’Yes;theheartlessandunfeelingdo。Asthebodilystrengthfailsandthepowerofcontrolbecomeslessened,thenaturalaptitudeofthemanpronouncesitselfmoreclearly。Itakeitthatthatisit。HadMrsProudielivedtobeandhundredandfifty,shewouldhavespokenspitefulliesonherdeathbed。’ThenMrsGrantlytoldherselfthatherhusband,shouldhelivetobehundredandfifty,wouldstillbeexpressinghishorrorofMrsProudie——evenonhisdeathbed。
AssoonastheletterfromMrsArabinhadreachedPlumstead,thearchdeaconandhiswifearrangedthattheywouldbothgotogethertothedeanery。Therewerethedoubletidingstobetold——thoseofMrCrawley’sassuredinnocence,andthosealsoofMrsArabin’sinstantreturn。AndastheywenttogethervariousideaswerepassingthroughtheirmindsinreferencetothemarriageoftheirsonwithGraceCrawley。Theywerebothnowreconciledtoit。MrsGrantlyhadlongceasedtofeelanyoppositiontoit,eventhoughshehadnotseenGrace;andthearchdeaconwaspreparedtogiveway。Hadhenotpromisedthatinacertaincasehewouldgiveway,andhadnotthatcasecometopass?Hehadnowishtogobackfromhisword。Buthehadadifficultyinthis——thathelikedtomakealltheaffairsofhislifematterforenjoyment,almostfortriumph;buthowwashetobetriumphantoverthismarriage,orhowevenwashetoenjoyit,seeingthathehadopposeditsobitterly?Thoseposters,thoughtheywerenowpulleddown,hadbeenuponabarnendsandwallspatent——alas,toopatent——toalltheworldofBarsetshire!
’WhatwillMrCrawleydonow,doyousuppose?’saidMrsGrantly。
’Whatwillhedo?’
’Yes;musthegoonatHogglestock?’
’Whatelse?’saidthearchdeacon。
’Itisapitysomethingcouldnotbedoneforhimafterallhehasundergone。Howonearthcanhebeexpectedtolivetherewithawifeandfamily,andnoprivatemeans?’Tothisthearchdeaconmadenoanswer。
MrsGrantlyhadspokenalmostimmediatelyupontheirquittingPlumstead,andthesilencewascontinuedtillthecarriagehadenteredthesuburbsofthecity。ThenMrsGrantlyspokeagain,askingaquestion,withsomeinternaltrepidationwhich,however,shemanagedtohidefromherhusband。’Whenpoorpapadoesgo,whatshallyoudoaboutStEwold’s?’
Now,StEwold’swasaruralparishlyingabouttwomilesoutofBarchester,thelivingofwhichwasinthegiftofthearchdeacon,andtowhichthearchdeaconhadpresentedtohisfather—in—law,undercertaincircumstances,whichneednotberepeatedinthislastchronicleofBarsetshire。Havetheynotbeenwritteninotherchronicles?’Whenpoorpapadoesgo,whatwillyoudoaboutStEwold’s?’saidMrsGrantly,tremblinginwardly。Awordtoomuchmight,asshewellknew,settlethequestionagainstMrCrawleyforever。Butwereshetopostponethewordtilltoolate,thequestionwouldbesettledasfatally。
’Ihaven’tthoughtaboutit,’hesaidsharply。’Idon’tlikethinkingofsuchthingswhiletheincumbentisstillliving。’Oh,archdeacon,archdeacon!Unlessthatotherchroniclebeafalsechronicle,howhastthouforgottenthyselfandthypastlife!’Particularlynot,whenthatincumbentisyourfather,’saidthearchdeacon。MrsGrantlysaidnothingmoreaboutStEwold’s。ShewouldhavesaidasmuchasshehadintendedtosayifshehadsucceededinmakingthearchdeaconunderstandthatStEwold’swouldbeaverynicerefugeforMrCrawleyafterallthemiserieswhichhehadenduredatHogglestock。
TheylearnedastheyenteredthedeanerythatMrsBaxterhadalreadyheardofMrsArabin’sreturn。’Ohyes,ma’am。MrHardinggotaletterhisself,andIgotanother——separate;bothfromVenice,ma’am。Butwhenmastercomenobodyseemstoknow。’MrsBaxterknewthatthedeanhadgonetoJerusalem,andwasinclinedtothinkthatfromsuchdistantbournestherewasnotreturntoanytraveller。TheEastisalwaysfurtherthantheWestintheestimationoftheMrsBaxtersoftheworld。
HadthedeangonetoCanada,shewouldhavethoughtthathemightcomebacktomorrow。ButstilltherewasthenewstobetoldofMrCrawley,andtherewasalsojoytobeexpressedatthesuddencomingbackofthemuch—wished—formistressofthedeanery。
’It’ssogoodofyoutocomebothtogether,’saidMrHarding。
’Wethoughtthatweshouldbetoomanyforyou,’saidthearchdeacon。
’Toomany!Ohdearno。Iliketohavepeoplebyme;andasforvoicesandnoise,andallthat,themorethebetter。ButIamweak。I’mweakinmylegs。Idon’tthinkIshalleverstandagain。’
’Yes,youwill,’saidthearchdeacon。
’Wehavebroughtgoodnews,’saidMrsGrantly。
’ItisnotgoodnewsthatNellywillbehomethisweek?Youcan’tunderstandwhatajoyitistome。Iusedtothinksometimes,atnight,thatIshouldneverseeheragain。ThatshewouldcomebackintimewasallIhavewishedfor。’Hewaslyingonhisback,andashespokehepressedhiswitheredhandstogetherabovethebed—clothes。TheycouldnotbeginimmediatelytotellhimofMrCrawley,butassoonashismindhadturneditselfawayfromthethoughtsofhisabsentdaughter,MrsGrantlyagainrevertedtothenews。’
’WehavecometotellyouaboutMrCrawley,papa。’
’Whatabouthim?’
’Heisquiteinnocent。’
’Iknewit,mydear。Ialwayssaidso。DidInotalwayssayso,archdeacon?’
’Indeedyoudid。I’llgiveyouthatcredit。’
’Andisitallfoundout?’askedMrHarding。
’Asfarasheisconcerned,everythingisfoundout,’saidMrsGrantly。
’Eleanorgavehimthechequeherself。’
’Nellygaveittohim?’
’Yes,papa。Thedeanmeanthertogivehimfiftypounds。Butitseemsshegottobesoftofheartandmadeitseventy。Shehadthechequebyher,andputitintotheenvelopewiththenotes。’
’SomeofStringer’speopleseemtohavestolenthechequefromMrSoames,’saidthearchdeacon。
’Ohdear,Ihopenot。’
’Somebodymusthavestolenit,papa。’
’Ihadhopednot,Susan,’saidMrHarding。BoththearchdeaconandMrsGrantlyknewthatitwasuselesstoarguewithhimonsuchapoint,andsotheyletthatgo。
ThentheycametodiscussMrCrawley’spresentposition,andMrHardingventuredtoaskaquestionortwoastoGrace’schanceofmarriage。Hedidnotofteninterfereinthefamilyarrangementsofhisson—in—lawandneverdidsowhenthosefamilyarrangementswereconcernedwithhighmatters。HehadhardlyopenedhismouthinreferencetothemarriageofthataugustladywhowasnowtheMarchionessofHartletop。AndoftheLadyAnne,thewifeoftheRevCharlesGrantly,whowasalwaysprodigiouslyciviltohim,speakingtohimveryloud,asthoughheweredeafbecausehewasold,andbringingcheappresentsfromLondonofwhichhedidnottakemuchheed——ofherherarelysaidaword,orofherchildren,toeitherofhisdaughters。Butnowhisgrandson,HenryGrantly,wasgoingtomarryagirlofwhomhefeltthathemightspeakwithoutimpropriety。’Isupposeitwillbeamatch;won’tit,mydears?’
’Notadoubtaboutit,’saidMrsGrantly。MrHardinglookedathisson—in—law,buthisson—in—lawsaidnothing。Thearchdeacondidnotevenfrown——butonlymovedalittleuneasilyinhischair。
’Dear,dear!Whatacomfortitmustbe,’saidtheoldman。
’Ihavenotseenyet,’saidMrsGrantly;’butthearchdeacondeclaresthatsheisallthegracesrolledintoone。’
’Ineversaidanythinghalfsoabsurd,’saidthearchdeacon。
’Butheisreallyinlovewithher,papa,’saidMrsGrantly。’Heconfessedtomethathegaveherakiss,andheonlysawheronceforfiveminutes。’
’Ishouldliketogiveherakiss,’saidMrHarding。
’Soyoushall,papa,andI’llbringherhereonpurpose。Assoonaseverthethingissettled,wemeantoaskhertoPlumstead。’
’Doyou,though?Hownice!HowhappyHenrywillbe。’
’Andifshecomes——andofcourseshewill——I’lllosenotimeinbringingherovertoyou。Nellymustseeher,ofcourse。’
AstheywereleavingtheroomMrHardingcalledthearchdeaconback,andtakinghimbythehand,spokeonewordtohiminawhisper。’Idon’tliketointerfere,’hesaid;’butmightnotMrCrawleyhaveStEwold’s?’
Thearchdeacontookuptheoldman’shandandkissedit。Thenhefollowedhiswifeoutoftheroom,withoutmakinganyanswertoMrHarding’squestion。
ThreedaysafterthisMrsArabinreachedthedeanery,andthejoyatherreturnwasverygreat。’Mydear,Ihavebeensickforyou,’saidMrHarding。
’Oh,papa,Ioughtnottohavegone。’
’Nay,mydear;donotsaythat。Woulditmakemyhappythatyoushouldbeaprisonerhereforever?ItwasonlywhenIseemedtogetsoweakthatIthoughtaboutit。Ifeltthatitmustbenearwhentheybademenottogotothecathedralanymore。’
’IfIhadbeenhere,Icouldhavegonewithyou,papa。’
’Itisbetterasitis。IknownowthatIwasnotfitforit。Whenyoursistercametome,Ineverthoughtofremonstrating。IknewthenthatI
hadseenitforthelasttime。’
’Weneednotsaythatyet,papa。’
’Ididthinkthatwhenyoucamehomewemightcrawltheretogethersomewarmmorning。Ididthinkofthatforatime。Butitwillneverbeso,dear。IshallneverseeanythingnowthatIdonotseefromhere——andthatnotforlong。Donotcry,Nelly。Ihavenothingtoregret,nothingtomakemeunhappy。Iknowhowpoorandweakhasbeenmylife;butI
knowhowrichandstrongisthatotherlife。Donotcry,Nelly——nottillIamgone;andthennotbeyondmeasure。Whyshouldanyoneweepforthosewhogoawayfullofyears——andfullofhope?’
Onthedaybutonefollowingthedeanreachedhishome。Thefinalarrangementsofhistour,aswellasthoseofhiswife,hadbeenmadetodependonMrCrawley’strial;forhealsohadbeenhurriedbackbyJohnEames’svisittoFlorence。’Ishouldhavecomebackatonce,’hesaidtohiswife,’whentheywrotetoaskmewhetherCrawleyhadtakenthechequefromme,hadanybodytoldmethathewasinactualtrouble;butI
hadnoideathattheywerecharginghimwiththetheft。’
’AsfarasIcanlearn,theyneverreallysuspectedhimuntilafteryouranswerhadcome。Theyhadbeenquitesurethatyouranswerwouldbeintheaffirmative。’
’Whathemusthaveendureditisimpossibletoconceive。Ishallgoouttohimtomorrow。’
’Wouldhenotcometous?’saidMrsArabin。
’Idoubtit。Iwillaskhim,ofcourse。Iwillaskthemallhere。ThisaboutHenryandthegirlmaymakeadifference。Hehasresignedtheliving,andsomeofthepalacepeoplearedoingtheduty。’
’Buthecanhaveitagain?’
’Oh,yes;hecanhaveitagain。Forthematterofthat,Ineedsimplytogivehimbackhisletter。Onlyheissoodd——sounlikeotherpeople!
Andhehastriedtolivethere,andhasfailed;andisnowindebt。I
wonderwhetherGrantlywillgivehimStEwold’s?’
’Iwishhewould。Butyoumustaskhim。Ishouldnotdare。’
Astothematterofthecheque,thedeanacknowledgedtohiswifeatlastthathehadsomerecollectionofherhavingtoldhimthatshehadmadethesumofmoneyuptoseventypounds。’Idon’tfeelcertainofitnow;butIthinkyoumusthavedoneso。’’IamquitesureIcouldhavedoneitwithouttellingyou,’shereplied。’Atanyrateyousaidnothingofthecheque,’pleadedthedean。’Idon’tsupposeIdid,’saidMrsArabin。’Ithoughtthatchequeswerelikeanyothermoney;butIshallknowbetterforthefuture。’
OnthefollowingmorningthedeanrodeovertoHogglestock,andashedrewneartothehouseofhisoldfriend,hisspiritsflagged——fortotellthetruth,hedreadedthemeeting。SincethedayonwhichhehadbroughtMrCrawleyfromacuracyinCornwallintothedioceseofBarchester,hisfriendhadbeenatroubletohimratherthanajoy。Thetroublehadbeenatroubleofspiritaltogether——notallofpocket。HewouldwillinglyhavepickedtheCrawleysoutfromthepecuniarymudintowhichtheywereforeverfalling,timeaftertime,haditbeenpossible。
For,thoughthedeanwashardlytobecalledarichman,hislineshadfallentohimnotonlyinpleasantplaces,butineasycircumstances——andMrCrawley’sembarrassments,thoughoverwhelmingtohim,werenotsogreatastohavebeenheavytothedean。Butinstrivingtodothishehadalwaysfailed,hadalwayssuffered,andhadgenerallybeenrebuked。CrawleywouldattempttoarguewithhimastotheimproperallotmentofChurchendowments——declaringthathedidnotdosowithanyreferencetohisowncircumstances,butsimplybecausethesubjectwasonenaturallyinterestingtoclergymen。Andthishewoulddo,ashewaswavingoffwithhishandoffersofimmediateassistancewhichwereindispensable。ThentherehadbeenscenesbetweenthedeanandMrsCrawley——terriblypainful——andwhichhadtakenplaceindirectdisobediencetothehusband’spositiveinjunctions。’Sir,’hehadoncesaidtothedean,’Irequestthatnothingmaypassfromyourhandstothehandsofmywife。’’Tush,tush,’thedeanhadanswered。’Iwillhavenotushingorpshawingonsuchamatter。Aman’swifeishisveryown,thebreathofhisnostril,thebloodofhisheart,theribfromhisbody。Itisformetorulemywife,andItellyouthatIwillnothaveit。’AfterthatthegiftshadcomefromthehandofMrsArabin;andthenagain,afterthat,inthediresthourofhisneed,Crawleyhadhimselfcomeandtakenmoneyfromthedean’shands!TheinterviewhadbeensopainfulthatArabinwouldhardlyhavebeenabletocountthemoneyortoknowofwhatithadconsisted,hadhetakenthenotesandchequeoutoftheenvelopeinwhichhiswifehadputthem。Sincethatdaythetwohadnotmeteachother,andsincethatdaythesenewtroubleshadcome。
Arabinasyetknewbutlittleofthemannerinwhichtheyhadbeenborne,exceptthatCrawleyhadfelthimselfcompelledtoresignthelivingofHogglestock。HeknewnothingofMrsProudie’spersecution,exceptwhathegatheredfromthefactoftheclericalcommissionofwhichhehadbeeninformed;buthecouldimaginethatMrsProudiewouldnotlieeasyinherbedwhileaclergymanwasdoingdutyalmostunderhernose,whowasguiltyofthedoubleoffenceofbeingaccusedoftheft,andofhavingbeenputintohislivingbythedean。Thedean,therefore,asherodeon,picturedtohimselfhisoldfriendinaterriblecondition。Anditmightbethatevennowthatconditionwouldhardlyhavebeenimproved。Hewasnolongersuspectedofbeingathief;
buthecouldhavenomoneyinhispocket;anditmightwellbethathissufferingswouldhavemadehimalmostmad。
Thedeanalsogotdownandlefthishorseatafarmyard,asGrantlyhaddonewithhiscarriage;andwalkedonfirsttotheschool。Hehadvoicesinside,butcouldnotdistinguishfromthemwhetherMrCrawleywasthereornot。Slowlyheopenedthedoor,andlookingroundsawthatJaneCrawleywasintheascendant。Janedidnotknowhimatonce,buttoldhimwhenhehadintroducedhimselfthatherfatherhadgonedowntoHoggleEnd。Hehadstartedtwohoursago,butitwasimpossibletosaywhenhemightbeback。’Hesometimesstaysalldaylongwiththebrickmakers,’saidJane。Hermotherwasathome,andshewouldtakethedeanintothehouse。Asshesaidthisshetoldhimthatherfatherwassometimesbetterandsometimesworse。’Buthehasneverbeensovery,verybad,sinceHenryGrantlyandmamma’scousincameandtoldusaboutthecheque。’ThosewordsHenryGrantlymadethedeanunderstandthattheremightyetbearayofsunshineamongtheCrawleys。
’Thereispapa,’saidJane,astheygottothegate。ThentheywaitedforafewminutestillMrCrawleycameup,veryhot,wipingthesweatfromhisforehead。
’Crawley,’saidthedean,’IcannottellyouhowgladIamtoseeyou,andhowrejoicedIamthatthisaccusationhasfallenfromyou。’
’Verilythenewscameintime,Arabin,’saidtheother,’butitwasanarrowpinch——anarrowpinch。Willyouenter,andseemywife?’
CHAPTERLXXIX
MRCRAWLEYSPEAKSOFHISCOAT
AtthistimeGracehadreturnedfromFramley。Aslongastheterribletragedyoftheforthcomingtrialwasdraggingitselfonshehadbeencontenttostayaway,athermother’sbidding。IthasnotbeenpossibleinthesepagestotellofalltheadvicethathadbeengiventotheladiesoftheCrawleyfamilyintheirgreatdifficulty,andofalltheassistancethathadbeenoffered。TheelderLadyLuftonandtheyounger,andMrsRobartshadcontinuallybeeninconsultationonthesubject;MrsGrantly’sopinionhadbeenaskedandgiven;andeventheMissPrettymansandMrsWalkerhadfoundmeansofexpressingthemselves。ThecommunicationstoMrsCrawleyhadbeenveryfrequent——thoughtheyhadnotofcoursebeenallowedtoreachtheearsofMrCrawley。WhatwastobedonewhenthelivingshouldbegoneandMrCrawleyshouldbeinprison?Somesaidthathemightbethereforsixweeks,andsomefortwoyears。OldLadyLuftonmadeanxiousinquiriesaboutJudgeMedlicote,beforewhomitwassaidthatthetrialwouldbetaken。JudgeMedlicotewasaDissenter,andoldLadyLuftonwasindespair。Whenshewasassuredbysomeliberally—disposedfriendthatthiswouldcertainlymakenodifference,sheshookherheadwoefully。’Idon’tknowwhywearetohaveDissenteresatall,’shesaid,’totrypeoplewhobelongtotheEstablishedChurch。’WhensheheardthatJudgeMedlicotewouldcertainlybethejudge,shemadeuphermindthattwoyearswouldbetheleastofit。Shewouldnothaveminded,shesaid,ifhehadbeenaRomanCatholic。Andwhetherthepunishmentmightbeforsixweeksorfortwoyears,whatshouldbedonewiththefamily?Whereshouldtheybehoused?
Howshouldtheybefed?Whatshouldbedonewiththepoormanwhenhecameoutofprison?Itwasacaseinwhichthegenerous,soft—heartedoldLadyLuftonwasalmostbesideherself。’AsforGrace,’saidyoungLadyLufton,’itwillbeagreatdealbetterthatweshouldkeepheramongstus。OfcourseshewillbecomeMrsGrantly,anditwillbenicerforherthatitshouldbeso。’Inthosedaysthepostershadbeenseen,andtheflittingtoPauhadbeentalkedof,andtheFramleyopinionwasthatGracehadbetterremainatFramleytillsheshouldbecarriedofftoPau。Therewereschemes,too,aboutJane,butwhatwastobedoneforthewife?AndwhatwastobedoneforMrCrawley?ThencamethenewsfromMrsArabin,andallinterestinJudgeMedlicotewasatanend。
Butevennow,afterthisgreatescape,whatwastobedone?AstoGrace,shehadfelttheabsolutenecessityofbeingobedienttoherfriends——withtheconsentofcourseofhermother——duringthegreattribulationofherfamily。Thingsweresobadthatshehadnotthehearttomakethemworsebygivinganyunnecessarytroubleastoherself。
Havingresolved——andhavingmadehermothersounderstand——thatononepointshewouldguideherselfbyherownfeelings,shewascontentedtogohitherandthitherasshewastold,andtodoasshewasbid。HerhopewasthatMissPrettymanwouldallowhertogobacktoherteaching,butithadcometobeunderstoodamongthemallthatnothingwastobesaidonthatsubjecttillthetrialshouldbeover。Tillthattimeshewouldbepassive。Butthen,asIhavesaid,hadcomethenewsfromMrsArabin,andGrace,withalltheothers,understoodthattherewouldbenotrial。Whenthiswasknownandacknowledged,shedeclaredherpurposeofgoingbacktoHogglestock。Shewouldgobackatonce。WhenaskedbothbyLadyLuftonandMrsRobartswhyshewasinsogreatahaste,shemerelysaidthatitmustbeso。Shewas,asitwere,absolvedfromherpassiveobediencetoFramleyauthoritiesbythediminutionofthefamilymisfortunes。
MrsRobartsunderstoodthefeelingbywhichGracewashurriedaway。’Doyouknowwhysheissoobstinate?’LadyLuftonasked。
’IthinkIdo,’saidMrsRobarts。
’Andwhatisit?’
’ShouldMajorGrantlyrenewhisoffertohersheisunderapledgetoaccepthimnow。’
’Ofcoursehewillrenewit,andofcourseshewillaccepthim。’
’Justso。Butsheprefersthatheshouldcomeforhertoherownhouse——becauseofthepoverty。Ifhechoosestoseekherthere,Idon’tthinkshewillmakemuchdifficulty。’LadyLuftondemurredatthis,nothoweverwithanger,andexpressedacertainamountofmilddispleasure。
ShedidnotquiteseewhyMajorGrantlyshouldnotbeallowedtocomeanddohislove—makingcomfortably,wheretherewasadecentdinnerforhimtoeat,andchairsandtablesandsofasandcarpets。ShesaidthatshethoughtthatsomethingwasduetoMajorGrantly。Shewasintruthalittledisappointedthatshewasnotallowedtohaveherownway,andtoarrangethemarriageatFramleyunderherowneye。But,throughitall,sheappreciatedGrace;andtheywhoknewherwellandheardwhatshesaidupontheoccasion,understoodthatherfavourwasnottobewithdrawn。AllyoungwomenweredividedbytheoldLadyLuftonintosheepandgoats——verywhitesheepandveryblackgoats——andGracewastobeasheep。ThusitcametopassthatGraceCrawleywasathomewhenthedeanvisitedHogglestock。’Mamma,’shesaid,lookingoutofthewindow,’thereisthedeanwithpapaatthegate。’
’Itwasanarrowsqueak——averynarrowsqueak,’MrCrawleyhadsaidwhenhisfriendhadcongratulatedhimonhisescape。ThedeanfeltatthemomentthatnotformanyyearshadheheardtheincumbentofHogglestockspeakeitherofhimselforofanythingelsewithsomanifestanattemptatjocularity。Arabinhadexpectedtofindthemanbrokendownbytheweightofhissorrows,andlo!atthefirstmomentoftheirfirstinterviewhehimselfbegantoridiculethem!Crawleyhavingthusalludedtothenarrowsqueakhadaskedhisvisitortoenterthehouseandseehiswife。
’OfcourseIwill,’saidArabin,’butIwillspeakjustawordtoyoufirst。’Janewhohadaccompaniedthedeanfromtheschool,nowleftthem,andwentintothehousetohermother。’Mywifecannotforgiveherselfaboutthecheque,’continuedhe。
’Thereisnothingtobeforgiven,’saidMrCrawley;’nothing。’
’Shefeelsthatwhatshedidwasawkwardandfoolish。Sheoughtnevertohavepaidthechequeawayinsuchamanner。Sheknowsthatnow。’
’Itwasgiven——notpaid,’saidCrawley;andashespokesomethingoftheblackcloudcamebackonhisface。’AndIamwellawarehardMrsArabinstrovetotakeawayfromthealmsshebestowedthebitternessofthestingofeleemosynaryaid。Ifyouplease,Arabin,wewillnottalkanymoreofthat。IcanneverforgetthatIhavebeenabeggar,butIneednotmakemybeggarythematterofconversation。IhopetheHolyLandhasfulfilledyourexpectation?’
’Ithasmorethandoneso,’saidthedean,bewilderedbythesuddenchange。
’Formyself,itis,ofcourse,impossiblethatIshouldevervisitanyscenesexceptthosetowhichmyimmediateworkmaycallme——neverinthisworld。ThenewJerusalemisstillwithinmyreach——ifitbenotforfeitedbyprideandobstinacy;buttheoldJerusalemIcanneverbehold。Methinks,becauseitisso,IwouldsoonerstandwithmyfootonMountOlivet,ordrinkacupofwaterinthevillageofBethany,thanvisitanyotherspotwithinthetraveller’scompass。ThesourcesoftheNile,ofwhichmentalksomuch——IseeitinthepapersandreviewswhichtheladiesatFramleyaresogoodastosendtomywife——donotinterestmemuch。IhavenoambitiontoclimbMontBlancortheMatterhorn;Romemakesmymouthwaterbutlittle,norevenAthensmuch。
IcanrealisewithoutseeingallthatAthenscouldshowme,andcanfancythattheexistingtruthwoulddestroymorethanitwouldbuildup。
ButtohavestoodonCalvary!’
’Wedon’tknowwhereCalvarywas,’saidthedean。
’IfancythatIshouldknow——shouldknowenough,’saidtheillogicalandunreasonableMrCrawley。’IsittruethatyoucanlookoverfromthespotonwhichHestoodasHecameacrossthebrowofthehill,andseethehugestonesofthetempleplacedtherebySolomon’smen——asHesawthem——rightacrossthebrookCedron,isitnot?’
’It’sallthere,Crawley——justasyourknowledgeofittellsyou。’
’IntheprivilegeofseeingthoseplacesIcanalmostenvyamanhis——money。’Thelastwordsheutteredafterapause。Hehadbeenabouttosaythatunderneathtemptationhecouldalmostenvyamanhispromotion;buthebethoughthimselfthatonsuchanoccasionasthisitwouldbebetterthatheshouldsparethedean。’Andnow,ifyouwishit,wewillgoin。IfancythatIseemywifeatthewindow,asthoughshewerewaitingforus。’Sosaying,hestrodeonalongthelittlepath,andthedeanwasfaintofollowhim,eventhoughhehadsaidsolittleofallthathehadintendedtosay。
AssoonashewasinwithMrsCrawleyherepeatedhisapologyaboutthecheque,andfoundhimselfbetterabletoexplainhimselfthanhecoulddowhenhewasalonewiththehusband。’Ofcourse,ithasbeenourfault,’hesaid。
’Oh,no,’saidMrsCrawley,’howcanyouhavebeenatfaultwhenyouronlyobjectwastodousgood?’But,nevertheless,thedeantooktheblameuponhisownshoulders,or,rather,uponthoseofhiswife,anddeclaredhimselftoberesponsibleforallthetroubleaboutthecheque。
’Letitgo,’saidCrawley,aftersittingawhileinsilence;’letitpass。’
’Youcannotwonder,Crawley,’saidthedean,’thatIshouldhavefeltmyselfobligedtospeakofit。’
’Forthefutureitwillbewellthatitshouldbeforgotten,’saidCrawley;’or,ifnotforgotten,treatedasthoughforgotten。Andnow,dean,whatmustIdoabouttheliving?’
’Justresumeit,asthoughnothinghappened。’
’Butthatmayhardlybedonewithoutthebishop’sauthority。Ispeak,ofcourse,withdeferencetoyourhigherandbetterinformationonsuchsubjects。Myexperienceinthetakingupandlayingdownoflivingshasnotbeenextended。Butitseemethtomethatthoughitmaycertainlybeinyourpowertonominatemeagaintotheperpetualcuracyoftheparish——presumingyourpatronagetobeunlimitedandnottoreachyouinrotationonly——yetthebishopmaydemandtoinstituteagain,andmustsodemand,unlesshepleasestopermitthatmylettertohimshallberevokedandcancelled。’
’Ofcoursehewilldoanythingofthatkind。HemustknowthecircumstancesaswellasyouandIdo。’
’Atpresenttheytellmeheismuchafflictedbythedeathofhiswife,and,therefore,canhardlybeexpectedtotakeimmediateaction。TherecameonthelastSundayoneMrSnapper,hischaplain。’
’WeallknowSnapper,’saidthedean。’Snapperisnotabadlittlefellow。’
’Isaynothingofhisbeingbad,myfriend,butmerelymentionthefactthatonSundaymorninglastheperformedtheserviceinourchurch。OntheSundaypreviousMrThumblewashere。’
’WeallknowThumble,too,’saidthedean;’or,atleast,weknowsomethingabouthim。’