The Last Chronicle of Barset (18 page)

‘I don't think they'll mind about my being shabby at Allington. They live very quietly there.'

‘But you say that Miss Dale is so very nice in all her ways.'

‘Lily is very nice, mamma; but I shan't mind her so much as her mother, because she knows it all. I have told her everything.'

‘But you have given me all your money, dearest.'

‘Miss Prettyman told me I was to come to her,' said Grace, who had already taken some from the schoolmistress, which at once had gone into her mother's pocket, and into houshold purposes. ‘She said I should be sure to go to Allington, and that of course I should go to her, as I must pass through Silverbridge.'

‘I hope papa will not ask about it,' said Mrs Crawley. Luckily papa did not ask about it, being at the moment occupied much with other thoughts and other troubles, and Grace was allowed to return by Silverbridge, and to take what was needed from Miss Prettyman. Who can tell of the mending and patching, of the weary wearing midnight hours of needlework which were accomplished before the poor girl went, so that she might not reach her friend's house in
actual rags? And when the work was ended, what was there to show for it? I do not think that the idea of the bare bodkin, as regarded herself, ever flitted across Mrs Crawley's brain – she being one of those who are very strong to endure; but it must have occurred to her very often that the repose of the grave is sweet, and that there cometh after death a levelling and making even of things, which would at last cure all her evils.

Grace no doubt looked forward to a levelling and making even of things – or perhaps even to something more prosperous than that, which should come to her relief on this side of the grave. She could not but have high hopes in regard to her future destiny. Although, as has been said, she understood no more than she ought to have understood from Miss Prettyman's account of the conversation with Major Grantly, still, innocent as she was, she had understood much. She knew that the man loved her, and she knew also that she loved the man. She thoroughly comprehended that the present could be to her no time for listening to speeches of love, or for giving kind answers; but still I think that she did look for relief on this side of the grave.

‘Tut, tut,' said Miss Prettyman as Grace in vain tried to conceal her tears up in the private sanctum. ‘You ought to know me by this time, and to have learned that I can understand things.' The tears had flown in return not only for the five gold sovereigns which Miss Prettyman had pressed into her hand, but on account of the prettiest, soft, grey merino frock that ever charmed a girl's eye. ‘I should like to know how many girls I have given dresses to, when they have been going out visiting. Law, my dear; they take them, many of them, from us old maids, almost as if we were only paying our debts in giving them.' And then Miss Anne gave her a cloth cloak, very warm, with pretty buttons and gimp trimmings – just such a cloak as any girl might like to wear who thought that she would be seen out walking by her Major Grantly on a Christmas morning. Grace Crawley did not expect to be seen out walking by her Major Grantly, but nevertheless she liked the cloak. By the power of her practical will, and by her true sympathy, the elder Miss Prettyman had for a while conquered the annoyance which, on Grace's part, was attached to the
receiving of gifts, by the consciousness of her poverty; and when Miss Anne, with some pride in the tone of her voice, expressed a hope that Grace would think the cloak pretty, Grace put her arms pleasantly round her friend's neck, and declared that it was very pretty – the prettiest cloak in all the world!

Grace was met at the Guestwick railway station by her friend Lilian Dale, and was driven over to Allington in a pony carriage belonging to Lilian's uncle, the squire of the parish. I think she will be excused in having put on her new cloak, not so much because of the cold as with a view of making the best of herself before Mrs Dale. And yet she knew that Mrs Dale would know all the circumstances of her poverty, and was very glad that it should be so. ‘I am so glad that you have come, dear,' said Lily. ‘It will be such a comfort.'

‘I am sure you are very good,' said Grace.

‘And mamma is so glad. From the moment that we both talked ourselves into eagerness about it – while I was writing my letter, you know, we resolved that it must be so.'

‘I'm afraid I shall be a great trouble to Mrs Dale.'

‘A trouble to mamma! Indeed you will not. You shall be a trouble to no one but me. I will have all the trouble myself, and the labour I delight in shall physic my pain.'
³

Grace Crawley could not during the journey be at home and at ease even with her friend Lily. She was going to a strange house under strange circumstances. Her father had not indeed been tried and found guilty of theft, but the charge of theft had been made against him, and the magistrates before whom it had been made had thought that the charge was true. Grace knew that all the local newspapers had told the story, and was of course aware that Mrs Dale would have heard it. Her own mind was full of it, and though she dreaded to speak of it, yet she could not be silent. Miss Dale, who understood much of this, endeavoured to talk her friend into easiness; but she feared to begin upon the one subject, and before the drive was over they were, both of them, too cold for much conversation. ‘There's mamma,' said Miss Dale as they drove up, turning out of the street of the village to the door of Mrs Dale's house. ‘She always knows, by instinct, when I am coming. You must understand now that
you are among us, that mamma and I are not mother and daughter, but two loving old ladies living together in peace and harmony. We do have our quarrels – whether the chicken shall be roast or boiled, but never anything beyond that. Mamma, here is Grace, starved to death; and she says if you don't give her some tea she will go back at once.'

‘I will give her some tea,' said Mrs Dale.

‘And I am worse than she is, because I've been driving. It's all up with Bernard and Mr Green for the next week at least. It is freezing as hard as it can freeze, and they might as well try to hunt in Lapland as here.'

‘They'll console themselves with skating,' said Mrs Dale.

‘Have you ever observed, Grace,' said Miss Dale, ‘how much amusement gentlemen require, and how imperative it is that some other game should be provided when one game fails?'

‘Not particularly,' said Grace.

‘Oh, but it is so. Now, with women, it is supposed that they can amuse themselves or live without amusement. Once or twice in a year, perhaps something is done for them. There is an arrow shooting party, or a ball, or a picnic. But the catering for men's sport is never-ending, and is always paramount to everything else. And yet the pet game of the day never goes off properly. In partridge time, the partridges are wild, and won't come to be killed. In hunting time the foxes won't run straight – the wretches. They show no spirit, and will take to ground to save their brushes. Then comes a nipping frost, and skating is proclaimed; but the ice is always rough, and the woodcocks have deserted the country. And as for salmon – when the summer comes round I do really believe that they suffer a great deal about the salmon. I'm sure they never catch any. So they go back to their clubs and their cards, and their billiards, and abuse their cooks and blackball their friends. That's about it, mamma; is it not?'

‘You know more about it than I do, my dear.'

‘Because I have to listen to Bernard, as you never will do. We've got such a Mr Green down here, Grace. He's such a duck of a man – such top-boots and all the rest of it. And yet they whisper to me that he doesn't ride always to hounds. And to see him play billiards is
beautiful, only he can never make a stroke. I hope you play billiards, Grace, because uncle Christopher has just had a new table put up.'

‘I never saw a billiard-table yet,' said Grace.

‘Then Mr Green shall teach you. He'll do anything that you ask him. If you don't approve the colour of the ball, he'll go to London to get you another one. Only you must be very careful about saying that you like anything before him, as he'll be sure to have it for you the next day. Mamma happened to say that she wanted a fourpenny postage-stamp, and he walked off to Guestwick to get it for her instantly, although it was lunch-time.'

‘He did nothing of the kind, Lily,' said her mother. ‘He was going to Guestwick, and was very good-natured, and brought me back a postage-stamp that I wanted.'

‘Of course he's good-natured, I know that. And there's my cousin Bernard. He's Captain Dale, you know. But he prefers to be called Mr Dale, because he has left the army, and has set up as junior squire of the parish. Uncle Christopher is the real squire; only Bernard does all the work. And now you know all about us. I'm afraid you'll find us dull enough – unless you can take a fancy to Mr Green.'

‘Does Mr Green live here?' asked Grace.

‘No; he does not live here. I never heard of his living anywhere. He was something once, but I don't know what; and I don't think he's anything now in particular. But he's Bernard's friend, and like most men, as one sees them, he never has much to do. Does Major Grantly ever go forth to fight his country's battles?' This last question she asked in a low whisper, so that the words did not reach her mother. Grace blushed up to her eyes, however, as she answered – ‘I think that Major Grantly has left the army.'

‘We shall get her round in a day or two, mamma,' said Lily Dale to her mother that night. ‘I'm sure it will be the best thing to force her to talk of her troubles.'

‘I would not use too much force, my dear.'

‘Things are better when they're talked about. I'm sure they are. And it will be good to make her accustomed to speak of Major Grantly. From what Mary Walker tells me, he certainly means it. And if so, she should be ready for it when it comes.'

‘Do not make her ready for what may never come.'

‘No, mamma, but she is at present such a child that she knows nothing of her own powers. She should be made to understand that it is possible that even a Major Grantly may think himself fortunate in being allowed to love her.'

‘I should leave all that to Nature, if I were you,' said Mrs Dale.

Lord Lufton, as he drove home to Framley after the meeting of the magistrates at Silverbridge, discussed the matter with his brother-in-law, Mark Robarts, the clergyman. Lord Lufton was driving a dog-cart, and went along the road at the rate of twelve miles an hour. ‘I'll tell you what it is, Mark,' he said, ‘that man is innocent; but if he won't employ lawyers at his trial, the jury will find him guilty.'

‘I don't know what to think about it,' said the clergyman.

‘Were you in the room when he protested so vehemently that he did not know where he got the money?'

‘I was in the room all the time.'

‘And did you not believe him when he said that?'

‘Yes – I think I did.'

‘Anybody must have believed him – except old Tempest, who never believes anybody, and Fothergill, who always suspects everybody. The truth is, that he found the cheque and put it by, and did not remember anything about it.'

‘But, Lufton, surely that would amount to stealing it.'

‘Yes, if it wasn't that he is such a poor, cracked, crazy creature, with his mind all abroad. I think Soames did drop his book in his house. I'm sure Soames would not say so unless he was quite confident. Somebody has picked it up, and in some way the cheque has got into Crawley's hand. Then he has locked it up and has forgotten all about
it; and when that butcher threatened him, he has put his hand upon it, and he has thought, or believed, that it had come from Soames or from the dean, or from heaven, if you will. When a man is so crazy as that, you can't judge of him as you do of others.'

‘But a jury must judge of him as it would of others.'

‘And therefore there should be a lawyer to tell the jury what to do. They should have somebody up out of the parish to show that he is beside himself half his time. His wife would be the best person, only it would be hard lines on her.'

‘Very hard. And after all he would only escape by being shown to be mad.'

‘And he is mad.'

‘Mrs Proudie would come upon him in such a case as that, and sequester his living.'

‘And what will Mrs Proudie do when he's a convicted thief? Simply unfrock him, and take away his living altogether. Nothing on earth should induce me to find him guilty if I were on a jury.'

‘But you have committed him.'

‘Yes – I've been one, at least, in doing so. I simply did that which Walker told us we must do. A magistrate is not left to himself as a juryman is. I'd eat the biggest pair of boots in Barchester before I found him guilty. I say, Mark, you must talk it over with the women, and see what can be done for them. Lucy tells me that they're so poor, that if they have bread to eat, it's as much as they have.'

On this evening Archdeacon Grantly and his wife dined and slept at Framley Court, there having been a very long family friendship between old Lady Lufton and the Grantlys, and Dr Thorne with his wife, from Chaldicotes, also dined at Framley. There was also there another clergyman from Barchester, Mr Champion, one of the prebends
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of the cathedral. There were only three now who had houses in the city since the retrenchments of the ecclesiastical commission had come into full force.
²
And this Mr Champion was dear to the Dowager Lady Lufton, because he carried on worthily the clerical war against the bishop which had raged in Barsetshire ever since Dr Proudie had come there – which war old Lady Lufton, good and pious and charitable as she was, considered that she was bound to
keep up, even to the knife, till Dr Proudie and all his satellites should have been banished into the outer darkness. As the light of the Proudies still shone brightly, it was probable that poor old Lady Lufton might die before her battle was accomplished. She often said that it would be so, but when so saying, always expressed a wish that the fight might be carried on after her death. ‘I shall never, never rest in my grave,' she had once said to the archdeacon, ‘while that woman sits in your father's palace.' For the archdeacon's father had been Bishop of Barchester before Dr Proudie. What mode of getting rid of the bishop or his wife Lady Lufton proposed to herself, I am unable to say; but I think she lived in hopes that in some way it might be done. If only the bishop could have been found to have stolen a cheque for twenty pounds instead of poor Mr Crawley, Lady Lufton would, I think, have been satisfied.