to go hither and thither as she was told, and to do as she was bid.  Her hope was that Miss Prettyman would allow her to go back to her teaching, but it had come to be understood among them all that nothing was to be said on that subject till the trial should be over.  Till that time she would be passive.  But then, as I have said, had come the news from Mrs Arabin, and Grace, with all the others, understood that there would be no trial.  When this was known and acknowledged, she declared her purpose of going back to Hogglestock.  She would go back at once.  When asked both by Lady Lufton and Mrs Robarts why she was in so great a haste, she merely said that it must be so.  She was, as it were, absolved from her passive obedience to Framley authorities by the diminution of the family misfortunes.

Mrs Robarts understood the feeling by which Grace was hurried away.  ’Do you know why she is so obstinate?’ Lady Lufton asked.

‘I think I do,’ said Mrs Robarts.

‘And what is it?’

’Should Major Grantly renew his offer to her she is under a pledge to accept him now.’

‘Of course he will renew it, and of course she will accept him.’

’Just so.  But she prefers that he should come for her to her own house—­because of the poverty.  If he chooses to seek her there, I don’t think she will make much difficulty.’  Lady Lufton demurred at this, not however with anger, and expressed a certain amount of mild displeasure.  She did not quite see why Major Grantly should not be allowed to come and do his love-making comfortably, where there was a decent dinner for him to eat, and chairs and tables and sofas and carpets.  She said that she thought that something was due to Major Grantly.  She was in truth a little disappointed that she was not allowed to have her own way, and to arrange the marriage at Framley under her own eye.  But, through it all, she appreciated Grace; and they who knew her well and heard what she said upon the occasion, understood that her favour was not to be withdrawn.  All young women were divided by the old Lady Lufton into sheep and goats—­very white sheep and very black goats—­and Grace was to be a sheep.  Thus it came to pass that Grace Crawley was at home when the dean visited Hogglestock.  ‘Mamma,’ she said, looking out of the window, ‘there is the dean with papa at the gate.’

‘It was a narrow squeak—­a very narrow squeak,’ Mr Crawley had said when his friend had congratulated him on his escape.  The dean felt at the moment that not for many years had he heard the incumbent of Hogglestock speak either of himself or of anything else with so manifest an attempt at jocularity.  Arabin had expected to find the man broken down by the weight of his sorrows, and lo! at the first moment of their first interview he himself began to ridicule them!  Crawley having thus alluded to the narrow squeak had asked his visitor to enter the house and see his wife.

‘Of course I will,’ said Arabin, ’but I will speak just a word to you first.’  Jane who had accompanied the dean from the school, now left them, and went into the house to her mother.  ’My wife cannot forgive herself about the cheque,’ continued he.