CHAPTER LV.
FRAMLEY PARSONAGE.
At this time Grace Crawley was at Framley Parsonage. Old LadyLufton's strategy had been quite intelligible, but some people saidthat in point of etiquette and judgment and moral conduct, it wasindefensible. Her vicar, Mr. Robarts, had been selected to be oneof the clergymen who was to sit in ecclesiastical judgment upon Mr.Crawley, and while he was so sitting Mr. Crawley's daughter wasstaying in Mr. Robarts' house as a visitor with his wife! It mightbe that there was no harm in this. Lady Lufton, when the apparentimpropriety was pointed out to her by no less a person thanArchdeacon Grantly, ridiculed the idea. "My dear archdeacon," LadyLufton had said, "we all know the bishop to be such a fool and thebishop's wife to be such a knave, that we cannot allow ourselves tobe governed in this matter by ordinary rules. Do you not think thatit is expedient to show how utterly we disregard his judgment andher malice?" The archdeacon had hesitated much before he spoke toLady Lufton, whether he should address himself to her or to Mr.Robarts,--or indeed to Mrs. Robarts. But he had become aware thatthe proposition as to the visit had originated with Lady Lufton, andhe had therefore decided on speaking to her. He had not condescendedto say a word as to his son, nor would he so condescend. Nor couldhe go from Lady Lufton to Mr. Robarts, having once failed with herladyship. Indeed, in giving him his due, we must acknowledge thathis disapprobation of Lady Lufton's strategy arose rather from histrue conviction as to its impropriety, than from any fear lestthis attention paid to Miss Crawley should tend to bring abouther marriage with his son. By this time he hated the very name ofCrawley. He hated it the more because in hating it he had to puthimself for the time on the same side with Mrs. Proudie. But for allthat he would not condescend to any unworthy mode of fighting. Hethought it wrong that the young lady should be invited to FramleyParsonage at this moment, and he said so to the person who had, as hethought, in truth, given the invitation but he would not allow hisown personal motives to induce him to carry on the argument with LadyLufton. "The bishop is a fool," he said, "and the bishop's wife isa knave. Nevertheless I would not have had the young lady over toFramley at this moment. If, however, you think it right and Robartsthinks it right, there is an end of it."
"Upon my word we do," said Lady Lufton.
I am induced to think that Mr. Robarts was not quite confident of theexpediency of what he was doing by the way in which he mentioned toMr. Oriel the fact of Miss Crawley's presence at the parsonage as hedrove that gentleman home in his gig. They had been talking about Mr.Crawley when he suddenly turned himself round, so that he could lookat his companion, and said, "Miss Crawley is staying with us at theparsonage at the present moment."
"What! Mr. Crawley's daughter?" said Mr. Oriel, showing plainly byhis voice that the tidings had much surprised him.
"Yes; Mr. Crawley's daughter."
"Oh, indeed. I did not know that you were on those terms with thefamily."
"We have known them for the last seven or eight years," said Mark;"and though I should be giving you a false notion if I were to saythat I myself have known them intimately,--for Crawley is a manwhom it is quite impossible to know intimately,--yet the womankindat Framley have known them. My sister stayed with them over atHogglestock for some time."
"What; Lady Lufton?"
"Yes; my sister Lucy. It was just before her marriage. There was alot of trouble, and the Crawleys were all ill, and she went to nursethem. And then the old lady took them up, and altogether there cameto be a sort of feeling that they were to be regarded as friends.They are always in trouble, and now in this special trouble the womenbetween them have thought it best to have the girl over at Framley.Of course I had a kind of feeling about this commission but as Iknew that it would make no difference with me I did not think itnecessary to put my veto upon the visit." Mr. Oriel said nothingfurther, but Mark Robarts was aware that Mr. Oriel did not quiteapprove of the visit.
That morning old Lady Lufton herself had come across to the parsonagewith the express view of bidding all the parsonage party to comeacross to the hall to dine. "You can tell Mr. Oriel, Fanny, withLucy's compliments, how delighted she will be to see him." Old LadyLufton always spoke of her daughter-in-law as the mistress of thehouse. "If you think he is particular, you know, we will send a noteacross." Mrs. Robarts said that she supposed Mr. Oriel would not beparticular, but, looking at Grace, made some faint excuse. "You mustcome, my dear," said Lady Lufton. "Lucy wishes it particularly." Mrs.Robarts did not know how to say that she would not come; and so thematter stood,--when Mrs. Robarts was called upon to leave the roomfor a moment, and Lady Lufton and Grace were left alone.
"Dear Lady Lufton," said Grace, getting up suddenly from her chair;"will you do me a favour,--a great favour?" She spoke with an energywhich quite surprised the old lady, and caused her almost to startfrom her seat.
"I don't like making promises," said Lady Lufton "but anything I cando with propriety I will."
"You can do this. Pray let me stay here to-day. You don't understandhow I feel about going out while papa is in this way. I know howkind and how good you all are; and when dear Mrs. Robarts asked mehere, and mamma said that I had better come, I could not refuse. Butindeed, indeed, I had rather not go out to a dinner-party."
"It is not a party, my dear girl," said Lady Lufton, with the kindestvoice which she knew how to assume. "And you must remember that mydaughter-in-law regards you as so very old a friend! You remember, ofcourse, when she was staying over at Hogglestock?"
"Indeed I do. I remember it well."
"And therefore you should not regard it as going out. There will benobody there but ourselves and the people from this house."
"But it will be going out, Lady Lufton and I do hope you will letme stay here. You cannot think how I feel it. Of course I cannot gowithout something like dressing, and--and--and-- In poor papa's stateI feel that I ought not to do anything that looks like gaiety. Iought never to forget it;--not for a moment."
There was a tear in Lady Lufton's eye as she said,--"My dear, youshan't come. You and Fanny shall stop and dine here by yourselves.The gentlemen shall come."
"Do let Mrs. Robarts go, please," said Grace.
"I won't do anything of the kind," said Lady Lufton. Then, when Mrs.Robarts returned to the room, her ladyship explained it all in twowords. "Whilst you have been away, my dear, Grace has begged off, andtherefore we have decided that Mr. Oriel and Mr. Robarts shall comewithout you."
"I am so sorry, Mrs. Robarts," said Grace.
"Pooh, pooh," said Lady Lufton. "Fanny and I have known each otherquite long enough not to stand on any compliments,--haven't we, mydear? I must get home now, as all the morning has gone by. Fanny mydear, I want to speak to you." Then she expressed her opinion ofGrace Crawley as she walked across the parsonage garden with Mrs.Robarts. "She is a very nice girl, and a very good girl, I am sure;and she shows excellent feeling. Whatever happens we must take careof her. And, Fanny, have you observed how handsome she is?"
"We think her very pretty."
"She is more than pretty when she has a little fire in her eyes. Sheis downright handsome,--or will be when she fills out a little. Itell you what, my dear; she'll make havoc with somebody yet; you seeif she doesn't. By--by. Tell the two gentlemen to be up by sevenpunctually." And then Lady Lufton went home.
Grace so contrived that Mr. Oriel came and went without seeingher. There was a separate nursery breakfast at the parsonage,and by special permission Grace was allowed to have her tea andbread-and-butter on the next morning with the children. "I thoughtyou told me Miss Crawley was here," said Mr. Oriel, as the twoclergymen stood waiting for the gig that was to take the visitor awayto Barchester.
"So she is," said Robarts; "but she likes to hide herself, because ofher father's trouble. You can't blame her."
"No, indeed," said Mr. Oriel.
"Poor girl. If you knew her you would not only pity her, but likeher."
"Is she,--what you call--?"
"You mean, is she a la
dy?"
"Of course she is by birth, and all that," said Mr. Oriel,apologizing for his inquiry.
"I don't think there is another girl in the county so well educated,"said Mr. Robarts.
"Indeed! I had no idea of that."
"And we think her a great beauty. As for manners, I never saw a girlwith a prettier way of her own."
"Dear me," said Mr. Oriel. "I wish she had come down to breakfast."
It will have been perceived that old Lady Lufton had heard nothingof Major Grantly's offence; that she had no knowledge that Grace hadalready made havoc, as she had called it,--had, in truth, made verysad havoc, at Plumstead. She did not, therefore, think much about itwhen her son told her upon her return home from the parsonage on thatafternoon that Major Grantly had come over from Cosby Lodge, and thathe was going to dine and sleep at Framley Court. Some slight idea ofthankfulness came across her mind that she had not betrayed GraceCrawley into a meeting with a stranger. "I asked him to come some daybefore we went up to town," said his lordship; "and I am glad he hascome to-day, as two clergymen to one's self are, at any rate, one toomany." So Major Grantly dined and slept at the Court.
But Mrs. Robarts was in a great flurry when she was told of this byher husband on his return from the dinner. Mrs. Crawley had foundan opportunity of telling the story of Major Grantly's love to Mrs.Robarts before she had sent her daughter to Framley, knowing that thefamilies were intimate, and thinking it right that there should besome precaution.
"I wonder whether he will come up here," Mrs. Robarts had said.
"Probably not," said the vicar. "He said he was going home early."
"I hope he will not come--for Grace's sake," said Mrs. Robarts. Shehesitated whether she should tell her husband. She always did tellhim everything. But on this occasion she thought she had no right todo so, and she kept the secret. "Don't do anything to bring him up,dear."
"You needn't be afraid. He won't come," said the vicar. On thefollowing morning, as soon as Mr. Oriel was gone, Mr. Robarts wentout,--about his parish he would probably have called it; but in halfan hour he might have been seen strolling about the Court stable-yardwith Lord Lufton. "Where is Grantly?" asked the vicar. "I don't knowwhere he is," said his lordship. "He has sloped off somewhere." Themajor had sloped off to the parsonage, well knowing in what nest hisdove was lying hid; and he and the vicar had passed each other. Themajor had gone out at the front gate, and the vicar had gone in atthe stable entrance.
The two clergymen had hardly taken their departure when Major Grantlyknocked at the parsonage door. He had come so early that Mrs. Robartshad taken no precautions,--even had there been any precautions whichshe would have thought it right to take. Grace was in the act ofcoming down the stairs, not having heard the knock at the door,and thus she found her lover in the hall. He had asked, of course,for Mrs. Robarts, and thus they two entered the drawing-roomtogether. They had not had time to speak when the servant opened thedrawing-room door to announce the visitor. There had been no wordspoken between Mrs. Robarts and Grace about Major Grantly, but themother had told the daughter of what she had said to Mrs. Robarts.
"Grace," said the major, "I am so glad to find you!" Then he turnedto Mrs. Robarts with his open hand. "You won't take it uncivil of meif I say that my visit is not entirely to yourself? I think I maytake upon myself to say that I and Miss Crawley are old friends. MayI not?"
Grace could not answer a word. "Mrs. Crawley told me that youhad known her at Silverbridge," said Mrs. Robarts, driven to saysomething, but feeling that she was blundering.
"I came over to Framley yesterday because I heard that she was here.Am I wrong to come up here to see her?"
"I think she must answer that for herself, Major Grantly."
"Am I wrong, Grace?" Grace thought that he was the finest gentlemanand the noblest lover that had ever shown his devotion to a woman,and was stirred by a mighty resolve that if it ever should be in herpower to reward him after any fashion, she would pour out the rewardwith a very full hand indeed. But what was she to say on the presentmoment? "Am I wrong, Grace?" he said, repeating his question with somuch emphasis, that she was positively driven to answer it.
"I do not think you are wrong at all. How can I say you are wrongwhen you are so good? If I could be your servant I would serve you.But I can be nothing to you, because of papa's disgrace. Dear Mrs.Robarts, I cannot stay. You must answer him for me." And having thusmade her speech she escaped from the room.
"Because of Papa's disgrace."]
It may suffice to say further now that the major did not see Graceagain during that visit at Framley.
The Last Chronicle of Barset Page 57
