Then the
bishop returned to his arm-chair, and Mr.
bishop returned to his arm-chair, and Mr.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v25 - Tas to Tur
Dr.
Vesey Stanhope, who at this time was very busy on the shores
of the Lake of Como, adding to that unique collection of butter-
flies for which he is so famous. Or rather, he would have been
in residence but for the butterflies and other such summer-day
considerations; and the vicar-choral, who was to take his place
in the pulpit, by no means objected to having his work done for
him by Mr. Slope.
Mr. Slope accordingly preached; and if a preacher can have
satisfaction in being listened to, Mr. Slope ought to have been
gratified. I have reason to think that he was gratified, and that
he left the pulpit with the conviction that he had done what he
intended to do when he entered it.
On this occasion the new bishop took his seat for the first
time in the throne allotted to him. New scarlet cushions and
drapery had been prepared, with new gilt binding and new
fringe. The old carved oak-wood of the throne, ascending with
its numerous grotesque pinnacles half-way up to the roof of the
choir, had been washed, and dusted, and rubbed, and it all looked
very smart.
Ah! how often sitting there, in happy early days,
on those lowly benches in front of the altar, have I whiled
away the tedium of a sermon in considering how best I might
thread my way up amidst those wooden towers, and climb safely
to the topmost pinnacle!
## p. 15041 (#625) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15041
All Barchester went to hear Mr. Slope; - either for that or
to gaze at the new bishop. All the best bonnets of the city were
there, and moreover all the best glossy clerical hats. Not a stall
but had its fitting occupant; for though some of the prebendaries
might be away in Italy or elsewhere, their places were filled by
brethren who flocked into Barchester on the occasion. The dean
was there, a heavy old man, now too old indeed to attend fre-
quently in his place,- and so was the archdeacon. So also were
the chancellor, the treasurer, the precentor, sundry canons and
minor canons, and every lay member of the choir, prepared to
sing the new bishop in with due melody and harmonious ex-
pression of sacred welcome.
The service was certainly very well performed.
Such was
always the case at Barchester, as the musical education of the
choir had been good, and the voices had been carefully selected.
The psalms were beautifully chanted; the Te Deum was magnifi-
cently sung; and the litany was given in a manner which is still
to be found at Barchester, but, if my taste be correct, is to be
found nowhere else. The litany in Barchester cathedral has long
been the special task to which Mr. Harding's skill and voice have
been devoted. Crowded audiences generally make good per-
formers; and though Mr. Harding was not aware of any extraor-
dinary exertion on his part, yet probably he rather exceeded his
usual mark. Others were doing their best, and it was natural
that he should emulate his brethren. So the service went on,
and at last Mr. Slope got into the pulpit.
He chose for his text a verse from the precepts addressed by
St. Paul to Timothy, as to the conduct necessary in a spiritual
pastor and guide; and it was immediately evident that the good
clergy of Barchester were to have a lesson.
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. "
These were the words of his text; and with such a subject in
such a place, it may be supposed that such a preacher would be
listened to by such an audience. He was listened to with breath-
less attention, and not without considerable surprise. Whatever
opinion of Mr. Slope might have been held in Barchester before
he commenced his discourse, none of his hearers, when it was
over, could mistake him either for a fool or a coward.
It would not be becoming were I to travesty a sermon, or
even to repeat the language of it in the pages of a novel. In
XXV-941
-
## p. 15042 (#626) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15042
endeavoring to depict the characters of the persons of whom I
write, I am to a certain extent forced to speak of sacred things.
I trust, however, that I shall not be thought to scoff at the pul-
pit, though some may imagine that I do not feel all the rever-
ence that is due to the cloth. I may question the infallibility of
the teachers, but I hope that I shall not therefore be accused of
doubt as to the thing to be taught.
Mr. Slope, in commencing his sermon, showed no slight tact
in his ambiguous manner of hinting that, humble as he was him-
self, he stood there as the mouthpiece of the illustrious divine
who sat opposite to him; and having premised so much, he gave
forth a very accurate definition of the conduct which that prelate
would rejoice to see in the clergymen now brought under his
jurisdiction. It is only necessary to say that the peculiar points
insisted upon were exactly those which were most distasteful to
the clergy of the diocese, and most averse to their practice and
opinions; and that all those peculiar habits and privileges which
have always been dear to high-church priests, to that party which
is now scandalously called the high-and-dry church, were ridi-
culed, abused, and anathematized. Now, the clergymen of the
diocese of Barchester are all of the high-and-dry church.
Having thus, according to his own opinion, explained how a
clergyman should show himself approved unto, God, as a work-
man that needeth not to be ashamed, he went on to explain how
the word of truth should be divided; and here he took a rather
narrow view of the question, and fetched his arguments from
afar. His object was to express his abomination of all ceremoni-
ous modes of utterance, to cry down any religious feeling which
might be excited, not by the sense, but by the sound of words,
and in fact to insult cathedral practices. Had St. Paul spoken of
rightly pronouncing instead of rightly dividing the word of truth,
this part of his sermon would have been more to the purpose;
but the preacher's immediate object was to preach Mr. Slope's
doctrine, and not St. Paul's, and he contrived to give the neces-
sary twist to the text with some skill.
He could not exactly say, preaching from a cathedral pulpit,
that chanting should be abandoned in cathedral services.
By
such an assertion, he would have overshot his mark and ren-
dered himself absurd,-to the delight of his hearers. He could,
however, and did,- allude with heavy denunciations to the prac
tice of intoning in parish churches, although the practice was
-
## p. 15043 (#627) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15043
all-but unknown in the diocese; and from thence he came round
to the undue preponderance which, he asserted, music had over
meaning in the beautiful service which they had just heard. He
was aware, he said, that the practices of our ancestors could not
be abandoned at a moment's notice; the feelings of the aged
would be outraged, and the minds of respectable men would be
shocked. There were many, he was aware, of not sufficient cali-
bre of thought to perceive, of not sufficient education to know,
that a mode of service which was effective when outward cere-
monies were of more moment than inward feelings, had become
all-but barbarous at a time when inward conviction was every-
thing, when each word of the minister's lips should fall intelli-
gibly into the listener's heart. Formerly the religion of the
multitude had been an affair of the imagination. Now, in these
latter days, it had become necessary that a Christian should have
a reason for his faith; should not only believe, but digest - not
only hear, but understand. The words of our morning service,-
how beautiful, how apposite, how intelligible they were, when
read with simple and distinct decorum! but how much of the
meaning of the words was lost when they were produced with
all the meretricious charms of melody! etc. , etc.
Here was a sermon to be preached before Mr. Archdeacon
Grantly, Mr. Precentor Harding, and the rest of them! before a
whole dean and chapter assembled in their own cathedral! before
men who had grown old in the exercise of their peculiar serv-
ices, with a full conviction of their excellence for all intended
purposes! This too from such a man, a clerical parvenu, a man
without a cure, a mere chaplain, an intruder among them; a fel-
low raked up, so said Dr. Grantly, from the gutters of Maryle-
bone! They had to sit through it. None of them, not even Dr.
Grantly, could close his ears, nor leave the house of God during
the hours of service. They were under an obligation of listen-
ing, and that too without any immediate power of reply.
There is perhaps no greater hardship at present inflicted on
mankind, in civilized and free countries, than the necessity of
listening to sermons. No one but a preaching clergyman has, in
these realms, the power of compelling an audience to sit silent
and be tormented. No one but a preaching clergyman can
revel in platitudes, truisms, and untruisms, and yet receive, as
his undisputed privilege, the same respectful demeanor as though
words of impassioned eloquence or persuasive logic fell from his
## p. 15044 (#628) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15044
lips. Let a professor of law or physic find his place in a lecture-
room, and there pour forth jejune words and useless empty
phrases, and he will pour them forth to empty benches. Let a
barrister attempt to talk without talking well, and he will talk
but seldom. A judge's charge need be listened to perforce by
none but the jury, prisoner, and jailer. A Member of Parlia-
ment can be coughed down or counted out. Town councilors
can be tabooed. But no one can rid himself of the preaching
clergyman. He is the bore of the age, the old man whom we
Sindbads cannot shake off, the nightmare that disturbs our Sun-
day's rest, the incubus that overloads our religion and makes
God's service distasteful. We are not forced into church! No;
but we desire more than that. We desire not to be forced to
stay away. We desire, nay, we are resolute, to enjoy the com-
fort of public worship: but we desire also that we may do so
without an amount of tedium which ordinary human nature can-
not endure with patience; that we may be able to leave the
house of God without that anxious longing for escape which is
the common consequence of common sermons.
With what complacency will a young parson deduce false con-
clusions from misunderstood texts, and then threaten us with all
the penalties of Hades if we neglect to comply with the injunc-
tions he has given us! Yes, my too self-confident juvenile friend,
I do believe in those mysteries which are so common in your
mouth; I do believe in the unadulterated Word which you hold
there in your hand: but you must pardon me if, in some things,
I doubt your interpretation. The Bible is good, the Prayer-Book
is good; nay, you yourself would be acceptable, if you would read
to me some portion of those time-honored discourses which our
great divines have elaborated in the full maturity of their powers.
But you must excuse me, my insufficient young lecturer, if I yawn
over your imperfect sentences, your repeated phrases, your false
pathos, your drawlings and denouncings, your humming and
hawing, your oh-ing and ah-ing, your black gloves and your white
handkerchief. To me, it all means nothing; and hours are too
precious to be so wasted- if one could only avoid it.
And here I must make a protest against the pretense, so
often put forward by the working clergy, that they are over-
burdened by the multitude of sermons to be preached. We are
all too fond of our own voices, and a preacher is encouraged in
the vanity of making his heard by the privilege of a compelled
-
## p. 15045 (#629) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15045
audience. His sermon is the pleasant morsel of his life, his deli-
cious moment of self-exaltation. "I have preached nine sermons
this week," said a young friend to me the other day, with hand
languidly raised to his brow, the picture of an overburdened
martyr. "Nine this week, seven last week, four the week before.
I have preached twenty-three sermons this month. It is really
too much. " "Too much indeed," said I, shuddering; "too much
for the strength of any one. " "Yes," he answered meekly,
"indeed it is; I am beginning to feel it painfully. " "Would,"
said I, «< 'you could feel it; would that you could be made to feel
it. "
But he never guessed that my heart was wrung for the
poor listeners.
There was, at any rate, no tedium felt in listening to Mr.
Slope on the occasion in question. His subject came too home
to his audience to be dull; and to tell the truth, Mr. Slope had
the gift of using words forcibly. He was heard through his
thirty minutes of eloquence with mute attention and open ears;
but with angry eyes, which glared round from one enraged par-
son to another, with wide-spread nostrils from which already
burst forth fumes of indignation, and with many shufflings of
the feet and uneasy motions of the body, which betokened minds
disturbed, and hearts not at peace with all the world.
At last the bishop, who, of all the congregation, had been
most surprised, and whose hair almost stood on end with terror,
gave the blessing in a manner not at all equal to that in which
he had long been practicing it in his own study, and the congre-
gation was free to go their way.
THE BISHOP OF BARCHESTER IS CRUSHED
From The Last Chronicle of Barset >
WHO
HO inquires why it is that a little greased flour rubbed in
among the hair on a footman's head,- just one dab here
and another there, gives such a tone of high life to the
family? And seeing that the thing is so easily done, why do not
more people attempt it? The tax on hair-powder is but thirteen.
shillings a year. It may indeed be that the slightest dab in the
world justifies the wearer in demanding hot meat three times.
a day, and wine at any rate on Sundays. I think, however, that
a bishop's wife may enjoy the privilege without such heavy
-
## p. 15046 (#630) ##########################################
15046
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
attendant expense; otherwise the man who opened the bishop's
door to Mr. Crawley would hardly have been so ornamented.
The man asked for a card. "My name is Mr. Crawley," said
our friend. "The bishop has desired me to come to him at this
hour. Will you be pleased to tell him that I am here. " The
man again asked for a card. "I am not bound to carry with me
my name printed on a ticket," said Mr. Crawley. "If you can-
not remember it, give me pen and paper, and I will write it. "
The servant, somewhat awed by the stranger's manner, brought
the pen and paper, and Mr. Crawley wrote his name.
«THE REV. JOSIAH CRAWLEY, M. A. ,
Perpetual Curate of Hogglestock. »
He was then ushered into a waiting-room; but to his dis-
appointment, was not kept there waiting long. Within three
minutes he was ushered into the bishop's study, and into the
presence of the two great luminaries of the diocese. He was at
first somewhat disconcerted by finding Mrs. Proudie in the room.
In the imaginary conversation with the bishop which he had
been preparing on the road, he had conceived that the bishop
would be attended by a chaplain, and he had suited his words to
the joint discomfiture of the bishop and of the lower clergyman;
but now the line of his battle must be altered. This was no
doubt an injury, but he trusted to his courage and readiness to
enable him to surmount it. He had left his hat behind him in
the waiting-room, but he kept his old short cloak still upon his
shoulders; and when he entered the bishop's room his hands and
arms were hid beneath it. There was something lowly in this
constrained gait. It showed at least that he had no idea of
being asked to shake hands with the august persons he might
meet. And his head was somewhat bowed, though his great,
bald, broad forehead showed itself so prominent, that neither the
bishop nor Mrs. Proudie could drop it from their sight during the
whole interview. He was a man who when seen could hardly be
forgotten. The deep, angry, remonstrant eyes, the shaggy eye-
brows, telling tales of frequent anger,-of anger frequent but
generally silent,― the repressed indignation of the habitual frown,
the long nose and large powerful mouth, the deep furrows on
the cheek, and the general look of thought and suffering, all
combined to make the appearance of the man remarkable, and
to describe to the beholders at once his true character. No one
## p. 15047 (#631) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15047
ever on seeing Mr. Crawley took him to be a happy man, or a
weak man, or an ignorant man, or a wise man.
"You are very punctual, Mr. Crawley," said the bishop. Mr.
Crawley simply bowed his head, still keeping his hands beneath.
his cloak. "Will you not take a chair nearer to the fire? " Mr.
Crawley had not seated himself, but had placed himself in front
of a chair at the extreme end of the room, resolved that he
would not use it unless he were duly asked. Now he seated
himself, still at a distance.
-
"Thank you, my lord," he said: "I am warm with walking,
and if you please, will avoid the fire. "
"You have not walked, Mr. Crawley? "
"Yes, my lord. I have been walking. "
"Not from Hogglestock! "
Now, this was a matter which Mr. Crawley certainly did not
mean to discuss with the bishop. It might be well for the bishop
to demand his presence in the palace, but it could be no part of
the bishop's duty to inquire how he got there. "That, my lord,
is a matter of no moment," said he. "I am glad at any rate
that I have been enabled to obey your Lordship's order in coming
hither on this morning. "
Hitherto Mrs. Proudie had not said a word. She stood
back in the room, near the fire,- more backward a good deal
than she was accustomed to do when clergymen made their ordi-
nary visits.
On such occasions she would come forward and
shake hands with them graciously,- graciously even if proudly:
but she felt that she must do nothing of that kind now; there
must be no shaking hands with a man who had stolen a cheque
for twenty pounds! It might probably be necessary to keep
Mr. Crawley at a distance; and therefore she had remained in
the background. But Mr. Crawley seemed to be disposed to keep
himself in the background, and therefore she could speak. "I
hope your wife and children are well, Mr. Crawley? " she said.
"Thank you, madam, my children are well, and Mrs. Crawley
suffers no special ailment at present. "
"That is much to be thankful for, Mr. Crawley. " Whether
he were or were not thankful for such mercies as these, was no
business of the bishop or the bishop's wife. That was between
him and his God. So he would not even bow to this civility,
but sat with his head erect, and with a great frown on his heavy
brow.
――――――
## p. 15048 (#632) ##########################################
15048
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
Then the bishop rose from his chair to speak, intending to
take up a position on the rug. But as he did so Mr. Crawley
rose also, and the bishop found that he would thus lose his
expected vantage. "Will you not be seated, Mr. Crawley? " said
the bishop. Mr. Crawley smiled, but stood his ground.
Then the
bishop returned to his arm-chair, and Mr. Crawley also sat down
again. "Mr. Crawley," began the bishop, "this matter which came
the other day before the magistrates at Silverbridge has been a
most unfortunate affair. It has given me, I can assure you, the
most sincere pain. "
Mr. Crawley had made up his mind how far the bishop should
be allowed to go without a rebuke. He had told himself that
it would only be natural, and would not be unbecoming, that
the bishop should allude to the meeting of the magistrates and
to the alleged theft, and that therefore such allusion should be
endured with patient humility. And moreover, the more rope
he gave the bishop, the more likely the bishop would be to en-
tangle himself. It certainly was Mr. Crawley's wish that the
bishop should entangle himself. He therefore replied very meekly,
"It has been most unfortunate, my lord. "
"I have felt for Mrs. Crawley very deeply," said Mrs. Proudie.
Mr. Crawley had now made up his mind that as long as it was
possible he would ignore the presence of Mrs. Proudie altogether;
and therefore he made no sign that he heard the latter remark.
"It has been most unfortunate," continued the bishop. "I
have never before had a clergyman in my diocese placed in so
distressing a position. "
"That is a matter of opinion, my lord," said Mr. Crawley, who
at that moment thought of a crisis which had come in the life of
another clergyman in the diocese of Barchester, with the circum-
stances of which he had by chance been made acquainted.
"Exactly," said the bishop. "And I am expressing my opin
ion. " Mr. Crawley, who understood fighting, did not think that
the time had yet come for striking a blow, so he simply bowed
again. "A most unfortunate position, Mr. Crawley," continued the
bishop. "Far be it from me to express an opinion upon the mat-
ter, which will have to come before a jury of your countrymen.
It is enough for me to know that the magistrates assembled at
Silverbridge-gentlemen to whom no doubt you must be known,
as most of them live in your neighborhood-have heard evidence
upon the subject — »
## p. 15049 (#633) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15049
―――
"Most convincing evidence," said Mrs. Proudie, interrupting
her husband. Mr. Crawley's black brow became a little blacker
as he heard the word, but still he ignored the woman. He not
only did not speak, but did not turn his eye upon her.
"They have heard the evidence on the subject," continued the
bishop, "and they have thought it proper to refer the decision as
to your innocence or your guilt to a jury of your countrymen. "
"And they were right," said Mr. Crawley.
"Very possibly. I don't deny it. Probably," said the bishop,
whose eloquence was somewhat disturbed by Mr. Crawley's ready
acquiescence.
"Of course they were right," said Mrs. Proudie.
"At any rate it is so," said the bishop. "You are in the
position of a man amenable to the criminal laws of the land. "
"There are no criminal laws, my lord," said Mr. Crawley;
"but to such laws as there are, we are all amenable,- your
Lordship and I alike. ”
"But you are so in a very particular way. I do not wish to
remind you what might be your condition now, but for the inter-
position of private friends. "
"I should be in the condition of a man not guilty before the
law, guiltless, as far as the law goes,- but kept in durance, not
for faults of his own, but because otherwise, by reason of laches
in the police, his presence at the assizes might not be insured.
In such a position a man's reputation is made to hang for a
while on the trust which some friends or neighbors may have in
it. I do not say that the test is a good one. "
"You would have been put in prison, Mr. Crawley, because
the magistrates were of the opinion that you had taken Mr.
Soames's cheque," said Mrs. Proudie. On this occasion he did
look at her. He turned one glance upon her from under his eye-
brows, but he did not speak.
"With all that I have nothing to do," said the bishop.
"Nothing whatever, my lord," said Mr. Crawley.
"But, bishop, I think that you have," said Mrs. Proudie.
"The judgment formed by the magistrates as to the conduct of
one of your clergymen makes it imperative upon you to act in
the matter. "
"Yes, my dear, yes; I am coming to that. What Mrs. Proudie
says is perfectly true. I have been constrained most unwillingly
to take action in this matter. It is undoubtedly the fact that you
## p. 15050 (#634) ##########################################
15050
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
must at the next assizes surrender yourself at the court-house
yonder, to be tried for this offense against the laws. "
"That is true. If I be alive, my lord, and have strength suf-
ficient, I shall be there. "
"You must be there," said Mrs. Proudie. "The police will
look to that, Mr. Crawley. " She was becoming very angry in
that the man would not answer her a word. On this occasion
again he did not even look at her.
"Yes; you will be there," said the bishop. "Now that is, to
say the least of it, an unseemly position for a beneficed clergy-
man. "
"You said before, my lord, that it was an unfortunate position;
and the word, methinks, was better chosen. "
་་
"It is very unseemly, very unseemly indeed," said Mrs.
Proudie; "nothing could possibly be more unseemly. The bishop
might very properly have used a much stronger word. "
"Under these circumstances," continued the bishop, "looking
to the welfare of your parish, to the welfare of the diocese, and
allow me to say, Mr. Crawley, to the welfare of yourself also-"
"And especially to the souls of the people," said Mrs. Proudie.
The bishop shook his head. It is hard to be impressively
eloquent when one is interrupted at every best turned period,
even by a supporting voice. "Yes;-and looking of course to
the religious interests of your people, Mr. Crawley, I came to
the conclusion that it would be expedient that you should cease
your ministrations for a while. " The bishop paused, and Mr.
Crawley bowed his head. "I therefore sent over to you a gen-
tleman with whom I am well acquainted - Mr. Thumble — with a
letter from myself, in which I endeavored to impress upon you,
without the use of any severe language, what my convictions
were. "
-
"Severe words are often the best mercy," said Mrs. Proudie.
Mr. Crawley had raised his hand, with his finger out, preparatory
to answering the bishop. But as Mrs. Proudie had spoken he
dropped his finger and was silent.
"Mr. Thumble brought me back your written reply," contin-
ued the bishop, "by which I was grieved to find that you were
not willing to submit yourself to my counsel in the matter. "
"I was most unwilling, my lord. Submission to authority is
at times a duty;- and at times opposition to authority is a duty
also. "
## p. 15051 (#635) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15051
Opposition to just authority cannot be a duty, Mr. Craw-
«<
ley,»
"Opposition to usurped authority is an imperative duty," said
Mr. Crawley.
"And who is to be the judge? " demanded Mrs. Proudie.
Then there was silence for a while; when, as Mr. Crawley made
no reply, the lady repeated her question. "Will you be pleased
to answer my question, sir? Who, in such a case, is to be the
judge? » But Mr. Crawley did not please to answer. "The man
is obstinate," said Mrs. Proudie.
"I had better proceed," said the bishop. "Mr. Thumble
brought me back your reply, which grieved me greatly. "
"It was contumacious and indecent," said Mrs. Proudie.
The bishop again shook his head, and looked so unutterably
miserable that a smile came across Mr. Crawley's face. After all,
others besides himself had their troubles and trials. Mrs. Proudie
saw and understood the smile, and became more angry than
ever. She drew her chair close to the table, and began to fidget
with her fingers among the papers. She had never before en-
countered a clergyman so contumacious, so indecent, so unrev-
erend, so upsetting. She had had to do with men difficult to
manage, the archdeacon, for instance; but the archdeacon had
never been so impertinent to her as this man.
She had quar-
reled once openly with a chaplain of her husband's, a clergyman
whom she herself had introduced to her husband, and who had
treated her very badly, but not so badly, not with such unscru-
pulous violence, as she was now encountering from this ill-
clothed beggarly man, this perpetual curate, with his dirty broken
boots, this already half-convicted thief! Such was her idea of
Mr. Crawley's conduct to her, while she was fingering the papers,
simply because Mr. Crawley would not speak to her.
"I forget where I was," said the bishop. "Oh, Mr. Thumble.
came back, and I received your letter;- of course I received it.
And I was surprised to learn from that, that in spite of what
had occurred at Silverbridge, you were still anxious to continue
the usual Sunday ministrations in your church. "
"
"I was determined that I would do my duty at Hogglestock
as long as I might be left there to do it," said Mr. Crawley.
"Duty! " said Mrs. Proudie.
-
―――――
—
"Just a moment, my dear," said the bishop. "When Sunday
came, I had no alternative but to send Mr. Thumble over again
to Hogglestock. It occurred to us - to me and Mrs. Proudie- »
## p. 15052 (#636) ##########################################
15052
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
"I will tell Mr. Crawley just now what has occurred to me,”
said Mrs. Proudie.
"Yes; just so. And I am sure that he will take it in good
part. It occurred to me, Mr. Crawley, that your first letter might
have been written in haste. >>
-
"It was written in haste, my lord: your messenger was
waiting. "
"Yes; just so. Well, so I sent him again, hoping that he
might be accepted as a messenger of peace. It was a most dis-
agreeable mission for any gentleman, Mr. Crawley. "
"Most disagreeable, my lord. "
"And you refused him permission to obey the instructions
which I had given him! You would not let him read from your
desk, or preach from your pulpit. "
"Had I been Mr. Thumble," said Mrs. Proudie, "I would
have read from that desk and I would have preached from that
pulpit. "
Mr. Crawley waited a moment, thinking that the bishop might
perhaps speak again; but as he did not, but sat expectant, as
though he had finished his discourse and now expected a reply,
Mr. Crawley got up from his seat and drew near to the table.
"My lord," he began, "it has all been just as you have said.
did answer your first letter in haste. "
―
"The more shame for you," said Mrs. Proudie.
"And therefore, for aught I know, my letter to your Lordship
may be so worded as to need some apology. "
"Of course it needs an apology," said Mrs. Proudie.
"But for the matter of it, my lord, no apology can be made,
nor is any needed. I did refuse to your messenger permission
to perform the services of my church, and if you send twenty
more, I shall refuse them all,-till the time may come when it
will be your Lordship's duty, in accordance with the laws of the
Church, as borne out and backed by the laws of the land, to pro-
vide during my constrained absence for the spiritual wants of
those poor people at Hogglestock. "
"Poor people, indeed," said Mrs. Proudie. "Poor wretches! "
"And my lord, it may be that it shall soon be your Lordship's
duty to take due and legal steps for depriving me of my benefice
at Hogglestock; - nay, probably for silencing me altogether as to
the exercise of my sacred profession! "
"Of course it will, sir. Your gown will be taken from you,"
said Mrs. Proudie. The bishop was looking with all his eyes up
## p. 15053 (#637) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15053
at the great forehead and great eyebrows of the man, and was so
fascinated by the power that was exercised over him by the other
man's strength that he hardly now noticed his wife.
"It may well be so," continued Mr. Crawley. "The circum-
stances are strong against me; and though your Lordship has
altogether misunderstood the nature of the duty performed by
the magistrates in sending my case for trial,- although, as it
seems to me, you have come to conclusions in this matter in
ignorance of the very theory of our laws, — »
"Sir! " said Mrs. Proudie.
"Yet I can foresee the probability that a jury may discover
me to have been guilty of theft. "
"Of course the jury will do so," said Mrs. Proudie.
"Should such verdict be given, then, my lord, your interfer-
ence will be legal, proper, and necessary.
Vesey Stanhope, who at this time was very busy on the shores
of the Lake of Como, adding to that unique collection of butter-
flies for which he is so famous. Or rather, he would have been
in residence but for the butterflies and other such summer-day
considerations; and the vicar-choral, who was to take his place
in the pulpit, by no means objected to having his work done for
him by Mr. Slope.
Mr. Slope accordingly preached; and if a preacher can have
satisfaction in being listened to, Mr. Slope ought to have been
gratified. I have reason to think that he was gratified, and that
he left the pulpit with the conviction that he had done what he
intended to do when he entered it.
On this occasion the new bishop took his seat for the first
time in the throne allotted to him. New scarlet cushions and
drapery had been prepared, with new gilt binding and new
fringe. The old carved oak-wood of the throne, ascending with
its numerous grotesque pinnacles half-way up to the roof of the
choir, had been washed, and dusted, and rubbed, and it all looked
very smart.
Ah! how often sitting there, in happy early days,
on those lowly benches in front of the altar, have I whiled
away the tedium of a sermon in considering how best I might
thread my way up amidst those wooden towers, and climb safely
to the topmost pinnacle!
## p. 15041 (#625) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15041
All Barchester went to hear Mr. Slope; - either for that or
to gaze at the new bishop. All the best bonnets of the city were
there, and moreover all the best glossy clerical hats. Not a stall
but had its fitting occupant; for though some of the prebendaries
might be away in Italy or elsewhere, their places were filled by
brethren who flocked into Barchester on the occasion. The dean
was there, a heavy old man, now too old indeed to attend fre-
quently in his place,- and so was the archdeacon. So also were
the chancellor, the treasurer, the precentor, sundry canons and
minor canons, and every lay member of the choir, prepared to
sing the new bishop in with due melody and harmonious ex-
pression of sacred welcome.
The service was certainly very well performed.
Such was
always the case at Barchester, as the musical education of the
choir had been good, and the voices had been carefully selected.
The psalms were beautifully chanted; the Te Deum was magnifi-
cently sung; and the litany was given in a manner which is still
to be found at Barchester, but, if my taste be correct, is to be
found nowhere else. The litany in Barchester cathedral has long
been the special task to which Mr. Harding's skill and voice have
been devoted. Crowded audiences generally make good per-
formers; and though Mr. Harding was not aware of any extraor-
dinary exertion on his part, yet probably he rather exceeded his
usual mark. Others were doing their best, and it was natural
that he should emulate his brethren. So the service went on,
and at last Mr. Slope got into the pulpit.
He chose for his text a verse from the precepts addressed by
St. Paul to Timothy, as to the conduct necessary in a spiritual
pastor and guide; and it was immediately evident that the good
clergy of Barchester were to have a lesson.
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. "
These were the words of his text; and with such a subject in
such a place, it may be supposed that such a preacher would be
listened to by such an audience. He was listened to with breath-
less attention, and not without considerable surprise. Whatever
opinion of Mr. Slope might have been held in Barchester before
he commenced his discourse, none of his hearers, when it was
over, could mistake him either for a fool or a coward.
It would not be becoming were I to travesty a sermon, or
even to repeat the language of it in the pages of a novel. In
XXV-941
-
## p. 15042 (#626) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15042
endeavoring to depict the characters of the persons of whom I
write, I am to a certain extent forced to speak of sacred things.
I trust, however, that I shall not be thought to scoff at the pul-
pit, though some may imagine that I do not feel all the rever-
ence that is due to the cloth. I may question the infallibility of
the teachers, but I hope that I shall not therefore be accused of
doubt as to the thing to be taught.
Mr. Slope, in commencing his sermon, showed no slight tact
in his ambiguous manner of hinting that, humble as he was him-
self, he stood there as the mouthpiece of the illustrious divine
who sat opposite to him; and having premised so much, he gave
forth a very accurate definition of the conduct which that prelate
would rejoice to see in the clergymen now brought under his
jurisdiction. It is only necessary to say that the peculiar points
insisted upon were exactly those which were most distasteful to
the clergy of the diocese, and most averse to their practice and
opinions; and that all those peculiar habits and privileges which
have always been dear to high-church priests, to that party which
is now scandalously called the high-and-dry church, were ridi-
culed, abused, and anathematized. Now, the clergymen of the
diocese of Barchester are all of the high-and-dry church.
Having thus, according to his own opinion, explained how a
clergyman should show himself approved unto, God, as a work-
man that needeth not to be ashamed, he went on to explain how
the word of truth should be divided; and here he took a rather
narrow view of the question, and fetched his arguments from
afar. His object was to express his abomination of all ceremoni-
ous modes of utterance, to cry down any religious feeling which
might be excited, not by the sense, but by the sound of words,
and in fact to insult cathedral practices. Had St. Paul spoken of
rightly pronouncing instead of rightly dividing the word of truth,
this part of his sermon would have been more to the purpose;
but the preacher's immediate object was to preach Mr. Slope's
doctrine, and not St. Paul's, and he contrived to give the neces-
sary twist to the text with some skill.
He could not exactly say, preaching from a cathedral pulpit,
that chanting should be abandoned in cathedral services.
By
such an assertion, he would have overshot his mark and ren-
dered himself absurd,-to the delight of his hearers. He could,
however, and did,- allude with heavy denunciations to the prac
tice of intoning in parish churches, although the practice was
-
## p. 15043 (#627) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15043
all-but unknown in the diocese; and from thence he came round
to the undue preponderance which, he asserted, music had over
meaning in the beautiful service which they had just heard. He
was aware, he said, that the practices of our ancestors could not
be abandoned at a moment's notice; the feelings of the aged
would be outraged, and the minds of respectable men would be
shocked. There were many, he was aware, of not sufficient cali-
bre of thought to perceive, of not sufficient education to know,
that a mode of service which was effective when outward cere-
monies were of more moment than inward feelings, had become
all-but barbarous at a time when inward conviction was every-
thing, when each word of the minister's lips should fall intelli-
gibly into the listener's heart. Formerly the religion of the
multitude had been an affair of the imagination. Now, in these
latter days, it had become necessary that a Christian should have
a reason for his faith; should not only believe, but digest - not
only hear, but understand. The words of our morning service,-
how beautiful, how apposite, how intelligible they were, when
read with simple and distinct decorum! but how much of the
meaning of the words was lost when they were produced with
all the meretricious charms of melody! etc. , etc.
Here was a sermon to be preached before Mr. Archdeacon
Grantly, Mr. Precentor Harding, and the rest of them! before a
whole dean and chapter assembled in their own cathedral! before
men who had grown old in the exercise of their peculiar serv-
ices, with a full conviction of their excellence for all intended
purposes! This too from such a man, a clerical parvenu, a man
without a cure, a mere chaplain, an intruder among them; a fel-
low raked up, so said Dr. Grantly, from the gutters of Maryle-
bone! They had to sit through it. None of them, not even Dr.
Grantly, could close his ears, nor leave the house of God during
the hours of service. They were under an obligation of listen-
ing, and that too without any immediate power of reply.
There is perhaps no greater hardship at present inflicted on
mankind, in civilized and free countries, than the necessity of
listening to sermons. No one but a preaching clergyman has, in
these realms, the power of compelling an audience to sit silent
and be tormented. No one but a preaching clergyman can
revel in platitudes, truisms, and untruisms, and yet receive, as
his undisputed privilege, the same respectful demeanor as though
words of impassioned eloquence or persuasive logic fell from his
## p. 15044 (#628) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15044
lips. Let a professor of law or physic find his place in a lecture-
room, and there pour forth jejune words and useless empty
phrases, and he will pour them forth to empty benches. Let a
barrister attempt to talk without talking well, and he will talk
but seldom. A judge's charge need be listened to perforce by
none but the jury, prisoner, and jailer. A Member of Parlia-
ment can be coughed down or counted out. Town councilors
can be tabooed. But no one can rid himself of the preaching
clergyman. He is the bore of the age, the old man whom we
Sindbads cannot shake off, the nightmare that disturbs our Sun-
day's rest, the incubus that overloads our religion and makes
God's service distasteful. We are not forced into church! No;
but we desire more than that. We desire not to be forced to
stay away. We desire, nay, we are resolute, to enjoy the com-
fort of public worship: but we desire also that we may do so
without an amount of tedium which ordinary human nature can-
not endure with patience; that we may be able to leave the
house of God without that anxious longing for escape which is
the common consequence of common sermons.
With what complacency will a young parson deduce false con-
clusions from misunderstood texts, and then threaten us with all
the penalties of Hades if we neglect to comply with the injunc-
tions he has given us! Yes, my too self-confident juvenile friend,
I do believe in those mysteries which are so common in your
mouth; I do believe in the unadulterated Word which you hold
there in your hand: but you must pardon me if, in some things,
I doubt your interpretation. The Bible is good, the Prayer-Book
is good; nay, you yourself would be acceptable, if you would read
to me some portion of those time-honored discourses which our
great divines have elaborated in the full maturity of their powers.
But you must excuse me, my insufficient young lecturer, if I yawn
over your imperfect sentences, your repeated phrases, your false
pathos, your drawlings and denouncings, your humming and
hawing, your oh-ing and ah-ing, your black gloves and your white
handkerchief. To me, it all means nothing; and hours are too
precious to be so wasted- if one could only avoid it.
And here I must make a protest against the pretense, so
often put forward by the working clergy, that they are over-
burdened by the multitude of sermons to be preached. We are
all too fond of our own voices, and a preacher is encouraged in
the vanity of making his heard by the privilege of a compelled
-
## p. 15045 (#629) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15045
audience. His sermon is the pleasant morsel of his life, his deli-
cious moment of self-exaltation. "I have preached nine sermons
this week," said a young friend to me the other day, with hand
languidly raised to his brow, the picture of an overburdened
martyr. "Nine this week, seven last week, four the week before.
I have preached twenty-three sermons this month. It is really
too much. " "Too much indeed," said I, shuddering; "too much
for the strength of any one. " "Yes," he answered meekly,
"indeed it is; I am beginning to feel it painfully. " "Would,"
said I, «< 'you could feel it; would that you could be made to feel
it. "
But he never guessed that my heart was wrung for the
poor listeners.
There was, at any rate, no tedium felt in listening to Mr.
Slope on the occasion in question. His subject came too home
to his audience to be dull; and to tell the truth, Mr. Slope had
the gift of using words forcibly. He was heard through his
thirty minutes of eloquence with mute attention and open ears;
but with angry eyes, which glared round from one enraged par-
son to another, with wide-spread nostrils from which already
burst forth fumes of indignation, and with many shufflings of
the feet and uneasy motions of the body, which betokened minds
disturbed, and hearts not at peace with all the world.
At last the bishop, who, of all the congregation, had been
most surprised, and whose hair almost stood on end with terror,
gave the blessing in a manner not at all equal to that in which
he had long been practicing it in his own study, and the congre-
gation was free to go their way.
THE BISHOP OF BARCHESTER IS CRUSHED
From The Last Chronicle of Barset >
WHO
HO inquires why it is that a little greased flour rubbed in
among the hair on a footman's head,- just one dab here
and another there, gives such a tone of high life to the
family? And seeing that the thing is so easily done, why do not
more people attempt it? The tax on hair-powder is but thirteen.
shillings a year. It may indeed be that the slightest dab in the
world justifies the wearer in demanding hot meat three times.
a day, and wine at any rate on Sundays. I think, however, that
a bishop's wife may enjoy the privilege without such heavy
-
## p. 15046 (#630) ##########################################
15046
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
attendant expense; otherwise the man who opened the bishop's
door to Mr. Crawley would hardly have been so ornamented.
The man asked for a card. "My name is Mr. Crawley," said
our friend. "The bishop has desired me to come to him at this
hour. Will you be pleased to tell him that I am here. " The
man again asked for a card. "I am not bound to carry with me
my name printed on a ticket," said Mr. Crawley. "If you can-
not remember it, give me pen and paper, and I will write it. "
The servant, somewhat awed by the stranger's manner, brought
the pen and paper, and Mr. Crawley wrote his name.
«THE REV. JOSIAH CRAWLEY, M. A. ,
Perpetual Curate of Hogglestock. »
He was then ushered into a waiting-room; but to his dis-
appointment, was not kept there waiting long. Within three
minutes he was ushered into the bishop's study, and into the
presence of the two great luminaries of the diocese. He was at
first somewhat disconcerted by finding Mrs. Proudie in the room.
In the imaginary conversation with the bishop which he had
been preparing on the road, he had conceived that the bishop
would be attended by a chaplain, and he had suited his words to
the joint discomfiture of the bishop and of the lower clergyman;
but now the line of his battle must be altered. This was no
doubt an injury, but he trusted to his courage and readiness to
enable him to surmount it. He had left his hat behind him in
the waiting-room, but he kept his old short cloak still upon his
shoulders; and when he entered the bishop's room his hands and
arms were hid beneath it. There was something lowly in this
constrained gait. It showed at least that he had no idea of
being asked to shake hands with the august persons he might
meet. And his head was somewhat bowed, though his great,
bald, broad forehead showed itself so prominent, that neither the
bishop nor Mrs. Proudie could drop it from their sight during the
whole interview. He was a man who when seen could hardly be
forgotten. The deep, angry, remonstrant eyes, the shaggy eye-
brows, telling tales of frequent anger,-of anger frequent but
generally silent,― the repressed indignation of the habitual frown,
the long nose and large powerful mouth, the deep furrows on
the cheek, and the general look of thought and suffering, all
combined to make the appearance of the man remarkable, and
to describe to the beholders at once his true character. No one
## p. 15047 (#631) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15047
ever on seeing Mr. Crawley took him to be a happy man, or a
weak man, or an ignorant man, or a wise man.
"You are very punctual, Mr. Crawley," said the bishop. Mr.
Crawley simply bowed his head, still keeping his hands beneath.
his cloak. "Will you not take a chair nearer to the fire? " Mr.
Crawley had not seated himself, but had placed himself in front
of a chair at the extreme end of the room, resolved that he
would not use it unless he were duly asked. Now he seated
himself, still at a distance.
-
"Thank you, my lord," he said: "I am warm with walking,
and if you please, will avoid the fire. "
"You have not walked, Mr. Crawley? "
"Yes, my lord. I have been walking. "
"Not from Hogglestock! "
Now, this was a matter which Mr. Crawley certainly did not
mean to discuss with the bishop. It might be well for the bishop
to demand his presence in the palace, but it could be no part of
the bishop's duty to inquire how he got there. "That, my lord,
is a matter of no moment," said he. "I am glad at any rate
that I have been enabled to obey your Lordship's order in coming
hither on this morning. "
Hitherto Mrs. Proudie had not said a word. She stood
back in the room, near the fire,- more backward a good deal
than she was accustomed to do when clergymen made their ordi-
nary visits.
On such occasions she would come forward and
shake hands with them graciously,- graciously even if proudly:
but she felt that she must do nothing of that kind now; there
must be no shaking hands with a man who had stolen a cheque
for twenty pounds! It might probably be necessary to keep
Mr. Crawley at a distance; and therefore she had remained in
the background. But Mr. Crawley seemed to be disposed to keep
himself in the background, and therefore she could speak. "I
hope your wife and children are well, Mr. Crawley? " she said.
"Thank you, madam, my children are well, and Mrs. Crawley
suffers no special ailment at present. "
"That is much to be thankful for, Mr. Crawley. " Whether
he were or were not thankful for such mercies as these, was no
business of the bishop or the bishop's wife. That was between
him and his God. So he would not even bow to this civility,
but sat with his head erect, and with a great frown on his heavy
brow.
――――――
## p. 15048 (#632) ##########################################
15048
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
Then the bishop rose from his chair to speak, intending to
take up a position on the rug. But as he did so Mr. Crawley
rose also, and the bishop found that he would thus lose his
expected vantage. "Will you not be seated, Mr. Crawley? " said
the bishop. Mr. Crawley smiled, but stood his ground.
Then the
bishop returned to his arm-chair, and Mr. Crawley also sat down
again. "Mr. Crawley," began the bishop, "this matter which came
the other day before the magistrates at Silverbridge has been a
most unfortunate affair. It has given me, I can assure you, the
most sincere pain. "
Mr. Crawley had made up his mind how far the bishop should
be allowed to go without a rebuke. He had told himself that
it would only be natural, and would not be unbecoming, that
the bishop should allude to the meeting of the magistrates and
to the alleged theft, and that therefore such allusion should be
endured with patient humility. And moreover, the more rope
he gave the bishop, the more likely the bishop would be to en-
tangle himself. It certainly was Mr. Crawley's wish that the
bishop should entangle himself. He therefore replied very meekly,
"It has been most unfortunate, my lord. "
"I have felt for Mrs. Crawley very deeply," said Mrs. Proudie.
Mr. Crawley had now made up his mind that as long as it was
possible he would ignore the presence of Mrs. Proudie altogether;
and therefore he made no sign that he heard the latter remark.
"It has been most unfortunate," continued the bishop. "I
have never before had a clergyman in my diocese placed in so
distressing a position. "
"That is a matter of opinion, my lord," said Mr. Crawley, who
at that moment thought of a crisis which had come in the life of
another clergyman in the diocese of Barchester, with the circum-
stances of which he had by chance been made acquainted.
"Exactly," said the bishop. "And I am expressing my opin
ion. " Mr. Crawley, who understood fighting, did not think that
the time had yet come for striking a blow, so he simply bowed
again. "A most unfortunate position, Mr. Crawley," continued the
bishop. "Far be it from me to express an opinion upon the mat-
ter, which will have to come before a jury of your countrymen.
It is enough for me to know that the magistrates assembled at
Silverbridge-gentlemen to whom no doubt you must be known,
as most of them live in your neighborhood-have heard evidence
upon the subject — »
## p. 15049 (#633) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15049
―――
"Most convincing evidence," said Mrs. Proudie, interrupting
her husband. Mr. Crawley's black brow became a little blacker
as he heard the word, but still he ignored the woman. He not
only did not speak, but did not turn his eye upon her.
"They have heard the evidence on the subject," continued the
bishop, "and they have thought it proper to refer the decision as
to your innocence or your guilt to a jury of your countrymen. "
"And they were right," said Mr. Crawley.
"Very possibly. I don't deny it. Probably," said the bishop,
whose eloquence was somewhat disturbed by Mr. Crawley's ready
acquiescence.
"Of course they were right," said Mrs. Proudie.
"At any rate it is so," said the bishop. "You are in the
position of a man amenable to the criminal laws of the land. "
"There are no criminal laws, my lord," said Mr. Crawley;
"but to such laws as there are, we are all amenable,- your
Lordship and I alike. ”
"But you are so in a very particular way. I do not wish to
remind you what might be your condition now, but for the inter-
position of private friends. "
"I should be in the condition of a man not guilty before the
law, guiltless, as far as the law goes,- but kept in durance, not
for faults of his own, but because otherwise, by reason of laches
in the police, his presence at the assizes might not be insured.
In such a position a man's reputation is made to hang for a
while on the trust which some friends or neighbors may have in
it. I do not say that the test is a good one. "
"You would have been put in prison, Mr. Crawley, because
the magistrates were of the opinion that you had taken Mr.
Soames's cheque," said Mrs. Proudie. On this occasion he did
look at her. He turned one glance upon her from under his eye-
brows, but he did not speak.
"With all that I have nothing to do," said the bishop.
"Nothing whatever, my lord," said Mr. Crawley.
"But, bishop, I think that you have," said Mrs. Proudie.
"The judgment formed by the magistrates as to the conduct of
one of your clergymen makes it imperative upon you to act in
the matter. "
"Yes, my dear, yes; I am coming to that. What Mrs. Proudie
says is perfectly true. I have been constrained most unwillingly
to take action in this matter. It is undoubtedly the fact that you
## p. 15050 (#634) ##########################################
15050
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
must at the next assizes surrender yourself at the court-house
yonder, to be tried for this offense against the laws. "
"That is true. If I be alive, my lord, and have strength suf-
ficient, I shall be there. "
"You must be there," said Mrs. Proudie. "The police will
look to that, Mr. Crawley. " She was becoming very angry in
that the man would not answer her a word. On this occasion
again he did not even look at her.
"Yes; you will be there," said the bishop. "Now that is, to
say the least of it, an unseemly position for a beneficed clergy-
man. "
"You said before, my lord, that it was an unfortunate position;
and the word, methinks, was better chosen. "
་་
"It is very unseemly, very unseemly indeed," said Mrs.
Proudie; "nothing could possibly be more unseemly. The bishop
might very properly have used a much stronger word. "
"Under these circumstances," continued the bishop, "looking
to the welfare of your parish, to the welfare of the diocese, and
allow me to say, Mr. Crawley, to the welfare of yourself also-"
"And especially to the souls of the people," said Mrs. Proudie.
The bishop shook his head. It is hard to be impressively
eloquent when one is interrupted at every best turned period,
even by a supporting voice. "Yes;-and looking of course to
the religious interests of your people, Mr. Crawley, I came to
the conclusion that it would be expedient that you should cease
your ministrations for a while. " The bishop paused, and Mr.
Crawley bowed his head. "I therefore sent over to you a gen-
tleman with whom I am well acquainted - Mr. Thumble — with a
letter from myself, in which I endeavored to impress upon you,
without the use of any severe language, what my convictions
were. "
-
"Severe words are often the best mercy," said Mrs. Proudie.
Mr. Crawley had raised his hand, with his finger out, preparatory
to answering the bishop. But as Mrs. Proudie had spoken he
dropped his finger and was silent.
"Mr. Thumble brought me back your written reply," contin-
ued the bishop, "by which I was grieved to find that you were
not willing to submit yourself to my counsel in the matter. "
"I was most unwilling, my lord. Submission to authority is
at times a duty;- and at times opposition to authority is a duty
also. "
## p. 15051 (#635) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15051
Opposition to just authority cannot be a duty, Mr. Craw-
«<
ley,»
"Opposition to usurped authority is an imperative duty," said
Mr. Crawley.
"And who is to be the judge? " demanded Mrs. Proudie.
Then there was silence for a while; when, as Mr. Crawley made
no reply, the lady repeated her question. "Will you be pleased
to answer my question, sir? Who, in such a case, is to be the
judge? » But Mr. Crawley did not please to answer. "The man
is obstinate," said Mrs. Proudie.
"I had better proceed," said the bishop. "Mr. Thumble
brought me back your reply, which grieved me greatly. "
"It was contumacious and indecent," said Mrs. Proudie.
The bishop again shook his head, and looked so unutterably
miserable that a smile came across Mr. Crawley's face. After all,
others besides himself had their troubles and trials. Mrs. Proudie
saw and understood the smile, and became more angry than
ever. She drew her chair close to the table, and began to fidget
with her fingers among the papers. She had never before en-
countered a clergyman so contumacious, so indecent, so unrev-
erend, so upsetting. She had had to do with men difficult to
manage, the archdeacon, for instance; but the archdeacon had
never been so impertinent to her as this man.
She had quar-
reled once openly with a chaplain of her husband's, a clergyman
whom she herself had introduced to her husband, and who had
treated her very badly, but not so badly, not with such unscru-
pulous violence, as she was now encountering from this ill-
clothed beggarly man, this perpetual curate, with his dirty broken
boots, this already half-convicted thief! Such was her idea of
Mr. Crawley's conduct to her, while she was fingering the papers,
simply because Mr. Crawley would not speak to her.
"I forget where I was," said the bishop. "Oh, Mr. Thumble.
came back, and I received your letter;- of course I received it.
And I was surprised to learn from that, that in spite of what
had occurred at Silverbridge, you were still anxious to continue
the usual Sunday ministrations in your church. "
"
"I was determined that I would do my duty at Hogglestock
as long as I might be left there to do it," said Mr. Crawley.
"Duty! " said Mrs. Proudie.
-
―――――
—
"Just a moment, my dear," said the bishop. "When Sunday
came, I had no alternative but to send Mr. Thumble over again
to Hogglestock. It occurred to us - to me and Mrs. Proudie- »
## p. 15052 (#636) ##########################################
15052
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
"I will tell Mr. Crawley just now what has occurred to me,”
said Mrs. Proudie.
"Yes; just so. And I am sure that he will take it in good
part. It occurred to me, Mr. Crawley, that your first letter might
have been written in haste. >>
-
"It was written in haste, my lord: your messenger was
waiting. "
"Yes; just so. Well, so I sent him again, hoping that he
might be accepted as a messenger of peace. It was a most dis-
agreeable mission for any gentleman, Mr. Crawley. "
"Most disagreeable, my lord. "
"And you refused him permission to obey the instructions
which I had given him! You would not let him read from your
desk, or preach from your pulpit. "
"Had I been Mr. Thumble," said Mrs. Proudie, "I would
have read from that desk and I would have preached from that
pulpit. "
Mr. Crawley waited a moment, thinking that the bishop might
perhaps speak again; but as he did not, but sat expectant, as
though he had finished his discourse and now expected a reply,
Mr. Crawley got up from his seat and drew near to the table.
"My lord," he began, "it has all been just as you have said.
did answer your first letter in haste. "
―
"The more shame for you," said Mrs. Proudie.
"And therefore, for aught I know, my letter to your Lordship
may be so worded as to need some apology. "
"Of course it needs an apology," said Mrs. Proudie.
"But for the matter of it, my lord, no apology can be made,
nor is any needed. I did refuse to your messenger permission
to perform the services of my church, and if you send twenty
more, I shall refuse them all,-till the time may come when it
will be your Lordship's duty, in accordance with the laws of the
Church, as borne out and backed by the laws of the land, to pro-
vide during my constrained absence for the spiritual wants of
those poor people at Hogglestock. "
"Poor people, indeed," said Mrs. Proudie. "Poor wretches! "
"And my lord, it may be that it shall soon be your Lordship's
duty to take due and legal steps for depriving me of my benefice
at Hogglestock; - nay, probably for silencing me altogether as to
the exercise of my sacred profession! "
"Of course it will, sir. Your gown will be taken from you,"
said Mrs. Proudie. The bishop was looking with all his eyes up
## p. 15053 (#637) ##########################################
ANTHONY TROLLOPE
15053
at the great forehead and great eyebrows of the man, and was so
fascinated by the power that was exercised over him by the other
man's strength that he hardly now noticed his wife.
"It may well be so," continued Mr. Crawley. "The circum-
stances are strong against me; and though your Lordship has
altogether misunderstood the nature of the duty performed by
the magistrates in sending my case for trial,- although, as it
seems to me, you have come to conclusions in this matter in
ignorance of the very theory of our laws, — »
"Sir! " said Mrs. Proudie.
"Yet I can foresee the probability that a jury may discover
me to have been guilty of theft. "
"Of course the jury will do so," said Mrs. Proudie.
"Should such verdict be given, then, my lord, your interfer-
ence will be legal, proper, and necessary.
