The Last Chronicle of Barset

  CHAPTER LXVIII.

  THE OBSTINACY OF MR. CRAWLEY.

  Dr. Tempest, when he heard the news, sent immediately to Mr. Robarts,begging him to come over to Silverbridge. But this message wasnot occasioned solely by the death of Mrs. Proudie. Dr. Tempesthad also heard that Mr. Crawley had submitted himself to thebishop, that instant advantage,--and as Dr. Tempest thought, unfairadvantage,--had been taken of Mr. Crawley's submission, and that thepernicious Thumble had been at once sent over to Hogglestock. Hadthese palace doings with reference to Mr. Crawley been unaccompaniedby the catastrophe which had happened, the doctor, much as he mighthave regretted them, would probably have felt that there was nothingto be done. He could not in such case have prevented Thumble'sjourney to Hogglestock on the next Sunday, and certainly he couldnot have softened the heart of the presiding genius at the palace.But things were very different now. The presiding genius was gone.Everybody at the palace would for a while be weak and vacillating.Thumble would be then thoroughly cowed; and it might at any rate bepossible to make some movement in Mr. Crawley's favour. Dr. Tempest,therefore, sent for Mr. Robarts.

  "I'm giving you a great deal of trouble, Robarts," said the doctor;"but then you are so much younger than I am, and I've an ideathat you would do more for this poor man than any one else in thediocese." Mr. Robarts of course declared that he did not begrudge histrouble, and that he would do anything in his power for the poor man."I think that you should see him again, and that you should then seeThumble also. I don't know whether you can condescend to be civil toThumble. I could not."

  "I am not quite sure that incivility would not be more efficacious,"said Mr. Robarts.

  "Very likely. There are men who are deaf as adders to courtesy, butwho are compelled to obedience at once by ill-usage. Very likelyThumble is one of them; but of that you will be the best judgeyourself. I would see Crawley first, and get his consent."

  "That's the difficulty."

  "Then I should go on without his consent, and I would see Thumble andthe bishop's chaplain, Snapper. I think you might manage just at thismoment, when they will all be a little abashed and perplexed by thiswoman's death, to arrange that simply nothing shall be done. Thegreat thing will be that Crawley should go on with the duty till theassizes. If it should then happen that he goes into Barchester, isacquitted, and comes back again, the whole thing will be over, andthere will be no further interference in the parish. If I were you,I think I would try it." Mr. Robarts said that he would try it. "Idaresay Mr. Crawley will be a little stiff-necked with you."

  "He will be very stiff-necked with me," said Mr. Robarts.

  "But I can hardly think that he will throw away the only means he hasof supporting his wife and children, when he finds that there can beno occasion for his doing so. I do not suppose that any person wisheshim to throw up his work now that that poor woman has gone."

  Mr. Crawley had been almost in good spirits since the last visitwhich Mr. Thumble had made to him. It seemed as though the loss ofeverything in the world was in some way satisfactory to him. He hadnow given up his living by his own doing, and had after a fashionacknowledged his guilt by this act. He had proclaimed to all aroundhim that he did not think himself to be any longer fit to perform thesacred functions of his office. He spoke of his trial as though averdict against him must be the result. He knew that in going intoprison he would leave his wife and children dependent on the charityof their friends,--on charity which they must condescend to accept,though he could not condescend to ask it. And yet he was able tocarry himself now with a greater show of fortitude than had beenwithin his power when the extent of his calamity was more doubtful.I must not ask the reader to suppose that he was cheerful. To havebeen cheerful under such circumstances would have been inhuman.But he carried his head on high, and walked firmly, and gave hisorders at home with a clear voice. His wife, who was necessarily moredespondent than ever, wondered at him,--but wondered in silence. Itcertainly seemed as though the very extremity of ill-fortune wasgood for him. And he was very diligent with his school, passing thegreater part of the morning with the children. Mr. Thumble had toldhim that he would come on Sunday, and that he would then take chargeof the parish. Up to the coming of Mr. Thumble he would do everythingin the parish that could be done by a clergyman with a clear spiritand a free heart. Mr. Thumble should not find that spiritual weedshad grown rank in the parish because of his misfortunes.

  Mrs. Proudie had died on the Tuesday,--that having been the day ofMr. Thumble's visit to Hogglestock,--and Mr. Robarts had gone over toSilverbridge, in answer to Dr. Tempest's invitation, on the Thursday.He had not, therefore, the command of much time, it being his expressobject to prevent the appearance of Mr. Thumble at Hogglestockon the next Sunday. He had gone to Silverbridge by railway, andhad, therefore, been obliged to postpone his visit to Mr. Crawleytill the next day; but early on the Friday morning he rode overto Hogglestock. That he did not arrive there with a broken-knee'dhorse, the reader may be quite sure. In all matters of that sort, Mr.Robarts was ever above reproach. He rode a good horse, and drove aneat gig, and was always well dressed. On this account Mr. Crawley,though he really liked Mr. Robarts, and was thankful to him for manykindnesses, could never bear his presence with perfect equanimity.Robarts was no scholar, was not a great preacher, had obtained nocelebrity as a churchman,--had, in fact, done nothing to merit greatreward; and yet everything had been given to him with an abundanthand. Within the last twelvemonth his wife had inherited Mr. Crawleydid not care to know how many thousand pounds. And yet Mr. Robartshad won all that he possessed by being a clergyman. Was it possiblethat Mr. Crawley should regard such a man with equanimity? Robartsrode over with a groom behind him,--really taking the groom becausehe knew that Mr. Crawley would have no one to hold his horse forhim;--and the groom was the source of great offence. He came upon Mr.Crawley standing at the school door, and stopping at once, jumped offhis nag. There was something in the way in which he sprang out of thesaddle and threw the reins to the man, which was not clerical in Mr.Crawley's eyes. No man could be so quick in the matter of a horsewho spent as many hours with the poor and with the children asshould be spent by a parish clergyman. It might be probable that Mr.Robarts had never stolen twenty pounds,--might never be accused ofso disgraceful a crime,--but, nevertheless, Mr. Crawley had his ownideas, and made his own comparisons.

  "Crawley," said Robarts, "I am so glad to find you at home."

  "I am generally to be found in the parish," said the perpetual curateof Hogglestock.

  "I know you are," said Robarts, who knew the man well, and carednothing for his friend's peculiarities when he felt his own withersto be unwrung. "But you might have been down at Hoggle End with thebrickmakers, and then I should have had to go after you."

  "I should have grieved--," began Crawley; but Robarts interrupted himat once.

  "Let us go for a walk, and I'll leave the man with the horses. I'vesomething special to say to you, and I can say it better out herethan in the house. Grace is quite well, and sends her love. She isgrowing to look so beautiful!"

  "I hope she may grow in grace with God," said Mr. Crawley.

  "She's as good a girl as I ever knew. By-the-by, you had HenryGrantly over here the other day?"

  "Major Grantly, whom I cannot name without expressing my esteem forhim, did do us the honour of calling upon us not very long since. Ifit be with reference to him that you have taken this trouble--"

  "No, no; not at all. I'll allow him and the ladies to fight out thatbattle. I've not the least doubt in the world how that will go. WhenI'm told that she made a complete conquest of the archdeacon, therecannot be a doubt about that."

  "A conquest of the archdeacon!"

  But Mr. Robarts did not wish to have to explain anything furtherabout the archdeacon. "Were you not terribly shocked, Crawley," heasked, "when you heard of the death of Mrs. Proudie?"

  "It was sudden and very awful," said Mr. Crawley. "Such deaths arealways shocking. Not more so, perhaps, as regards
the wife of abishop, than with any other woman."

  "Only we happened to know her."

  "No doubt the finite and meagre nature of our feelings does preventus from extending our sympathies to those whom we have not seenin the flesh. It should not be so, and would not with one who hadnurtured his heart with proper care. And we are prone to permit anevil worse than that to canker our regards and to foster and to marour solicitudes. Those who are high in station strike us more bytheir joys and sorrows than do the poor and lowly. Were some youngduke's wife, wedded but the other day, to die, all England would puton some show of mourning,--nay, would feel some true gleam of pity;but nobody cares for the widowed brickmaker seated with his starvinginfant on his cold hearth."

  "Of course we hear more of the big people," said Robarts.

  "Ay; and think more of them. But do not suppose, sir, that I complainof this man or that woman because his sympathies, or hers, run out ofthat course which my reason tells me they should hold. The man withwhom it would not be so would simply be a god among men. It is inhis perfection as a man that we recognize the divinity of Christ. Itis in the imperfection of men that we recognize our necessity for aChrist. Yes, sir, the death of the poor lady at Barchester was verysudden. I hope that my lord the bishop bears with becoming fortitudethe heavy misfortune. They say that he was a man much beholden to hiswife,--prone to lean upon her in his goings out and comings in. Forsuch a man such a loss is more dreadful perhaps than for another."

  "They say she led him a terrible life, you know."

  "I am not prone, sir, to believe much of what I hear about thedomesticities of other men, knowing how little any other man can knowof my own. And I have, methinks, observed a proneness in the world toridicule that dependence on a woman which every married man shouldacknowledge in regard to the wife of his bosom, if he can trust heras well as love her. When I hear jocose proverbs spoken as to men,such as that in this house the gray mare is the better horse, or thatin that house the wife wears that garment which is supposed to denotevirile command, knowing that the joke is easy, and that meekness ina man is more truly noble than a habit of stern authority, I do notallow them to go far with me in influencing my judgment."

  So spoke Mr. Crawley, who never permitted the slightest interferencewith his own word in his own family, and who had himself been awitness of one of those scenes between the bishop and his wife inwhich the poor bishop had been so cruelly misused. But to Mr. Crawleythe thing which he himself had seen under such circumstances was assacred as though it had come to him under the seal of confession. Inspeaking of the bishop and Mrs. Proudie,--nay, as far as was possiblein thinking of them,--he was bound to speak and to think as though hehad not witnessed that scene in the palace study.

  "I don't suppose that there is much doubt about her real character,"said Robarts. "But you and I need not discuss that."

  "By no means. Such discussion would be both useless and unseemly."

  "And just at present there is something else that I specially wantto say to you. Indeed, I went to Silverbridge on the same subjectyesterday, and have come here expressly to have a little conversationwith you."

  "If it be about affairs of mine, Mr. Robarts, I am indeed troubled inspirit that so great labour should have fallen upon you."

  "Never mind my labour. Indeed your saying that is a nuisance to me,because I hoped that by this time you would have understood that Iregard you as a friend, and that I think nothing any trouble thatI do for a friend. Your position just now is so peculiar that itrequires a great deal of care."

  "No care can be of any avail to me."

  "There I disagree with you. You must excuse me, but I do; and so doesDr. Tempest. We think that you have been a little too much in a hurrysince he communicated to you the result of our first meeting."

  "As how, sir?"

  "It is, perhaps, hardly worth while for us to go into the wholequestion but that man, Thumble, must not come here on next Sunday."

  "I cannot say, Mr. Robarts, that the Reverend Mr. Thumble hasrecommended himself to me strongly either by his outward symbols ofmanhood or by such manifestation of his inward mental gifts as I havesucceeded in obtaining. But my knowledge of him has been so slight,and has been acquired in a manner so likely to bias me prejudiciallyagainst him, that I am inclined to think my opinion should go fornothing. It is, however, the fact that the bishop has nominated himto this duty; and that, as I have myself simply notified my desireto be relieved from the care of the parish, on account of certainunfitness of my own, I am the last man who should interfere with thebishop in the choice of my temporary successor."

  "It was her choice, not his."

  "Excuse me, Mr. Robarts, but I cannot allow that assertion to passunquestioned. I must say that I have adequate cause for believingthat he came here by his lordship's authority."

  "No doubt he did. Will you just listen to me for a moment? Ever sincethis unfortunate affair of the cheque became known, Mrs. Proudie hasbeen anxious to get you out of this parish. She was a violent woman,and chose to take this matter up violently. Pray hear me out beforeyou interrupt me. There would have been no commission at all but forher."

  "The commission is right and proper and just," said Mr. Crawley, whocould not keep himself silent.

  "Very well. Let it be so. But Mr. Thumble's coming over here is notproper or right; and you may be sure the bishop does not wish it."

  "Let him send any other clergyman whom he may think more fitting,"said Mr. Crawley.

  "But we do not want him to send anybody."

  "Somebody must be sent, Mr. Robarts."

  "No, not so. Let me go over and see Thumble and Snapper,--Snapper,you know, is the domestic chaplain; and all that you need do is to goon with your services on Sunday. If necessary, I will see the bishop.I think you may be sure that I can manage it. If not, I will comeback to you." Mr. Robarts paused for an answer, but it seemed forawhile that all Mr. Crawley's impatient desire to speak was over. Hewalked on silently along the lane by his visitor's side, and when,after some five or six minutes, Robarts stood still in the road, Mr.Crawley even then said nothing. "It cannot be but that you should beanxious to keep the income of the parish for your wife and children,"said Mark Robarts.

  "Of course, I am anxious for my wife and children," Crawley answered.

  "Then let me do as I say. Why should you throw away a chance, even ifit be a bad one? But here the chance is all in your favour. Let memanage it for you at Barchester."

  "Of course I am anxious for my wife and children," said Crawley,repeating his words; "how anxious, I fancy no man can conceive whohas not been near enough to absolute want to know how terrible is itsapproach when it threatens those who are weak and who are very dear!But, Mr. Robarts, you spoke just now of the chance of the thing,--thechance of your arranging on my behalf that I should for a whilelonger be left in the enjoyment of the freehold of my parish. Itseemeth to me that there should be no chance on such a subject;that in the adjustment of so momentous a matter there should be aconsideration of right and wrong, and no consideration of aughtbeside. I have been growing to feel, for some weeks past, thatcircumstances,--whether through my own fault or not is an outsidequestion as to which I will not further delay you by offering even anopinion,--that unfortunate circumstances have made me unfit to remainhere as guardian of the souls of the people of this parish. Thenthere came to me the letter from Dr. Tempest,--for which I am greatlybeholden to him,--strengthening me altogether in this view. Whatcould I do then, Mr. Robarts? Could I allow myself to think of mywife and my children when such a question as that was before me forself-discussion?"

  "I would,--certainly," said Robarts.

  "No, sir! Excuse the bluntness of my contradiction, but I feelassured that in such emergency you would look solely to duty,--as byGod's help, I will endeavour to do. Mr. Robarts, there are many of uswho in many things, are much worse than we believe ourselves to be.But in other matters, and perhaps of larger moment, we can rise toideas of duty as the need for such idea
s comes upon us. I say notthis at all as praising myself. I speak of men as I believe thatthey will be found to be;--of yourself, of myself, and of others whostrive to live with clean hands and a clear conscience. I do not fora moment think that you would retain your benefice at Framley ifthere had come upon you, after much thought, an assured convictionthat you could not retain it without grievous injury to the souls ofothers and grievous sin to your own. Wife and children, dear as theyare to you and to me,--as dear to me as to you,--fade from the sightwhen the time comes for judgment on such a matter as that!" They werestanding quite still now, facing each other, and Crawley, as he spokewith a low voice, looked straight into his friend's eyes, and kepthis hand firmly fixed on his friend's arm.

  "I cannot interfere further," said Robarts.

  "No,--you cannot interfere further." Robarts, when he told the storyof the interview to his wife that evening, declared that he had neverheard a voice so plaintively touching as was the voice of Mr. Crawleywhen he uttered those last words.

  They returned back to the servant and the house almost without aword, and Robarts mounted without offering to see Mrs. Crawley. Nordid Mr. Crawley ask him to do so. It was better now that Robartsshould go. "May God send you through all your troubles," said Mr.Robarts.

  "Mr. Robarts, I thank you warmly, for your friendship," said Mr.Crawley. And then they parted. In about half an hour Mr. Crawleyreturned to the house. "Now for Pindar, Jane," he said, seatinghimself at his old desk.