Barchester Towers

wrath of the denizens of the close, none had been more animated against the intruder than those two ladies. And this was natural. Who could be so proud of the musical distinction of their own c

nounced, as the page in buttons opened Mrs Bold's drawing-room door. Indeed, what living man could, by a mere morning visit, have surprised them more? Here was the great enemy of all that was good in Barchester coming into their own drawing-room, and they ha

s he would have done for the best canon of them all. He had touched the baby's little hand and blessed him with a fervid blessing; he had spoken to the widow of her early sorrows, and Eleanor's silent tears had not rebuked him; he had told Mary Bold that her devotion would be rewar

o say a soft word in the proper place; he knows how to adapt his flattery to the ears of his hearers; he knows the wiles of the serpent and he uses them.

im to utter a word in disparagement of a man, of whom all the world, at least the clerical world, spoke of so highly as it did of Mr Harding. And so he went on, unsaying a great deal of his sermon, expressing his highest admiration for the precentor's musical talents, eulogising the father and the daughter and the sister-in-law, speaking in

wider than usual when he heard what had occurred, but he said little; he could not agree in any praise of Mr Slope, and it was not his practice to say much evil of any one. He

evil of Mr Slope. He had come to tell her that the place of warden in Hiram's hospital was again to be f

, 'I shall be greatly sh

so, p

l on our feet again,' continued he, 'settles my i

ght hundred! Well; that is rather shabby. But stil

in his tone and manner, and in the quick, pleasant way in which he paced Eleanor's drawing-room. 'It's w

d as she spoke, the young widow put her arm within his, and made him

want. I shall have my old house; and I don't mind owning now that I have felt sometimes the inconvenience of living in a lodging. Lodg

all Barchester has been more respected than you have been since you took those rooms

hter confined her illustration to the church dignitaries of the chapter of Barchester; 'but at any rate, I shall be glad to get back t

papa, till it is settl

back to my old men again. Alas! Alas! There have six of them gone in the few last years. Six out o

iram's charity; and old man, now over ninety,

oftly. 'How happy they all will be to have you back again.' You may be

ich will be terrible to me. There are to be twelve old women,

l manage the wo

anage the mat

self, I suppose. But, papa, where will the matron live? S

hope not,

rly. I won't have a matro

ing to build another house for the matron and the women; and I

pointed the matro

ointed the warden

about that, I suppos

so, and sufficient impudence to carry out such a will. The archdeacon was of the opinion, that though Mr Harding had resigned his wardenship, and had done so unconditionally, he had done so under circumstances which left the b

ion of the warden's income as a paltry scheme on the part of government for escaping from a difficulty into which it had been brought by the public press. Dr Grantly observed that the government had no more right to dispose of a sum of four hundred and fifty pounds a year out of the income of Hiram's legacy, than of nine hundred; whereas, as he said, the bishop, dean and chapter clearly had a right to settle what sum should be paid. He also declared t

e by the touch of Whig commissioners; that the place with the lessened income, its old women, and other innovations, was very different from the hospital of former days; still the archdeacon was too practic

n; but he was able to console himself with the reflection, that, after all, such an arrangement might be of real service to the poor of the city. The thought that he must receive his re-appointment as the gift of the new bishop, and probably through the hands of Mr Slope, annoyed him a little; but his mind was set at rest b

t have to ask

anting of which might possibly be made a question to be settled by Mr Slope. No,' said he, moved for a moment by a spirit very unlike his own, 'I certainly sha

t learnt to like Mr Slope, but she had learnt to think that he had much respect for her father; and

ink you somewhat mistak

said he,

onal disrespect to you when he preached the sermon

ould be unworthy of any inquiry, and very unworthy of the consideration of the chapter. But I fear he intended disr

uty to express his dissent from that which yo

ligious convictions of his elders of the church. Courtesy should ha

subject the commands of his heavenly Ma

ng courteou

ot say th

susceptible to urbane and courteous conduct among men, than any other study which men take up. I am sorry to say that I cannot defend Mr Slope's sermon in the cathedral. But come, my dear, put o

illingly, she was about to leave for an hour or so, and then sauntered forth with her father to revisit the old hospital.