittleLordDumbelloofherown。Thedaughter’svisitstotheparsonageofherfatherwereofnecessityrare,suchnecessityhavingcomefromherownalteredsphereoflife。AMarchionessofHartletophasspecialdutieswhichwillhardlypermithertodevoteherselffrequentlytothehumdrumsocietyofaclericalmotherandfather。Thatitwouldbeso,fatherandmotherhadunderstoodwhentheysentthefortunategirlforthtoahigherworld。But,nowandagain,sinceheraugustmarriage,shehadlaidhercoronetedheadupononeoftheoldrectorypillowsforanightorso,and,onsuchoccasionsallthePlumsteadianshadbeenloudinpraiseofhercondescension。Nowithappenedthatwhenthissecondandmoreaggravatedblastoftheevilwindreachedtherectory——therenewedwaftastoMajorGrantly’sinfatuationregardingMissGraceCrawley,which,onitsrenewal,seemedtobringwithitsomethingofaconfirmation——itchanced,Isay,thatatthatmomentGriselda,MarchionessofHartletop,wasgracingthepaternalmansion。
  Iamnotquitesurethatthemotherwouldhavebeenequallyquicktoaskherdaughter’sadvice,hadshebeenleftinthematterentirelytoherownpropensities。MrsGrantlyhadeverlovedherdaughterdearly,andhadbeenveryproudofthatgreatsuccessinlifewhichGriseldahadachieved;butinlateyears,thechildhadbecome,asawoman,separatefromthemother,andtherehadarisennotunnaturally,abreakofthatcloseconfidencewhichinearlyyearshadexistedbetweenthem。
  Griselda,MarchionessofHartletop,wasmorethaneverthedaughterofthearchdeacon,eventhoughhemightneverseeher。Nothingcouldrobhimofthehonourofsuchaprogeny——nothing,eventhoughtherehadbeenanactualestrangementbetweenthem。ButitwasnotsowithMrsGrantly。
  Griseldahaddoneverywell,andMrsGrantlyhadrejoiced;butshehadlostherchild。Nowthemajor,whohaddonewellalso,thoughinamuchlesserdegree,wasstillherchild,movinginthesamesphereoflifewithher,stilldependentinagreatdegreeuponhisfather’sbounty,aneighbourinthecounty,afrequentvisitorattheparsonage,andavisitorwhocouldbereceivedwithoutanyofthattroublethatattendedtheunfrequentcomingsofGriselda,theMarchioness,tothehomeofheryouth。AndforthisreasonMrsGrantly,terriblyputoutasshewasattheideaofamarriagebetweenhersonandonestandingsopoorlyintheworld’sesteemasGraceCrawley,wouldnothavebroughtforwardthematterbeforeherdaughter,hadshebeenlefttoherowndesires。A
  marchionessinone’sfamilyisatowerofstrength,nodoubt;buttherearecounsellorssostrongthatwedonotwishtotrustthem,lestinthetrustingweourselvesbeoverwhelmedbytheirstrength。NowMrsGrantlywasbynomeanswillingtothrowherinfluenceintothehandsofhertitleddaughter。
  Butthetitleddaughterwasconsultedandgaveheradvice。OntheoccasionofthepresentvisittoPlumsteadshehadconsentedtolayherheadfortwonightsontheparsonagepillows,andonthesecondeveningherbrotherthemajorwastocomeoverfromCosbyLodgetomeether。
  BeforehiscomingtheaffairofGraceCrawleywasdiscussed。
  ’Itwouldbreakmyheart,Griselda,’saidthearchdeacon,piteously——’andyourmother’s。’
  ’Thereisnothingagainstthegirl’scharacter,’saidMrsGrantly,’andthefatherandmotheraregentlefolkbybirth;butsuchamarriageforHenrywouldbeunseemly。’
  ’Tomakeitworse,thereisaterriblestoryabouthim,’saidthearchdeacon。
  ’Idon’tsupposethereismuchinthat,’saidMrsGrantly。
  ’Ican’tsay。Thereisnoknowing。TheytoldmetodayinBarchesterthatSoamesispressingacaseagainsthim。’
  ’WhoisSoames,papa?’askedthemarchioness。
  ’HeisLordLufton’smanofbusiness,mydear。’
  ’Oh,LordLufton’smanofbusiness!’Therewassomethingofasneerinthetoneofthelady’svoiceasshementionedLordLufton’sname。
  ’Iamtold,’continuedthearchdeacon,’thatSoamesdeclaresthechequewastakenfromapocket—bookwhichheleftbyaccidentinCrawley’shouse。’
  ’Youdon’tmeantosay,archdeacon,thatyouthinkthatMrCrawley——aclergyman——stoleit!’saidMrsGrantly。
  ’Idon’tsayanythingofthekind,mydear。ButsupposingMrCrawleytobeashonestasthesun,youwouldn’twishHenrytomarryhisdaughter。’
  ’Certainlynot,’saidthemother。’Itwouldbeanunfittingmarriage。
  Thepoorgirlhasnoadvantages。’
  ’Heisnotabletopaythebaker’sbill。IalwaysthoughArabinwasverywrongtoplacesuchamaninsuchaparishasHogglestock。Ofcoursethefamilycouldnotlivethere。’TheArabinherespokenofwasDrArabin,deanofBarchester。Thedeanandarchdeaconhadmarriedsisters,andtherewasmuchintimacybetweenthefamilies。
  ’Afterallitisonlyrumour,asyet,’saidMrsGrantly。
  ’Fothergilltoldmeonlyyesterday,thatheseesheralmosteveryday,’
  saidthefather。’Whatarewetodo,Griselda?YouknowhowheadstrongHenryis。’Themarchionesssatquitestill;lookingatthefire,andmadenoimmediateanswertothisaddress。
  ’Thereisnothingforitbutthatyoushouldtellhimwhatyouthink,’
  saidthemother。
  ’Ifhissisterweretospeaktohim,itmightdomuch,’saidthearchdeacon。TothisMrsGrantlysaidnothing;butMrsGrantly’sdaughterunderstoodverywellthathermother’sconfidenceinherwasnotequaltoherfather’s。LadyHartletopsaidnothing,butstillsat,withimpassiveface,andeyesfixeduponthefire。’Ithinkthatifyouweretospeaktohim,Griselda,andtellhimthathewoulddisgracehisfamily,hewouldbeashamedtogoonwithsuchamarriage,’saidthefather。’Hewouldfeel,connectedasheiswithLordHartletop——’
  ’Idon’tthinkhewouldfeelanythingaboutthat,’saidMrsGrantly。
  ’Idaresaynot,’saidLadyHartletop。
  ’Iamsureheoughttofeelit,’saidthefather。Theywereallsilent,andsatlookingatthefire。
  ’Isuppose,papa,youallowHenryanincome,’saidLadyHartletop,afterawhile。
  ’IndeedIdo——eighthundredayear。’
  ’ThenIthinkIshouldtellhimthatthatmustdependuponhisconduct。
  Mamma,ifyouwon’tmindringingthebell,IwillsendforCecile,andgoupstairsanddress。’Thenthemarchionesswentupstairstodress,andinaboutanhourthemajorarrivedinhisdogcart。Hewasalsoallowedtogoupstairstodressbeforeanythingwassaidtohimabouthisgreatoffence。
  ’Griseldaisright,’saidthearchdeacon,speakingtohiswifeoutofhisdressing—room。’Sheisalwaysright。IneverknewayoungwomanwithmoresensethanGriselda。’
  ’ButyoudonotmeantosaythatinanyeventyouwouldstopHenry’sincome?’MrsGrantlywasalsodressingandmadereplyoutofherbedroom。
  ’Uponmyword,Idon’tknow。AsafatherIwoulddoanythingtopreventsuchamarriageasthat。’
  ’Butifhedidmarryherinspiteofthethreat?Andhewouldifhehadoncesaidso。’
  ’Isafather’sword,then,togofornothing;andafatherwhoallowshissoneighthundredayear?Ifhetoldthegirlthathewouldberuinedshecouldn’tholdhimtoit。’
  ’Mydear,they’dknowaswellasIdo,thatyouwouldgivewayafterthreemonths。’
  ’ButwhyshouldIgiveway?Goodheavens——’
  ’Ofcourseyou’dgiveway,andofcourseweshouldhavetheyoungwomanhere,andofcourseweshouldmakethebestofit。’
  TheideaofhavingGraceCrawleyasadaughteratthePlumsteadRectorywastoomuchforthearchdeacon,andheresenteditbyadditionalvehemencetothetoneofhisvoice,andanearerpersonalapproachtothewifeofhisbosom。Allunaccoutredashewas,hestoodinthedoorwaybetweenthetworooms,andthencefulminatedathiswifehisassurancesthathewouldneverallowhimselftobeimmersedinsuchadepthofhumilityasthatshehadsuggested。’Icantellyouthis,then,thatifevershecomeshere,Ishalltakecaretobeaway。Iwillneverreceiveherhere。Youcandoasyouplease。’
  ’ThatisjustwhatIcannotdo。IfIcoulddoasIpleased,Iwouldputastoptoitatonce。’
  ’Itseemstomethatyouwanttoencouragehim。Achildaboutsixteenyearsofage!’
  ’Iamtoldsheisnineteen。’
  ’Whatdoesitmatterifshe’sfifty—nine?Thinkofwhatherbringinguphasbeen。ThinkwhatitwouldbetohavealltheCrawleysinourhouseforever,andalltheirdebts,andalltheirdisgrace!’
  ’Idonotknowthattheyhaveeverbeendisgraced。’
  ’You’llsee。Thewholecountyhasheardoftheaffairofthistwentypounds。Lookatthatdeargirlupstairs,whohasbeensuchacomforttous。DoyouthinkitwouldbefitthatsheandherhusbandshouldmeetsuchaoneasGraceCrawleyatourtable?’
  ’Idon’tthinkitwoulddothemabitofharm,’saidMrsGrantly。’Buttherewouldbenochanceofthat,seeingthatGriselda’shusbandnevercomestous。’
  ’Hewasheretheyearbeforelast。’
  ’AndIneverwassotiredofamaninmylife。’
  ’ThenyouprefertheCrawleys,Isuppose。ThisiswhatyougetfromEleanor’steaching。’Eleanorwasthedean’swife,andMrsGrantly’syoungersister。’IthasalwaysbeenasorrowtomethatIeverbroughtArabinintothediocese。’
  ’Ineveraskedyoutobringhim,archdeacon。ButnobodywassogladasyouwhenheproposedtoEleanor。’
  ’Well,thelongandtheshortofitisthis,IshalltellHenrytonightthatifhemakesafoolofhimselfwiththisgirl,hemustnotlooktomeanylongerforanincome。Hehasaboutsixthousandayearofhisown,andifhechoosestothrowhimselfaway,hehadbettergoandliveinthesouthofFrance,orinCanada,orwherehepleases。Heshan’tcomehere。’
  ’Ihopehewon’tmarrythegirl,withallmyheart,’saidMrsGrantly。
  ’Hehadbetternot。Byheavens,hehadbetternot!’
  ’Butifhedoes,you’llbethefirsttoforgivehim。’
  Onhearingthisthearchdeaconslammedthedoor,andretiredtohisownwashingapparatus。Atthepresentmomenthewasveryangrywithhiswife,butthenhewassoaccustomedtosuchanger,andwassowellawarethatitintruthmeantnothing,thatitdidnotmakehimunhappy。ThearchdeaconandMrsGrantlyhadnowbeenmanandwifeformorethanquarterofacenturyandhadneverintruthquarrelled。Hehadthemostprofoundrespectforherjudgment,andthemostimplicitrelianceonherconduct。Shehadneveryetoffendedhim,orcausedhimtorepentthehourinwhichhehadmadeherMrsGrantly。Butshehadcometounderstandthatshemightuseawoman’sprivilegewithhertongue;andsheusedit——notaltogethertohiscomfort。Onthepresentoccasionhewasthemoreannoyedbecausehefeltthatshemightberight。’Itwouldbeapositivedisgrace,andIneverwouldseehimagain,’hesaidtohimself。Andyetashesaidit,heknewthathewouldnothavethestrengthofcharactertocarryhimthroughaprolongedquarrelwithhisson。’Ineverwouldseeher——never,never!’hesaidtohimself。’Andthansuchanopeningashemighthaveinhissister’shouse!’
  MajorGrantlyhadbeenasuccessfulmaninlife——withtheoneexceptionofhavinglostthemotherofhischildwithinatwelve—monthofhismarriageandwithinafewhoursofthatchild’sbirth。HehadservedinIndiaasaveryyoungman,andhadbeendecoratedwiththeVictoriaCross。Thenhehadmarriedaladywithsomemoney,andhadlefttheactiveserviceofthearmy,withtheconcurringadviceofhisownfamilyandthatofhiswife。Hehadtakenasmallplaceinhisfather’scounty,butthewifeforwhosecomforthehadtakenithaddiedbeforeshewaspermittedtoseeit。Neverthelesshehadgonetoresidethere,huntingagooddealandfarmingalittle,makinghimselfpopularinthedistrict,andkeepingupthegoodnameofGrantlyinasuccessfulway,till——alas!,——ithadseemedgoodtohimtothrowthosefavouringeyesonpoorGraceCrawley。Hiswifehadnowbeendeadjusttwoyears,andhewasstillunderthirty,nocoulddenyitwouldberightthatheshouldmarryagain。Noonediddenyit。Hisfatherhadhintedthatheoughttodoso,andhadgenerouslywhisperedthatifsomelittleincreasetothemajor’spresentincomewereneeded,hemightpossiblybeabletodosomething。’Whatisthegoodofkeepingit?’thearchdeaconhadsaidinaliberalafter—dinnerwarmth;’Ionlywantitforyourbrotherandyourself。’Thebrotherwasaclergyman。
  Andthemajor’smotherhadstronglyadvisedhimtomarryagainwithoutlossoftime。’MydearHenry,’shehadsaid,’you’llneverbeyounger,andyouthdoesgoforsomething。AsfordearlittleEdith,beingagirl,sheisalmostnoimpediment。DoyouknowthosetwogirlsatChaldicotes?’
  ’What,MrsThorne’snieces?’
  ’No;theyarenotherniecesbuthercousins。EmilyDunstableisveryhandsome;——andasformoney——!’
  ’Butwhataboutbirth,mother?’
  ’Onecan’thaveeverything,mydear。’
  ’AsfarasIamconcerned,Ishouldliketohaveeverythingornothing,’
  themajorsaid,laughing。NowforhimtothinkofGraceCrawleyafterthat——ofGraceCrawleywhohadnomoney,andnoparticularbirth,andnotevenbeautyherself——soatleastMrsGrantlysaid——whohadnotevenenjoyedtheordinaryeducationofalady,wastoobad。NothinghadbeenwantingtoEmilyDunstable’seducation,anditwascalculatedthatshewouldhaveatleasttwentythousandpoundsonthedayofhermarriage。
  ThedisappointmentofthemotherwouldbethemoresorebecauseshehadgonetoworkuponherlittleschemewithreferencetoMissEmilyDunstable,andhadatfirst,asshethought,seenherwaytosuccess——tosuccessinspiteofthedisparagingwordshersonhadspokentoher。MrsThorne’shouseatChaldicotes——orDrThorne’shouseasitshould,perhaps,bemorecommonlycalled,forDrThornewasthehusbandofMrsThorne——wasinthesedaysthepleasantesthouseinBarsetshire。NoonesawsomuchcompanyastheThornes,orspentsomuchmoneyinsopleasantaway。Thegreatcountyfamilies,thePallisersandtheDeCourcys,theLuftonsandtheGreshams,werenodoubtgrander,andsomeofthemwereperhapsricherthantheChaldicoteThornes——astheywerecalledtodistinguishthemfromtheThornesofUllathorne;butnoneofthesepeopleweresopleasantintheirways,sofreeintheirhospitality,orsoeasyintheirmodesofliving,asthedoctorandhiswife。WhenfirstChaldicotes,averyoldcountryseat,hadbythechancesofwarfallenintotheirhandsandbeennewlyfurnished,andnewlydecorated,andnewlygardened,andnewlygreenhousedandhot—wateredbythem,manyofthecountypeoplehadturneduptheirnosesatthem。DearoldLadyLuftonhaddoneso,andhadbeengreatlygrieved——sayingnothing,however,ofhergrief,whenhersonanddaughter—in—lawhadbrokenawayfromher,andsubmittedthemselvestotheblandishmentsofthedoctor’swife。AndtheGrantlyshadstoodaloof,partlyinfluenced,nodoubt,bytheirdearandintimateoldfriendMissMonicaThorneofUllathorne,aladyoftheveryoldschool,who,thoughgoodasgoldandkindascharity,couldnotendurethataninterlopingMrsThorne,whoneverhadagrandfather,shouldcometohonourandgloryinthecounty,simplybecauseofherriches。MissMonicaThornestoodout,butMrsGrantlygaveway,andhavingoncefoundthatDrThorne,andMrsThorne,andEmilyDunstable,andChaldicoteHousetogether,wereverycharming。Andthemajorhadbeenoncetherewithher,andhadmadehimselfverypleasant,andtherecertainlyhadbeensomelittlepassageofincipientlovebetweenhimandMissDunstable,astowhichMrsThorne,whomanagedeverything,seemedtobewellpleased。ThishadbeenafterthefirstmentionmadebyMrsGrantlytohersonofEmilyDunstable’sname,butbeforeshehadheardanyfaintestwhispersofhisfancyforGraceCrawley;andshehadthereforebeenjustifiedinhoping——almostinexpecting,thatEmilyDunstablewouldbeherdaughter—in—law,andwasthereforethemoreaggrievedwhenthisterribleCrawleyperilfirstopeneditselfbeforehereyes。
  CHAPTERIII
  THEARCHDEACON’STHREAT
  Thedinner—partyattherectorycomprisednonebuttheGrantlyfamily。
  Themarchionesshadwrittentosaythatshepreferredtohaveitso。ThefatherhadsuggestedthattheThornesofUllathorne,veryoldfriends,mightbeasked,andtheGreshamsofBoxallHill,andhadevenpromisedtoendeavourtogetoldLadyLuftonovertotherectory,LadyLuftonhavinginformeryearsbeenGriselda’swarmfriend。ButLadyHartletophadpreferredtoseeherdearmotherandfatherinprivacy。HerbrotherHenryshewouldbegladtomeet,andhopedtomakesomearrangementwithhimforashortvisittoHartlebury,herhusband’splaceinShropshire——astowhichlatterhint,itmay,however,beatoncesaidthatnothingfurtherwasspokenaftertheCrawleyalliancehadbeensuggested。Andtherehadbeenaverysorepointmootedbythedaughterinarequestmadetoherfatherthatshemightnotbecalledupontomeethergrandfather,hermother’sfather。MrHarding,aclergymanofBarchester,whowasnowstrickeninyears。——’Papawouldnothavecome,’
  saidMrsGrantly,’butIthink,Idothink——’Thenshestoppedherself。
  ’Yourfatherhasoddwayssometimes,mydear。YouknowhowfondIamofhavinghimheremyself。’