On the afternoon of the next day, Mrs Baxter wrote
another letter, in which she told Mrs Grantly that
her father had declared, at his usual hour of rising
that morning, that he was not going to the cathedral,
he would, he thought, lie in bed a little longer.
And then he had been in bed the whole day. ’And
perhaps, honoured madam, looking at all things, it’s
best as he should,’ said Mrs Baxter.
LADY LUFTON’S PROPOSITION
It was now known throughout Barchester that a commission
was to be held by the bishop’s orders, at which
inquiry would be made—that is, ecclesiastical
inquiry—as to the guilt imputed to Mr Crawley
in the matter of Mr Soames’s cheque. Sundry
rumours had gone abroad as to quarrels which had taken
place on the subject among certain clergymen high
in office; but these were simply rumours, and nothing
was in truth known. There was no more discreet
clergyman in the diocese than Dr Tempest, and not
a word had escaped from him as to the stormy nature
of that meeting in the bishop’s palace, at which
he had attended with the bishop—and at
which Mrs Proudie had attended also. When it is
said that the fact of this coming commission was known
to all Barsetshire, allusion is of course made to
that portion of the inhabitants of Barsetshire to
which clerical matters were dear;—and as
such matters were specially dear to the inhabitants
of the parish of Framley, the commission was discussed
very eagerly in that parish, and was specially discussed
by the Dowager Lady Lufton.
And there was a double interest attached to the commission
in the parish of Framley by the fact that Mr Robarts,
the vicar, had been invited by Dr Tempest to be one
of the clergymen who were to assist in making the
inquiry. ‘I also to propose to ask Mr Oriel
of Greshambury to join us,’ said Dr Tempest.
’The bishop wishes to appoint the other two,
and has already named Mr Thumble and Mr Quiverful,
who are both residents in the city. Perhaps his
lordship may be right in thinking it better that the
matter should not be left altogether in the hands of
clergymen who hold livings in the diocese. You
are no doubt aware that neither Mr Thumble nor Mr
Quiverful do hold any benefice.’ Mr Robarts
felt—as everybody else did feel who knew
anything of the matter—that Bishop Proudie
was singularly ignorant of his knowledge of men, and
that he showed his ignorance on this special occasion.
’If he intended to name two such men he should
at any rate have named three,’ said Dr Thorne.
’Mr Thumble and Mr Quiverful will simply be
outvoted on the first day, and after that will give
in their adhesion to the majority.’ ‘Mr
Thumble indeed!’ Lady Lufton had said, with
much scorn in her voice. To her thinking, it was
absurd in the highest degree that such men as Dr Tempest
and her Mr Robarts should be asked to meet Mr Thumble
and Mr Quiverful on a matter of ecclesiastical business.
