首页 >出版文学> The Last Chronicle of Barset>第52章
  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?’