browngeldingwarrantedforsaddleorharness!’——Thearchdeaconhimselfhadgiventhebrowngeldingtohisson,asagreattreasure。——’ThreeAlderneycows,twocow—calves,alowphaeton,agig,tworicksofhay。’
Inthisfashionwereproclaimedinodiousdetailsallthosecomfortableadditionstoagentleman’shouseinthecountry,withwhichthearchdeaconwassowellacquainted。OnlylastNovemberhehadrecommendedhissontobuyacertainclod—crusher,andtheclod—crusherhadofcoursebeenbought。Thebrightbluepaintuponithadasyetnotgivenwaytothestainsofordinaryfarmyardmuckandmire;——andherewastheclod—crusheradvertisedforsale!ThearchdeacondidnotwanthissontoleaveCosbyLodge。HeknewwellenoughthathissonneednotleaveCosbyLodge。Whyhadthefoolishfellowbeeninsuchahurrywithhishideousill—conditionedadvertisements?Gentle!Howwasheinsuchcircumstancestobegentle?Heraisedhisumbrellaandpokedangrilyatthedisgustingnotice。Theironferrulecaughtthepaperatachinkinthepost,andtoreitfromthetoptothebottom。Butwhatwastheuse?
Ahorriduglybilllyingtorninsuchaspotwouldattractonlymoreattentionthanonefixedtoapost。Hecouldnotcondescend,however,togiveitfurtherattention,butpassedontotheparsonage。Gentleindeed!
NeverthelessArchdeaconGrantlywasagentleman,andneveryethaddealtmoreharshlywithanywomanthanwehavesometimesseenhimtodowithhiswife——whenhewouldsaytoheranangrywordortwowithagooddealofmaritalauthority。Hiswife,whoknewwellwhathisangrywordswereworth,neverevensuggestedtoherselfthatshehadthecauseforcomplaintonthathead。Hadsheknownthatthearchdeaconwasabouttoundertakesuchamissionasthiswhichhehadnowinhand,shewouldnothavewarnedhimtobegentle。She,indeed,wouldhavestronglyadvisedhimnottoundertakethemission,cautioninghimthattheyoungladywouldprobablygetthebetterofhim。
’Grace,mydear,’saidMrsRobarts,comingupintothenurseryinwhichMissCrawleywassittingwiththechildren,’comeouthereamoment,willyou?’ThenGraceleftthechildrenandwentoutintothepassage。
’Mydear,thereisagentlemaninthedrawing—roomwhoaskstoseeyou。’
’Agentleman,MrsRobarts!Whatgentleman?’ButGrace,thoughsheaskedthequestions,conceivedthatthegentlemanmustbeHenryGrantly。
Herminddidnotsuggesttoherthepossibilityofanyothergentlemancomingtoseeher。
’Youmustnotbesurprised,orallowyourselftobefrightened。’
’Oh,MrsRobarts,whoisit?’
’ItisMajorGrantly’sfather。’
’Thearchdeacon?’
’Yes,dear;ArchdeaconGrantly。Heisinthedrawing—room。’
’MustIseehim,MrsRobarts?’
’Well,Grace——Ithinkyoumust。Ihardlyknowhowyoucanrefuse。HeisanintimatefriendofeverybodyhereatFramley。’
’Whatwillhesaytome?’
’Nay;thatIcannottell。Isupposeyouknow——’
’Hehascome,nodoubt,tobidmehavingnothingtosaytohisson。Heneednothavetroubledhimself。Buthemaysaywhathelikes。Iamnocoward,andIwillgotohim。’
’Stopamoment,Grace。Comeintomyroomforaninstant。Thechildrenhavepulledyourhairabout。’ButGrace,thoughshefollowedMrsRobartsintothebedroom,wouldhavenothingdonetoherhair。Shewastooproudforthat——andwemaysay,also,toolittleconfidentinanygoodwhichsuchresourcesmighteffectonherbehalf。’Nevermindaboutthat,’shesaid。’WhatamItosaytohim?’MrsRobartspausedbeforeshereplied,feelingthatthematterwasonewhichrequiredsomedeliberation。’TellmewhatImustsaytohim?’saidGrace,repeatingherquestion。
’Ihardlyknowwhatyourownfeelingsare,mydear。’
’Yes,youdo。Youdoknow。IfIhadalltheworldtogive,IwouldgiveitalltoMajorGrantly。’
’Tellhimthat,then。’
’No,Iwillnottellhimthat。Nevermindaboutmyfrock,MrsRobarts。
Idonotcareforthat。IwilltellhimthatIlovehissonandhisgranddaughtertoowelltoinjurethem。Iwilltellhimnothingelse。I
mightaswellgonow。’MrsRobarts,asshelookedatGrace,wasastonishedattheserenityofherface。Andyetwhenherhandwasinthedrawing—roomdoorGracehesitated,lookedback,andtrembled。MrsRobartsblewakisstoherfromthestairs;andthenthedoorwasopened,andthegirlfoundherselfinthepresenceofthearchdeacon。Hewasstandingontherug,withhisbacktothefire,andhisheavyecclesiasticalhatwasplacedonthemiddleoftheroundtable。ThehatcaughtGrace’seyesatthemomentofherentrance,andshefeltthatallthethundersoftheChurchwerecontainedwithinit。Andthenthearchdeaconhimselfwassobigandsoclerical,andsoimposing。Herfather’saspectwassevere,buttheseverityofherfather’sfacewasessentiallydifferentfromthatexpressedbythearchdeacon。Whateverimpressioncamefromherfathercamefromthemanhimself。Therewasnooutwardadornmentthere;therewas,sotosay,nowigaboutMrCrawley。
Nowthearchdeaconwasnotexactlyadorned;buthewassothoroughlyimbuedwithhighclericalbelongingsandsacerdotalfitnessesastoappearalwaysasawalking,sitting,orstandingimpersonationofparsondom。TopoorGrace,assheenteredtheroom,heappearedtobeapersonationofparsondominitsseverestaspect。
’MissCrawley,Ibelieve?’saidhe。
’Yes,sir,’saidshe,curtseyingeversoslightly,asshestoodbeforehimatsomeconsiderabledistance。
HisfirstideawasthathissonmustbeindeedafoolifhewasgoingtogiveupCosbyLodgeandallBarsetshire,andretiretoPau,forsoslightandunattractiveacreatureashenowsawbeforehim。Butthisideastayedwithhimonlyforamoment。Ashecontinuedtogazeatherduringtheinterviewhecametoperceivethattherewasverymuchmorethanhehadperceivedatthefirstglance,andthathisson,afterall,hadhadeyestosee,thoughperhapsnotahearttounderstand。
’Willyoutakeachair?’hesaid。ThenGracesatdown,stillatadistancefromthearchdeacon,andhekepthisplaceupontherug。Hefeltthattherewouldbeadifficultyinmakingherfeelthefullforceofhiseloquenceallacrosstheroom;andyethedidnotknowhowtobringhimselfnearertoher。Shebecamesuddenlyveryimportantinhiseyes,andhewastosomeextentafraidofher。Shewassoslight,someek,soyoung;andyettherewasabouthersomethingsobeautifullyfeminine——and,withal,solikealady——thathefeltinstinctivelythathecouldnotattackherwithharshwords。Hadherlipsbeenfull,andhercolourhigh,andhadhereyesrolled,hadsheputforthagainsthimanyofthatordinaryartillerywithwhichyouthfulfemininebatteriesarecharged,hewouldhavebeenreadytorushtocombat。Butthisgirl,aboutwhomhissonhadgonemad,satthereaspassivelyasthoughshewereconsciousofthepossessionofnoartillery。Therewasnotasinglegunfiredfrombeneathhereyelids。Heknewnotwhy,butherespectedhissonnowmorethanhehadrespectedhimforthelasttwomonths;——more,perhaps,thanhehadeverrespectedhimbefore。Hewasaneageraseveragainstthemarriage;——butinthinkingofhissoninwhathesaidanddidafterthesefewmomentsoftheinterview,heceasedtothinkofhimwithcontempt。Thecreaturebeforehimwasawomanwhogrewinhisopiniontillhebegantofeelthatshewasintruthfittobethewifeofhisson——ifonlyshewerenotapauper,andthedaughterofamadcurate,andalas!tooprobably,ofathief。Thoughhisfeelingtowardsthegirlhadchanged,hisdutytohimself,hisfamily,andhisson,wasthesameasever,andthereforehebeganhistask。
’Perhapsyouhadnotexpectedtoseeme?’hesaid。
’No,indeed,sir。’
’NorhadIintendedwhenIcameoverhertocallonmyoldfriend,LadyLufton,tocomeuptothishouse。ButasIknewthatyouwerehere,MissCrawley,IthoughtthatuponthewholeitwouldbebetterthatIshouldseeyou。’ThenhepausedasthoughheexpectedthatGracewouldsaysomething;butGracehadnothingtosay。’Ofcourseyoumustunderstand,MissCrawley,thatIshouldnotventuretospeaktoyouonthissubjectunlessImyselfwereverycloselyinterestedinit。’Hehadnotyetsaidwhatwasthesubject,anditwasnotprobablethatGraceshouldgivehimanyassistancebyaffectingtounderstandthiswithoutdirectexplanationfromhim。Shesatquitemotionless,anddidnotevenaidhimbyshowingbyheralteredcolourthatsheunderstoodhispurpose。’Mysonhastoldme,’saidhe,’thathehasprofessedanattachmentforyou,MissCrawley。’
Thentherewasanotherpause,andGracefeltthatshewascompelledtosaysomething。’MajorGrantlyhasbeenverygoodtome,’shesaid,andthenshehatedherselfforhavingutteredwordswhichweresotameandunwomanlyintheirspirit。Ofcourseherlover’sfatherwoulddespiseherforhavingsospoken。Afterallitdidnotmuchsignify。Ifhewouldonlydespiseherandgoaway,itwouldperhapsbeforthebest。
’Idonotknowaboutbeinggood,’saidthearchdeacon。’Ithinkheisgood。Ithinkhemeanstobegood。’
’Iamsureheisgood,’saidGracewarmly。
’Youknowhehasadaughter,MissCrawley?’
’Oh,yes;IknowEdithwell。’
’Ofcoursehisfirstdutyistoher。Isitnot?andheowesmuchtohisfamily。Doyounotfeelthat?’
’OfcourseIfeelit,sir。’ThepoorgirlhadalwaysheardDrGrantlyspokenofasthearchdeacon,butshedidnotintheleastknowwhatsheoughttocallhim。
’Now,MissCrawley,praylistentome;Iwillspeaktoyouveryopenly。
Imustspeaktoyouopenly,becauseitismydutyonmyson’sbehalf——butIwillendeavourtospeaktoyoukindlyalso。OfyourselfI
haveheardnothingbutwhatisfavourable,andthereisnoreasonasyetwhyIshouldnotrespectandesteemyou。’Gracetoldherselfthatshewoulddonothingwhichoughttoforfeithisrespectandesteem,butthatshedidnotcaretwostrawswhetherhisrespectandesteemwerebestowedonherornot。Shewasstrivingaftersomethingverydifferentfromthat。’Ifmysonweretomarryyou,hewouldgreatlyinjurehimself,andwouldverygreatlyinjurehischild。’Againhepaused。Hehadtoldhertolisten,andshewasresolvedthatshewouldlisten——unlesshewouldsaysomethingwhichmightmakeawordfromhernecessaryatthemoment。
’Idonotknowwhethertheredoesatpresentexistanyengagementbetweenyou。’
’Thereisnoengagement,sir。’
’Iamgladofthat——verygladofit。Idonotknowwhetheryouareawarethatmysonisdependentuponmeforthegreaterpartofhisincome。Itisso,andasIamsocircumstancedwithmyson,ofcourse,I
feeltheclosestpossibleconcerninhisfutureprospects。’Thearchdeacondidnotknowhowtoexplainclearlywhythefactofhismakinghissonanannualallowanceshouldgivehimawarmerinterestinhisson’saffairsthanhemighthavehadhadthemajorbeenaltogetherindependentofhim;buthetrustedthatGracewouldunderstandthisbyherownnaturallights。’Now,MissCrawley,ofcourseIcannotwishtosayawordthatwillhurtyourfeelings。Buttherearereasons——’
’Iknow,’saidshe,interruptinghim。’Papaisaccusedofstealingmoney。Hedidnotstealit,butpeoplethinkhedid。Andthenwearesoverypoor。’
’Youdounderstandmethen——andIfeelgrateful;Idoindeed。’
’Idon’tthinkourbeingpooroughttosignifyabit,’saidGrace。’Papaisagentleman,andaclergyman,andmammaisalady。’
’But,mydear——’
’IknowIoughtnottobeyourson’swifeaslongaspeoplethinkthatpapastolethemoney。Ifhehadstolenit,IoughtnevertobeMajorGrantly’swife——oranybodyelse’s。Iknowthatverywell。AndasforEdith——Iwouldsoonerdiethandoanythingthatwouldbebadtoher。’
Thearchdeaconhadnowlefttherug,andadvancedtillhewasalmostclosetothechaironwhichGracewassitting。’Mydear,’hesaid,’whatyousaydoesyouverymuchhonour——verymuchhonourindeed。’Nowthathewasclosetoher,hecouldlookintohereyes,andhecouldseetheexactformofherfeatures,andcouldunderstand——couldnothelpunderstanding——thecharacterofhercountenance。Itwasanobleface,havinginitnothingthatwaspoor,nothingthatwasmean,nothingthatwasshapeless。Itwasafacethatpromisedinfinitebeauty,withapromisethatwasontheveryvergeoffulfilment。Therewasaplayabouthermouthasshespokeandacurlinhernostrilsastheeagerwordscamefromher,whichalmostmadetheselfishfathergiveway。Whyhadtheynottoldhimthatshewassuchaoneasthis?WhyhadnotHenryhimselfspokenofthespecialityofherbeauty?NomaninEnglandknewbetterthanthearchdeaconthedifferencebetweenbeautyofonekindandbeautyofanotherkindinawoman’sface——theonebeauty,whichcomesfromhealthandyouthandanimalspirits,andwhichbelongstothemiller’sdaughter,andtheotherbeauty,whichshowsitselfinfinelinesandanoblespirit——thebeautywhichcomesfrombreeding。’Whatyousaydoesyouverymuchhonourindeed,’saidthearchdeacon。
’Ishouldnotmindatallaboutbeingpoor,’saidGrace。
’No;no;no,’saidthearchdeacon。
’Poorasweare——andnoclergyman,Ithink,waseversopoor——Ishouldhavedoneasyoursonaskedmeatonce,ifithadbeenonlythat——becauseIlovehim。’
’Ifyoulovehimyouwillnotwishtoinjurehim。’
’Iwillnotinjurehim。Sir,thereismypromise。’Andnowasshespokesherosefromherchair,andstandingclosetothearchdeacon,laidherhandverylightlyonthesleeveofhiscoat。’Thereismypromise。Aslongaspeoplesaythatpapastolethemoney,Iwillnevermarryyourson。There。’
Thearchdeaconwasstilllookingdownather,andfeelingtheslighttouchofherfingers,raisedhisarmalittleasthoughtowelcomethepressure。Helookedintohereyes,whichwereturnedeagerlytowardshis,andwhendoingsowasquitesurethatthepromisewouldbekept。Itwouldhavebeenasacrilege——hefeltthatitwouldhavebeenasacrilege——todoubtsuchapromise。Healmostrelented。Hissoftheart,whichwasneververywellunderhisowncontrol,gavewaysofarthathewasnearlymovedtotellherthat,onhisson’sbehalf,heacquittedherofthepromise。Whatcouldanyman’ssondobetterthanhavesuchawomanforhiswife?Itwouldhavebeenofnoavailhadhemadehersuchoffer。Thepledgeshehadgivenhadnotbeenwrungfromherbyhisinfluence,norcouldhisinfluencehaveavailedaughtwithhertowardsthealterationofherpurpose。Itwasnotthearchdeaconwhohadtaughtherthatitwouldnotbeherdutytotakedisgraceintothehouseofthemansheloved。Ashelookeddownuponherfacetwotearsformedthemselvesinhiseyes,andgraduallytrickleddownhisoldnose。’Mydear,’hesaid,’ifthiscloudpassesawayfromyou,youshallcometousandbeourdaughter。’Andthushealsopledgedhimself。Therewasadashofgenerosityabouttheman,inspiteofhisselfishness,whichalwaysmadehimdesirousofgivinglargelytothosewhogavelargelytohim。Hewouldfainthathisgiftsshouldbebigger,ifitwerepossible。
Helongedatthismomenttotellherthatthedirtychequeshouldgofornothing。Hewouldhavedoneit,Ithink,butthatitwasimpossibleforhimtospeakinherpresenceofthatwhichmovedhersogreatly。
Hehadcontrivedthatherhandshouldfallfromhisarmintohisgrasp,andnowforamomentheheldit。’Youareagoodgirl,’hesaid——’adear,dear,goodgirl。Whenthiscloudhaspassedaway,youshallcometousandbeourdaughter。’
’Butitwillneverpassaway,’saidGrace。
’Letushopethatitmay。Letushopethatitmay。’Thenhestoopedoverandkissedher,andleavingtheroom,gotoutintothehallandthenceintothegarden,andsoaway,withoutsayingawordofadieutoMrsRobarts。
AshewalkedacrosstotheCourt,whitherhewasobligedtogo,becauseofhischaise,hewaslostinsurpriseatwhathadoccurred。Hehadgonetotheparsonagehatingthegirl,anddespisinghisson。Now,asheretracedhissteps,hisfeelingswerealtogetherchanged。Headmiredthegirl——andasforhisson,evenhisangerwasforthemomentaltogethergone。Hewouldwritetohissonatonceandimplorehimtostopthesale。Hewouldtellhissonallthathadoccurred,orratherwouldmakeMrsGrantlydoso。Inrespecttohissonhewasquitesafe。Hethoughtatthatmomentthathewassafe。Therewouldbenouseinhurlingfurtherthreatsathim。IfCrawleywasfoundguiltyofstealingthemoney,therewasthegirl’spromise。Ifhewereacquittedtherewashisownpledge。Herememberedperfectlywellthatthegirlhadsaidmorethanthis——thatshehadnotconfinedherassurancetotheverdictofthejury,thatshehadprotestedthatshewouldnotacceptMajorGrantly’shandaslongaspeoplethoughtthatherfatherhadstolenthecheque;
butthearchdeaconfeltthatitwouldbeignobletoholdhercloselytoherwords。Theevent,accordingtohisideasofthecompact,wastodependontheverdictofthejury。IfthejuryshouldfindMrCrawleynotguilty,allobjectiononhisparttothemarriagewastobewithdrawn。Andhewouldkeephisword!Insuchcaseitshouldbewithdrawn。
Whenhecametotheragsoftheauctioneer’sbill,whichhehadbeforetorndownwithhisumbrella,hestoppedamomenttoconsiderhewouldactatonce。Inthefirstplacehewouldtellhissonthathisthreatswerewithdrawn,andwouldaskhimtoremainatCosbyLodge。HewouldwritetheletterashepassedthroughBarchester,onhiswayhome,sothathissonmightreceiveitonthefollowingmorning;andhewouldreferthemajortohismotherforafullexplanationofthecircumstances。Thoseodiousbillsmustberemovedfromeverybarn—doorandwallinthecounty。Atthepresentmomenthisangeragainsthissonwaschieflydirectedagainsthisill—judgedhasteinhavingputupthoseill—omenedbills。Thenhepausedtoconsiderwhatmustbehiswishastotheverdictofthejury。Hehadpledgedhimselftoabidebytheverdict,andhecouldnotbuthaveawishonthesubject。CouldhedesireinhisheartthatMrCrawleyshouldbefoundguilty?Hestoodstillforamomentthinkingofthis,andthenhewalkedon,shakinghishead。Ifitmightbepossiblehewouldhavenowishonthesubjectwhatsoever。
’Well!’saidLadyLufton,stoppinghiminthepassage——’haveyouseenher?’
’Yes;Ihaveseenher。’
’Well?’
’Sheisagoodgirl——averygoodgirl。Iaminagreathurry,andhardlyknowhowtotellyoumorenow。’
’Yousaythatsheisagoodgirl。’
’Isaythatsheisaverygoodgirl。Anangelcouldnothavebehavedbetter。Iwilltellyousomeday,LadyLufton,butIcanhardlytellyounow。’
WhenthearchdeaconwasgoneoldLadyLuftonconfidedtoyoungLadyLuftonherverystrongopinionthatmanymonthswouldnotbegonebeforeGraceCrawleywouldbethemistressofCosbyLodge。’Itwillbeagreatpromotion,’saidtheoldlady,withalittletossofherhead。WhenGracewasinterrogatedafterwardsbyMrsRobartsastowhathadpassedbetweenherandthearchdeaconshehadverylittletosayastotheinterview。’Nohedidnotscoldme,’sherepliedtoaninquiryfromherfriend。’Thereisnoengagement,’saidGrace。’ButIsupposeyouacknowledged,mydear,thatafutureengagementisquitepossible?’’I
toldhim,MrsRobarts,’Graceanswered,afterhesitatingforamoment,’thatIwouldnevermarryhissonaslongaspapawassuspectedbyanyoneintheworldofbeingathief。AndIwillkeepmyword。’butshesaidnothingtoMrsRobartsofthepledgewhichthearchdeaconhadmadetoher。
CHAPTERLVIII
THECROSS—GRAINEDNESSOFMEN
BythetimethatthearchdeaconreachedPlumsteadhisenthusiasminfavourofGraceCrawleyhadsomewhatcooleditself;andthelanguagewhichfromtimetotimehepreparedforconveyinghisimpressionstohiswife,becamelessfervidasheapproachedhishome。Therewashispledge,andbythathewouldabide;——andsomuchhewouldmakebothhiswifeandsonunderstand。Butanyideawhichhemighthaveentertainedforamomentofextendingthepromisehehadgivenandrelaxingthatgiventohimwasgonebeforehesawhisownchimneys。Indeed,Ifearhehadbythattimebeguntofeelthattheonlysalvationnowopentohimmustcomefromthejury’sverdict。IfthejuryshoulddeclareMrCrawleytobeguilty,then——;hewouldnotsayeventohimselfthatinsuchcaseallwouldberight,buthedidfeelthatmuchashemightregretthefateofthepoorCrawleys,andofthegirlwhominhiswarmthhehaddeclaredtobealmostanangel,neverthelesstohimpersonallysuchaverdictwouldbringconsolatorycomfort。
’IhaveseenMissCrawley,’hesaidtohiswife,assoonashehadclosedthedoorofhisstudy,beforehehadbeentwominutesoutofthechaise。Hehaddeterminedthathewoulddashatthesubjectatonce,andhethuscarriedhisresolutionintoeffect。
’YouhaveseenGraceCrawley?’
’Yes;Iwentuptotheparsonageandcalleduponher。LadyLuftonadvisedmetodoso。’
’AndHenry?’
’Oh,Henryhasgone。Hewasonlythereonenight。Isupposehesawher,butIamnotsure。’
’WouldnotMissCrawleytellyou?’
’Iforgottoaskher。’MrsGrantly,athearingthis,expressedhersurprisebyopeningwidehereyes。HehadgoneallthewayovertoFramleyonpurposetolookafterhisson,andlearnwhatwerehisdoings,andwhentherehehadforgottentoaskthepersonwhocouldhavegivenhimbetterinformationthananyoneelse!’Butitdoesnotsignify,’continuedthearchdeacon;’shesaidenoughtometomakethatofnoimportance。’
’Andwhatdidshesay?’
’ShesaidthatshewouldneverconsenttomarryHenryaslongastherewasanysuspicionabroadastoherfather’sguilt。’
’Andyoubelieveherpromise?’
’CertainlyIdo;Idonotdoubtthatintheleast。Iputimplicitconfidenceinher。AndIhavepromisedherthatifherfatherisacquitted——Iwillwithdrawmyopposition。’
’No!’
’ButIhave。Andyouwouldhavedonethesamehadyoubeenthere。’
’Idoubtthat,mydear。Iamnotsoimpulsiveasyouare。’
’Youcouldnothavehelpedyourself。Youwouldhavefeltyourselfobligedtobeequallygenerouswithher。Shecameuptomeandsheputherhanduponme——’’Psha!’saidMrsGrantly。’Butshedid,mydear,andthenshesaid,"IpromiseyouthatIwillnotbecomeyourson’swifewhilepeoplethinkpapastolethismoney。"WhatelsecouldIdo?’
’Andisshepretty?’
’Verypretty;verybeautiful。’
’Andlikealady?’
’Quitelikealady。Thereisnomistakeaboutthat。’
’Andshebehavedwell?’
’Admirably,’saidthearchdeacon,whowasinmeasurecompelledtojustifythegenerosityintowhichhehadbeenbetrayedbyhisfeelings。
’Thensheisaparagon,’saidMrsGrantly。
’Idon’tknowwhatyoumaycallaparagon,mydear。Isaythatsheisalady,andthatsheisextremelygood—looking,andthatshebehavedverywell。Icannotsaylessinherfavour。Iamsureyouwouldnotsaylessyourself,ifyouhadbeenpresent。’
’Shemustbeawonderfulyoungwoman。’
’Idon’tknowanythingaboutherbeingwonderful。’
’Shemustbewonderfulwhenshehassucceededbothwiththesonandwiththefather。’
’Iwishyouhadbeenthereinsteadofme,’saidthearchdeaconangrily。
MrsGrantlyveryprobablywishedsoalso,feelingthatinthatcaseamoreserenemodeofbusinesswouldhavebeenadopted。Howkeenlysusceptiblethearchdeaconstillwastotheinfluencesoffemininecharms,nooneknewbetterthanMrsGrantly,andwhenevershebecameawarethathehadbeeninthiswayseducedfromthewisdomofhiscoolerjudgmentshealwaysfeltsomethingakintoindignationagainsttheseducer。Asforherhusband,sheprobablytoldherselfatsuchmomentsthathewasanoldgoose。’Ifyouhadbeenthere,andHenrywithyou,youwouldhavemadeagreatdealworsejobofitthanIhavedone,’saidthearchdeacon。
’Idon’tsayyouhavemadeabadjobofit,mydear,’saidMrsGrantly。
’Butit’spasteight,andyoumustbeterriblyinwantofyourdinner。
Hadyounotbettergoanddress?’