ThereforehestartedoffontheMondaymorningafterbreakfastandwalkedintoSilverbridge,andashewalkedhebuiltvariouscastlesintheair。WhyshouldnonotmarryGrace——ifshewouldhavehim——andtakeherawaybeyondthereachofherfather’scalamity?Whyshouldhenotthrowoverhisownpeoplealtogether,money,position,society,andall,andgivehimselfuptolove?Werehetodoso,menmightsaythathewasfoolish,butnoonecouldhintthathewasdishonourable。Hisspiritwashighenoughtoteachhimtothinkthatsuchconductonhispartwouldhaveinitsomethingofmagnificence;but,yet,suchwasnothispurpose。IngoingtoMissPrettymanitwashisintentiontoapologisefornotdoingthismagnificentthing。Hismindwasquitemadeup。
  Neverthelesshebuiltcastlesintheair。
  ItsohappenedthatheencounteredtheyoungerMissPrettymaninthehall。Itwouldnotatallhavesuitedhimtorevealtoherthepurportofhisvisit,oraskhertoassisthissuitorreceivehisapologies。
  MissAnnePrettymanwastoocommonapersonageintheSilverbridgeworldtobefitforsuchemployment。MissAnnePrettymanwas,indeed,herselfsubmissivetohim,andtreatedhimwiththecourtesywhichisduetoasuperiorbeing。Hethereforesimplyaskedherwhetherhecouldbeallowedtoseehersister。
  ’Surely,MajorGrantly;——thatis,Ithinkso。Itisalittleearly,butIthinkshecanreceiveyou。’
  ’Itisearly,Iknow;butasIwanttosayawordortwoonbusiness——’
  ’Oh,onbusiness。Iamsureshewillseeyouonbusiness;shewillonlybetooproud。Ifyouwillbekindenoughtostepinherefortwominutes。’ThenMissAnne,havingdepositedthemajorinthelittleparlour,ranupstairswithhermessagetohersister。’Ofcourseit’saboutGraceCrawley’shesaidtoherselfasshewent。’Itcan’tbeaboutanythingelse。Iwonderwhathe’sgoingtosay。Ifhe’sgoingtopop,andthefatherinallthistrouble,he’sthefinestfellowthatevertrod。’SuchwereherthoughtsasshetappedatthedoorandannouncedinthepresenceofGracethattherewassomebodyinthehall。
  ’It’sMajorGrantly,’whisperedAnne,assoonasGracehadshutthedoorbehindher。
  ’SoIsupposebyyourtellinghernottogointothehall。Whathashecometosay?’
  ’HowonearthcanItellyouthat,Annabella?ButIsupposehecanhaveonlyonethingtosayafterallthathascomeandgone。Hecanonlyhavecomewithoneobject。’
  ’Hewouldn’thavecometomeforthat。Hewouldhaveaskedtoseeherself。’
  ’Shenevergoesoutnow,andhecan’tseeher。’
  ’OrhewouldhavegonetothemoveratHogglestock,’saidMissPrettyman。’Butofcoursehemustcomeupnowheishere。Wouldyoumindtellinghim?OfshallIringthebell?’
  ’I’lltellhim。Weneednotmakemorefussthannecessary,withtheservants,youknow。IsupposeI’dbetternotcomebackwithhim?’
  Therewasatoneofsupplicationintheyoungersister’svoiceasshemadethelastsuggestion,whichoughttohavemeltedtheheartoftheelder;butitwasunavailing。’Ashehasaskedtoseeme,Ithinkyouhadbetternot,’saidAnnabella。MissAnnePrettymanborehercrossmeekly,offerednoargumentonthesubject,andreturningtothelittleparlourwhereshehadleftthemajor,broughthimupstairs,andusheredhimintohersister’sroomwithoutevenenteringitagain,herself。
  MajorGrantlywasasintimatelyacquaintedwithMissAnnePrettymanasamanunderthirtymaywellbewithaladynearerfiftythanforty,whoisnotspeciallyconnectedwithhimbyanyfamilytie;butofMissPrettymanheknewpersonallyverymuchless。MissPrettyman,ashasbeforebeensaid,didnotgoout,andwasthereforenotcommontotheeyesoftheSilverbridgians。Shedidoccasionallyseeherfriendsinherownhouse,andGraceCrawley’slover,asthemajorhadcometobecalled,hadbeenthereonmorethanoneoccasion;butofrealpersonalintimacybetweenthemtherehadhithertoexistednone。Hemighthavespoken,perhapsadozenwordstoherinhislife。Hehadnowmorethanadozentospeaktoher,buthehardlyknewhowtocommencethem。
  Shehadgotupandcurtseyed,andhadthentakenhishandandaskedhimtositdown。’Mysistertellsmethatyouwanttoseeme,’shesaidinhersoftest,mildestvoice。
  ’Ido,MissPrettyman。Iwanttospeaktoyouaboutamatterthattroublesmeverymuch——verymuchindeed。’
  ’AnythingthatIcando,MajorGrantly——’
  ’Thankyou,yes。Iknowthatyouareverygood,orIshouldnothaveventuredtocomeandseeyou。IndeedIshouldn’ttroubleyounow,ofcourse,ifitwasonlyaboutmyself。IknowverywellwhatagreatfriendyouaretoMissCrawley。’
  ’Yes,Iam。WeloveGracedearlyhere。’
  ’SodoI,’saidthemajorbluntly;’Iloveherdearly,too。’Thenhepaused,asthoughhethoughtthatMissPrettymanoughttotakeupthespeech。ButMissPrettymanseemedtothinkquitedifferently,andhewasobligedtogoon。’Idon’tknowwhetheryouhaveeverheardaboutitornoticedit,or——or——or——’Hefeltthathewasveryawkward,andheblushed。Majorashewas,heblushedashesatbeforethewoman,tryingtotellhisstory,butnotknowinghowtotellit。’Thetruthis,MissPrettyman,Ihavedoneallbutaskhertobemywife,andnowhascomethisterribleaffairaboutherfather。’
  ’Itisaterribleaffair,MajorGrantly;veryterrible。’
  ’ByJove,youmaysaythat!’
  ’Ofcourse,MrCrawleyisasinnocentinthematterasyouorIare。’
  ’Youthinkso,MissPrettyman?’
  ’Thinkso!Ifeelsureofit。What;aclergymanoftheChurchofEngland,apious,hard—workingcountrygentleman,whomwehaveknownamongusbyhisgoodworksforyears,suddenlyturnthief,andpilferafewpounds!Itisnotpossible,MajorGrantly。Andthefatherofsuchadaughter,too!Itisnotpossible。Itmaydoformenofbusinesstothinkso,lawyersandsuchlike,whoareobligedtothinkinaccordancewiththeevidence,astheycallit;buttomymindtheideaismonstrous。Idon’tknowhowhegotit,andIdon’tcare;butI’mquitesurehedidnotstealit。Whoeverheardofanybodybecomingsobaseasthatallatonce?’
  Themajorwasstartledbyhereloquence,andbytheindignanttoneofvoiceinwhichitwasexpressed。Itseemedtotellhimthatshewouldgivehimnosympathyinthatwhichhehadcometosaytoher,andtoupbraidhimalreadyinthathewasnotpreparedtodothemagnificentthingofwhichhehadthoughtwhenhehadbeenbuildinghiscastlesintheair。Whyshouldhenotdothemagnificentthing?MissPrettyman’seloquencewassostrongthatithalfconvincedhimthattheBarchesterClubandMrWalkerhadcometoawrongconclusionafterall。
  ’AndhowdoesMissCrawleybearit?’heasked,desirousofpostponingforawhileanydeclarationofhisownpurpose。
  ’Sheisveryunhappy,ofcourse。Notthatshethinksevilofherfather。’
  ’Ofcourseshedoesnotthinkhimguilty。’
  ’Nobodythinkshimsointhishouse,MajorGrantly,’saidthelittlewoman,veryimperiously。’ButGraceis,naturallyenough,verysad;——verysadindeed。IdonotthinkIcanaskyoutoseehertoday。’
  ’Iwasnotthinkingofit,’saidthemajor。
  ’Poor,deargirl!Itisagreattrialforher。Doyouwishmetogiveheranymessage,MajorGrantly?’
  Themomenthadnowcomeinwhichhemustsaythatwhichhehadcometosay。Thelittlewomanwaitedforananswer,andashewasthere,withinherpowerasitwere,hemustspeak。Ifearthatwhathesaidwillnotbeapprovedbyanystrong—mindedperson。Ifearthatourloverwillhenceforthbeconsideredbysuchaoneasbeingaweak,wishy—washyman,whohadhardlyanymindofhisowntospeakof——thathewasamanofnoaccount,asthepoorpeoplesay。’MissPrettyman,whatmessageoughtI
  togiveher?’
  ’Nay,MajorGrantly,howcanItellyouthat?HowcanIputwordsintoyourmouth?’
  ’Itisn’tthewords,’hesaid;’butthefeelings。’
  ’AndhowcanItellthefeelingsinyourheart?’
  ’Oh,asforthat,Iknowwhatmyfeelingsare。Idoloveherwithallmyheart;——Ido,indeed。AfortnightagoIwasonlythinkingwhethershewouldacceptme,andwhethershewouldmindhavingEdithtotakecareof。’
  ’SheisveryfondofEdith——veryfondindeed。’
  ’Isshe?’saidthemajor,moredistractedthanever。Whyshouldhenotdothemagnificentthingafterall?’Butitisagreatchargeforagirlwhenshemarries。’
  ’Itisagreatcharge——averygreatcharge。Itisforyoutothinkwhetheryoushouldentrustsogreatachargetoonesoyoung。’
  ’Ihavenofearaboutthatatall。’
  ’NorshouldIhaveany——asyouaskme。WehaveknownGracewell,thoroughly,andarequitesurethatshewilldoherdutyinthatstateoflifetowhichitmaypleaseGodtocallher。’
  ThemajorwasawarewhenthiswassaidtohimthathehadnotcometoMissPrettymanforacharacterofthegirlheloved;andyethewasnotangryatreceivingit。Hewasneitherangry,norevenindifferent。Heacceptedthecharactermostgratefully,thoughhefeltthathewasbeingledawayfromhispurpose。Heconsoledhimselfforthishowever,byrememberingthatthepathwhichMissPrettymanwasnowleadinghim,ledtothemagnificent,andtothosepleasantcastlesintheairwhichhehadbeenbuildingashewalkedintoSilverbridge。’Iamquitesurethatsheisallthatyousay,’hereplied。’IndeedIhadmadeupmymindaboutthatlongago。’
  ’AndwhatcanIdoforyou,MajorGrantly?’
  ’YouthinkthatIoughtnottoseeher?’
  ’Iwillaskher,ifyouplease。IhavesuchtrustinherjudgmentthatIshouldleaveheraltogethertoherowndiscretion。’
  Themagnificentthingmustbedone,andthemajormadeuphismindaccordingly。Somethingofregretcameoverhisspiritashethoughtofafather—in—lawdisgracedanddegraded,andofhisownfatherbroken—hearted。Butnowtherewashardlyanyalternativelefttohim。
  Andwasitnotthemanlythingforhimtodo?Hehadlovedthegirlbeforethistroublehadcomeuponher,andwashenotboundtoaccepttheburdenwhichhislovehadbroughtwithit?’Iwillseeher,’hesaid,’atonce,ifyouwillletme,andaskhertobemywife。ButI
  mustseeheralone。’
  ThenMissPrettymanpaused。Hitherto,shehadundoubtedlybeenplayingherfishcautiously,orratherheryoungfriend’sfish——perhapsImaysaycunningly。Shehaddescendedtoartificeonbehalfofthegirlwhomsheloved,admired,andpitied。Shehadseensomewayintotheman’smind,andhadbeenpartlyawareofhispurpose——ofhisinfirmityofpurpose,ofhisdoublepurpose。ShehadperceivedthatawordfromhermighthelpGrace’schance,andhadledthemanontillhehadcommittedhimself,atanyratetoher。Indoingthisshehadbeenactuatedbyfriendshipratherthanbyabstractprinciple。Butnow,whenthemomenthadcomeinwhichshemustdecideuponsomeaction,shepaused。Wasitright,forthesakeofeitherofthem,thatanofferofmarriageshouldbemadeatsuchamomentasthis?Itmightbeverywell,inregardtosomefuturetime,thatthemajorshouldhavesocommittedhimself。Shesawsomethingoftheman’sspirit,andbelievedthat,havinggonesofar——havingsofartoldhislove,hewouldreturntohislovehereafter,lettheresultoftheCrawleytrialbewhatitmight。But——but,thiscouldbenopropertimeforlove—making。ThoughGracelovedtheman,asMissPrettymanknewwell,thoughGracelovedthechild,havingallowedherselftolongtocallitherown,thoughsuchamarriagecouldbethemakingofGrace’sfortuneasthosewholovedhercouldhardlyhavehopedthatitshouldeverhavebeenmade,shewouldcertainlyrefusetheman,ifheweretoproposetohernow。Shewouldrefusehim,andthenthemanwouldbefree;——freetochangehismindifhesawfit。Consideringallthesethings,craftilyintheexerciseofherfriendship,toocunningly,Ifear,tosatisfytheclaimsofahighmorality,sheresolvedthatthemajorhadbetternotseeMissCrawleyatthepresentmoment。MissPrettymanpausedbeforeshereplied,and,whenshedidspeak,MajorGrantlyhadrisenfromhischairandwasstandingwithhisbacktothefire。’MajorGrantly,’shesaid,’youshallseeifyouplease,andifshepleases;butIdoubtwhetherheransweratsuchamomentasthiswouldbethatwhichyouwouldwishtoreceive。’
  ’Youthinkshewouldrefuseme?’
  ’Idonotthinkshewouldacceptyounow。Shewouldfeel——Iamsureshewouldfeel,thatthesehoursofherfather’ssorrowarenothoursinwhichloveshouldbeeitherofferedoraccepted。Youshall,however,seeherifyouplease。’
  Themajorallowedhimselfamomentforthought;andashethoughthesighed。GraceCrawleyhadbecomemorebeautifulinhiseyesthanever,wasendowedbythesewordsfromMissPrettymanwithnewcharmsandbrightervirtuesthanhehadseenbefore。Letcomewhatmighthewouldaskhertobehiswifeonsomefutureday;ifhedidnotaskhernow。
  Forthepresent,perhaps,hehadbetterbeguidedbyMissPrettyman。
  ’ThenIwillnotseeher,’hesaid。
  ’Ithinkthatwouldbethewisercourse。’
  ’OfcourseyouknewbeforethisthatI——lovedher?’
  ’Ithoughtso,MajorGrantly。’
  ’AndthatIintendedtoaskhertobemywife?’
  ’Well;sinceyouputthequestiontomesoplainly,ImustconfessthatasGrace’sfriendIshouldnotquitehaveletthingsgoonastheyhavegone——thoughIamnotatalldisposedtointerferewithanygirlwhomI
  believetobepureandgoodasIknowhertobe——butstillIshouldhardlyhavebeenjustifiedinlettingthingsgoonastheyhavegone,ifIhadnotbelievedthatsuchwasyourpurpose。’
  ’Iwantedtosetmyselfrightwithyou,MissPrettyman。’
  ’Youarerightwithme——quiteright’;andshegotupandgavehimherhand。’Youareafine,noble—heartedgentleman,andIhopethatourGracemaylivetobeyourhappywife,andthemotherofyourdarlingchild,andthemotherofotherchildren。Idonotseehowawomancouldhaveahappierlotinlife。’
  ’AndwillyougiveGracemylove?’
  ’Iwilltellheratanyratethatyouhavebeenhere,andthatyouhaveinquiredafterherwiththegreatestkindness。Shewillunderstandwhatthatmeanswithoutanywordoflove。’
  ’CanIdoanythingforher——orherfather;Imeaninthewayofmoney?
  Idon’tmindmentioningittoyou,MissPrettyman。’
  ’Iwilltellherthatyouarereadytodoit,ifanythingcanbedone。
  FormyselfIfeelnodoubtthatthemysterywillbeclearedupatlast;
  andthen,ifyouwillcomehere,weshallbesogladtoseeyou。——I
  shallatleast。’
  Thenthemajorwent,andMissPrettymanherselfactuallydescendedwithhimintothehall,andbadehimfarewellmostaffectionatelybeforehersisterandtwoofthemaidswhocameouttoopenthedoor。MissAnnePrettyman,whenshesawthegreatfriendshipwithwhichthemajorwasdismissed,couldnotcontainherself,butaskedmostimpudentquestions,inawhisperindeed,butinsuchawhisperthatanysharp—earedmaid—servantcouldhearandunderstandthem。’Isitsettled,’sheaskedwhenhersisterhadascendedonlythefirstflightofstairs;——’hashepopped?’Thelookwithwhichhereldersisterpunishedanddismayedtheyounger,Iwouldnothavebornefortwentypounds。Shesimplylooked,andsaidnothing,butpassedon。Whenshehadregainedherroomsherangthebell,anddesiredtoasktheservanttoaskMissCrawleytobegoodenoughtosteptoher。PoorMissAnneretireddiscomfortedintothesolitudeofoneofthelowerrooms,andsatforsomeminutesallalone,recoveringfromtheshockofhersister’sanger。’Atanyrate,hehasn’tpopped,’shesaidtoherself,asshemadeherwaybacktotheschool。
  AfterthatMissPrettymanandMissCrawleywereclosetedtogetherforaboutanhour。Whatpassedbetweenthemneednotberepeatedherewordforword;butitmaybeunderstoodthatMissPrettymansaidnomorethansheoughttohavesaid,andthatGraceunderstoodallthatsheoughttohaveunderstood。
  ’Nomaneverbehavedwithmoreconsideratefriendship,ormorelikeagentleman,’saidMissPrettyman。
  ’Iamsureheisverygood,andIamsogladhedidnotasktoseeme,’
  saidGrace。ThenGracewentaway,andMissPrettymansatawhileinthought,consideringwhatshehaddone,notwithoutsomestingsofconscience。
  MajorGrantlyashewalkedhomewasnotaltogethersatisfiedwithhimself,thoughhegavehimselfcreditforsomediplomacywhichIdonotthinkhedeserved。HefeltthatMissPrettymanandtheworldingeneral,shouldtheworldingeneraleverhearanythingaboutit,wouldgivehimcreditforhavingbehavedwell;andthathehadobtainedthiscreditwithoutcommittinghimselftothenecessityofmarryingthedaughterofathief,shouldthingsturnoutbadlyinregardtothefather。But——andthisbutrobbedhimofallthepleasurewhichcomesfromrealsuccess——buthehadnottreatedGraceCrawleywiththeperfectgenerositywhichloveowes,andhewasinsomedegreeashamedofhimself。Hefelt,however,thathemightprobablyhaveGrace,shouldhechoosetoaskforherwhenthistroubleshouldhavepassedby。’AndI
  will,’hesaidtohimself,asheenteredthegateofhisownpaddock,andsawhischildinherperambulatorbeforethenurse。’AndIwillaskher,soonerorlater,letthingsgoastheymay。’Thenhetooktheperambulatorunderhisownchargeforhalf—an—hour,tothesatisfactionofthenurse,ofthechild,andofhimself。
  CHAPTERVIII
  MRCRAWLEYISTAKENTOSILVERBRIDGE
  IthadbecomenecessaryontheMondaymorningthatMrsCrawleyshouldobtainfromherhusbandanundertakingthatheshouldpresenthimselfbeforethemagistratesatSilverbridgeontheThursday。ShehadbeenmadetounderstandthatthemagistratesweresinningagainstthestrictruleoflawinnotissuingawarrantatonceforMrCrawley’sapprehension;andtheyweresosinningattheinstanceofMrWalker——atwhoseinstancetheywouldhavecommittedalmostanysinpracticablebyaboardofEnglishmagistrates,sogreatwastheirfaithinhim;andsheknewthatshewasboundtoanswerherengagement。Shehadalsoanothertasktoperform——that,namely,ofpersuadinghimtoemployanattorneyforhisdefence;andshewaspreparedwiththenameofanattorney,oneMrMason,alsoofSilverbridge,whohadbeenrecommendedtoherbyMrWalker。ButwhenshecametotheperformanceofthesetwotasksontheMondaymorning,shefoundthatshewasunabletoaccomplisheitherofthem。MrCrawleyfirstdeclaredthathewouldhavenothingtodowithanyattorney。Astothatheseemedtohavemadeuphismindbeforehand,andshesawatoncethatshehadnohopeofshakinghim。Butwhenshefoundthathewasequallyobstinateintheothermatter,andthathedeclaredthathewouldnotgobeforethemagistratesunlessheweremadetodoso——unlessthepolicemancameandfetchedhim,thenshealmostsankbeneaththeburdenofhertroubles,andforawhilewasdisposedtoletthingsgoastheywould。Howcouldshestrivetobearaloadthatwassomanifestlytooheavyforhershoulders?
  OntheSundaythepoormanhadexertedhimselftogetthroughhisSundayduties,andhehadsucceeded。Hehadsucceededsowellthathiswifehadthoughtthatthingsmightyetcomerightwithhim,thathewouldremember,beforeitwastoolate,thetruehistoryofthatunhappypieceofpaper,andthathewasrisingabovethathalfmadnesswhichformonthspasthadafflictedhim。
  OntheSundayevening,whenhewastiredwithhiswork,shethoughtitbesttosaynothingtohimaboutthemagistratesandthebusinessofThursday。ButonMondaymorningshecommencedhertask,feelingthatsheowedittoMrWalkertolosenomoretime。Hewasverydecidedinhismannersandmadehertounderstandthathewouldemploynolawyeronhisownbehalf。’WhyshouldIwantalawyer?Ihavedonenothingwrong,’hesaid。Thenshetriedtomakehimunderstandthatmanywhomayhavedonenothingwrongrequirealawyer’said。’Andwhoistopayhim?’heasked。
  Tothisshereplied,unfortunately,thattherewouldbenoneedofthinkingofthatatonce。’AndIamtogetfurtherintodebt!’hesaid。
  ’IamtoputmyselfrightbeforetheworldbyincurringdebtswhichI
  knowIcanneverpay?WhenithasbeenaquestionoffoodforthechildrenIhavebeenweak,butIwillnotbeweakinsuchamatterasthis。Iwillhavenolawyer。’Shedidnotregardthisdenialonhispartasverymaterial,thoughshewouldfainhavefollowedMrWalker’sadvicehadshebeenable;butwhen,laterintheday,hedeclaredthatthepoliceshouldfetchhim,thenherspiritsgaveway。EarlyinthemorninghehadseemedtoassenttotheexpedientofgoingintoSilverbridgeontheThursday,anditwasnottillafterhehadworkedhimselfintoarageabouttheproposedattorney,thatheutterlyrefusedtomakethejourney。Duringthewholeday,however,hisstatewassuchasalmosttobreakhiswife’heart。Hewoulddonothing。Hewouldnotgototheschool,norevenstirbeyondthehouse—door。Hewouldnotopenabook。
  Hewouldnoteat,norwouldheevensitattableorsaytheaccustomedgracewhenthescantymiddaymealwasplaceduponthetable。’Nothingisblessedtome,’hesaid,whenhiswifepressedhimtosaythewordfortheirchild’ssake。’ShallIsaythatIthankGodwhenmyheartisthankless?ShallIservemychildbyalie?’Thenforhourshesatinthesameposition,intheoldarm—chair,hangingoverthefirespeechless,sleepless,thinkingever,asshewellknew,oftheinjusticeoftheworld。Shehardlydaredtospeaktohim,sogreatwasthebitternessofhiswordswhenshewasgoadedtoreply。Atlast,lateintheevening,feelingthatitwouldbeherdutytosendtoMrWalkerearlyonthefollowingmorning,shelaidherhandgentlyonhisshoulderandaskedhimforhispromise。’ImaytellMrWalkerthatyouwillbethereonThursday?’
  ’No,’hesaid,shoutingather。’No。Iwillhavenosuchmessagesent。’Shestartedback,trembling。Notthatshewasaccustomedtotrembleathisways,ortoshowthatshefearedhiminhisparoxysms,butthathisvoicehadbeenlouderthanshehadbeforeknownit。’IwillholdnointercoursewiththematSilverbridgeinthismatter。Doyouhearme,Mary?’
  ’Ihearyou,Josiah;butImustkeepmywordtoMrWalker。IpromisedthatIwouldsendtohim。’
  ’Tellhim,then,thatIwillnotstirafootoutofthishouseonThursdayofmyownaccord。OnThursdayIshallbehere;andhereIwillremainallday——unlesstheytakemebyforce。’
  ’ButJosiah——’
  ’Willyouobeyme,orshallIwalkintoSilverbridgemyselfandtellthemanthatIwillnotcometohim。’Thenhearosefromhischairandstretchedforthhishandtohishatasthoughheweregoingforthimmediately,onhiswaytoSilverbridge。Thenightwasnowpitchdark,andtherainwasfalling,andabroadhewouldencounteralltheseverityofthepitilesswinter。Stillitmighthavebeenbetterthatheshouldhavegone。Theexerciseandthefreshair,eventhewetandthemud,wouldhaveservedtobringbackhismindtoreason。Buthiswifethoughtofthemiseryofthejourney,ofhisscantyclothing,ofhiswornboots,oftheneedtherewastopreservetheraimentwhichhewore;andsherememberedthathewasfasting——thathehadeatennothingsincethemorning,andthathewasnotfittobealone。Shestoppedhim,therefore,beforehecouldreachthedoor。
  ’Yourbiddingshallbedone,’shesaid——’ofcourse。’
  ’Tellthem,then,thattheymustseekmeiftheywantme。’
  ’But,Josiah,thinkoftheparish——ofthepeoplewhorespectyou——fortheirsakesletitnotbesaidthatyouweretakenawaybypolicemen。’
  ’WasStPaulnotboundinprison?Didhethinkofwhatthepeoplemightsee?’
  ’Ifitwerenecessary,Iwouldencourageyoutobearitwithoutamurmur。’
  ’Itisnecessary,whetheryoumurmur,ordonotmurmur。Murmurindeed!
  Whydoesnotyourvoiceascendtoheavenwithoneloudwailagainstthecrueltyofman?’Thenhewentforthfromtheroomintoanemptychamberontheothersideofthepassage;andhiswife,whenshefollowedhimthereafterafewminutes,foundhimonhisknees,withhisforeheadagainstthefloor,andwithhishandsclutchingatthescantyhairsofhishead。Oftenbeforehadsheseenhimso,onthesamespot,halfgrovelling,halfprostrateinprayer,revilinginhisagonyallthingsaroundhim——nay,nearlyallthingsabovehim——andyetstrivingtoreconcilehimselftohisCreatorbythehumiliationofhis
  confession。