The Warden

Conf

nto Barchester, felt that it would be difficult to communicate his own satisfaction either to his father or his father-in-law. He wanted success on his own side and discomfiture on that of his enemies. The bishop wanted peace on the su

fore the arrival of the other, the dutiful son had persuaded his

candle-sticks, a reading table, a drawer, and other paraphernalia, the position of which chair was never moved, summer or winter; and when, as was usual, the archdeacon wa

friend's health. There was a gentleness about the bishop to which the soft womanly affection of Mr Harding particularly endeared

gan the archdeacon. Mr Harding had heard so

id the bishop, pressing his

earer of the important news for c

uld;-most minute attention; and his opinion is,-and as to his opinion on such a subject being correct, no

how, arc

the gist of the matter is this:-under Hiram's will two paid guardians have been selected for

m one of the servants," said M

other to look after the money. You and Chadwick are these two servants, and whether either of you be paid too much, or too little, more or

isibly at the words servants and stipend, which, however,

he use of the hospital, the pay to be given to them must depend on the rate of pay for such services, according to

age the hospital?

is brought against you and Chadwick; that's your defence, and a p

up into his friend's face, who sat silent a

ess it to a jury, which they won't do, no twelve men in

year as eight, if the managers choose to allot it to me; and as I am one of the

and pestilent dissenters, are to interfere with an arrangement which everyone knows is essentially just and serviceable to the

eased mind; but there was no such gleam, and the poor warden continued playing sad dirges on invisible stringed instruments in all manner of positions; he was ruminating

, but he could not say whether of a whole or part; nor could he say that what he had seen were the ipsissima verba of the great man himself; b

opinion," said the warde

the use myself; of course it is essential that the purport of it sho

not be known?"

e innocent than you are in matters of business. Can't you see that if we tell them that no action will lie against you, but that one may possibl

"The only thing we have now to do," continued the archdeacon, "is to rema

ve consulted the attorney-general, and that we are advised by

do is to do nothing: why should we say anything about the founder's will? We are in possession;

hop the while watching him painfully at every turn, and the archdeacon continuing to

said the warden,

y to bear; it cannot be all roses for us here," and the archdeacon looked exceedingly moral; "besides, the matter is too trivial, of too little genera

he to be pointed at as the consumer of the bread of the poor, and to be allowed no means of refuting such charges, of clearing his begrimed name, of standing innocent in the world, as hitherto he had stood? Was he to bear all this, to receive as usual his now hated income, and be known as one of those greedy priests who by their rapacity have brought disgrace on their church? And why? Why

and whom he loved the most; but at last it burst forth from him, and with a somewhat

ithout some pain the comforts to which I have been used; and I am, as others are, anxious to prove to the world that I have been right, and to uphold the place I have held; but I cannot do it at such a cost as this. I cannot bear this. Could you tell me to do so?" And he appealed, almost

ll be asked to do nothing that is painful; you shall do just what your heart tells you to be right; you shall do whatev

ould advise; and he saw that the time had come when i

ew that an evil time was coming. "Why, my lord, there are two ways of giving advice: there is advice that may be good for the present day;

Mr Harding sat down with his back to the further wall, playing to himself some air fitted for so cala

ndoned it whenever it might be attacked, is it not plain that such attacks would be renewed till nothing was left us? and, that if so deserted, the Church of England must fall to the ground altogether? If this be true of many, it is true of one. Were you, accused as you now are, to throw up the wardenship, and to relinquish the preferment which is your property, with the vain object of proving yourself disinterested, you would fail in that object, you would inflict a desperate blow on your broth

xpostulating. Mr Harding sat un

st the Dean of Rochester, and that against half a dozen bishops; and does not everyone know that it would take up any case of the kind, right or wrong, false or true, with known justice or known injustice, if by doing so it could further its own views? Does not all the world know this of The Jupiter? Who that really knows you will think the worse of you for what The Jupiter says? And why care for those who do not know you? I will say nothing of your own comfort,

who thus tormented him, and the bishop echoed the sound faintly from behind his hands;

blow would such an act of apostasy give her! You owe it to the church of which you are a member and a minister, to bear with this affliction, however severe it may be: you owe it to my father, who instituted you, to support his rights: you owe it to those who preceded you to assert the legality of their position;

d stood self-satisfied, watching

d said; there was so much practical, but odious common sense in it, that he neither knew how to assent or to differ. If it were necessary for him to suffer, he felt that he could endure without complaint and without cowardice, providing that he was self-satisfied of the justice of his own cause. What he could not endure was, that he should be accused by others, and not acquitted by h

op it fared not much better. He did not discern clearly how things were, but he saw enough to know that a battle wa

houghts fixed themselves wholly on the means of escape from his pres

hdeacon at last, breaking the dread sile

y lord, I hope you agree with me,"

," groaned the poo

ou, wa

-he must speak and move, so he got up

all, and down the lofty steps; nor did he breathe freely till he found himself alone under the huge elms of the silent close. Here he walked long and slowly, thinking on his case with a troubled air, and trying in vain to confute the