登陆注册
5429600000185

第185章

THE DEAN ELECT

During the entire next week Barchester was ignorant who was to be its new dean on Sunday morning. Mr Slope was decidedly the favourite; but he did not show himself in the cathedral, and then he sank a point or two in the betting. On Monday, he got a scolding from the bishop in the hearing of the servants, and down he went till nobody would have him at any price; but on Tuesday he received a letter, in an official cover, marked private, by which he fully recovered his place in the public favour. On Wednesday, he was said to be ill, and that did not look well; but on Thursday morning he went down to the railway station, with a very jaunty air; and when it was ascertained that he had taken a first-class ticket for London, there was no longer any room for doubt on the matter.

While matters were in this state of ferment at Barchester, there was not much mental comfort at Plumstead. Our friend the archdeacon had many grounds for inward grief. He was much displeased at the result of Dr Gwynne's diplomatic mission to the palace, and did not even scruple to say to his wife that had he gone himself he would have managed the affair much better. His wife did not agree with him, but that did not mend the matter.

Mr Quiverful's appointment to the hospital was, however, a fait accompli, and Mr Harding's acquiescence in that appointment was not less so. Nothing would induce Mr Harding to make a public appeal against the bishop; and the Master of Lazarus quite approved of his not doing so.

'I don't know what has come to the Master,' said the archdeacon over and over again. 'He used to be ready enough to stand up for his order.'

'My dear archdeacon,' Mrs Grantly would say in reply, 'what is the use of always fighting? I really think the Master is right.' The Master, however, had taken steps of his own, of which neither the archdeacon nor his wife knew anything.

'Then Mr Slope's successes were henbane to Dr Grantly; and Mrs Bold's improprieties were as bad. What would be all the world to Archdeacon Grantly if Mr Slope should become the Dean of Barchester and marry his wife's sister! He talked of it, and talked of it till he was nearly ill. Mrs Grantly almost wished that the marriage was done and over, so that she might hear no more about it.

And there was yet another ground of misery which cut him to the quick, nearly as closely as either of the two others. That paragon of a clergyman, whom he had bestowed upon St Ewold's, that college friend of whom he had boasted so loudly, that ecclesiastical knight before whose lance Mr Slope was to fall and bite the dust, that worthy bulwark of the church as it should be, that honoured representative of Oxford's best spirit, was--so at least his wife had told him half a dozen times--misconducting himself!

Nothing had been seen of Mr Arabin at Plumstead for the last week, but a good deal had, unfortunately, been heard of him.

As soon as Mrs Grantly had found herself alone with the archdeacon, on the evening of the Ullathorne party, she had expressed herself very forcibly as to Mr Arabin's conduct on that occasion. He had, she declared, looked and acted and talked very unlike a decent parish clergyman. At first the archdeacon had laughed at this, and assured her that she need not trouble herself;that Mr Arabin would be found to be quite safe. But by degrees he began to find out that his wife's eyes had been sharper than his own. Other people coupled the signora's name with that of Mr Arabin. The meagre little prebendary who lived in the close, told him to a nicety how often Mr Arabin had visited at Dr Stanhope's, and how long he had remained on the occasion of each visit. He had asked after Mr Arabin at the cathedral library, and an officious little vicar choral had offered to go and see whether he could be found at Dr Stanhope's. Rumour, when she has contrived to sound the first note on her trumpet, soon makes a loud peal audible enough.

It was too clear that Mr Arabin had succumbed to the Italian woman, and that the archdeacon's credit would suffer fearfully if something were not done to rescue the brand from the burning.

Besides, to give the archdeacon his due, he was really attached to Mr Arabin, and grieved greatly at his backsliding.

They were sitting talking over their sorrows, in the drawing-room before dinner on that day after Mr Slope's departure for London;and on this occasion Mrs Grantly spoke her mind freely. She had opinions of her own about parish clergymen, and now thought it right to give vent to them.

'It you would have been led by me, archdeacon, you would never have put a bachelor into St Ewold's.'

'But, my dear, you don't mean to say that all bachelor clergymen misbehave themselves.'

'I don't know that clergymen are so much better than other men,'

said Mrs Grantly. 'It's all very well with a curate whom you have under your own eye, and whom you can get rid of if he persists in improprieties.'

'But Mr Arabin was a fellow, and couldn't have had a wife.'

'Then I would have found some one who could.'

'But, my dear, are fellows never to get livings?'

'Yes, to be sure they are, when they got engaged. I never would put a young man into a living unless he were married, or engaged to be married. Now here is Mr Arabin. The whole responsibility lies upon you.'

'There is not at this moment a clergyman in all Oxford more respected for morals and conduct than Arabin.'

'Oh, Oxford!' said the lady, with a sneer. 'What men choose to do at Oxford, nobody ever hears of. A man may do very well at Oxford who would bring disgrace on a parish; and, to tell you the truth, it seems to me that Mr Arabin is just such a man.'

The archdeacon groaned deeply, but he had no further answer to make.

'You really must speak to him, archdeacon. Only think what the Thornes will say if they hear that their parish clergyman spends his whole time philandering with this woman.'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 激励青少年成长的中国名人故事

    激励青少年成长的中国名人故事

    一滴水可以折射阳光的光辉,一本好书可以滋润美好的心灵。健康的身心、丰富的情感、较强的实践能力、优良的品质、过硬的特殊技能、良好的习惯、深厚的文化底蕴及必要的合作素质等,是青少年朋友在成长道路上顺利前进所需要的最基础、最必要的条件,为青少年朋友们从自身着眼、开创成功指明了方向。社会是一幅斑驳陆离的图画,人生是一条蜿蜒扭动的曲线。知识是智慧和能力的基础。知识能够守护生命,是保护自己的盔甲。成长是一种历程,我们从无知到有知,从天真到深沉,我们用生命书写着成长的哲学,正是这些哲学的智慧丰富了我们的人生;成长是一种升华,成长的过程就是将软弱升华为刚强,将平淡升华为壮丽。
  • 穿越之米虫难为

    穿越之米虫难为

    介个是个神马情况?偶们莫家不是中医世家的么,怎么成了古武世家了?搞不懂呀搞不懂!莫小颜此时乃是一个找不到地府之门的孤魂,被一枚紫玉环吸了进去,才发现里面别有洞天。在玉环里睡了一觉,居然身处古色古香的房间里,成了待嫁娘!顿时感觉天雷滚滚,她,穿越鸟!还是带着空间穿的!想想她此生的宏源:一愿走遍天下山水,二愿米虫一生,三愿一生一世一双人。只是,介个是古代,嫁人了就木有自有了,第一个愿望被扼杀;看看房间摆设,倒是能成为米虫。古代滴男人三妻四妾很正常,所以第三个愿望,pas鸟!当个米虫也好,赏花看戏没事逗逗别人,小日子还是过的去的!可是.可是,介个王爷是怎么回事?本想当个看戏人,无奈已成戏中人.
  • 盛开:微光博物馆

    盛开:微光博物馆

    《微光博物馆》是一部以95后新概念作文赛获奖者为创作主体的精选作品集。本书着重体现获奖者们优美细腻的文字、丰沛动人的情感、天马行空的想象。所选作品主要涵盖了小说与散文两大类,文笔流畅,立意深刻。对于学生读者来说,本书既是一本创新作文思维、提高文学素养的高分作文“宝典”,同时也不失为一部优秀的青春文学读物。
  • 穿越时空的相会

    穿越时空的相会

    陆如心表示很迷惘,她什么时候结婚生子的?她明明还是一个学生。难道在那次意外中发生了特别的事情?这个世界怎么了,为什么会出现一些奇怪的妖兽?为什么她还要去升级打怪?某狮兄:“小心心,你怎么可以忘记我?之前你在兽世和我结侣,我穿越时空来找你。我等你很久了。”某小萌狮:“妈妈,你怎么可以忘记我?我是你最爱的小宝宝。”(兽世反穿,男主兽夫带娃来到现代。番外会是一篇兽文。期待甜心夫妇的甜蜜重逢,宠文包甜。)欢迎阅读旧作:《重生之军嫂很强大》欢迎阅读新作:《宠妻入骨:战少的天后娇妻》
  • 方圆

    方圆

    一对希望得到自由和爱情而又“不相般配”的男女梁世云和林霞“不合时宜”地走在了一起,从而引来无数的责难和阻挠,然而他们并没有选择逃避与委曲求全,而是选择了“大逆不道”的私奔之路。
  • 行货商诡闻录

    行货商诡闻录

    我叫黄岩,是个典当行的伙计。做典当这一行无论是老的旧的还是稀罕的,只要值钱是来者不拒的。偶然一次我收到了一件残破的玉器,这件玉器和我失踪多年的父亲有着千丝万缕的联系。同时也让我卷入了一场惊人的漩涡之中!一个延续千年的惊天隐秘,一个诡异的家族诅咒!而这一切的背后竟是一个颠覆一切的弥天谎言……
  • 阴谋家

    阴谋家

    夏璇就是别人口中那种典型的“坏女人”,长得妖艳漂亮,整天变着法地琢磨着怎么抢了老板女儿的男朋友。虽然那位先生英俊潇洒腰缠万贯,但挖老板女儿墙角是不是胆子太大了点?她的目的究竟是什么?她和那位先生,到底是谁给谁挖了个坑?
  • 恶魔别惹我哦

    恶魔别惹我哦

    恶魔,我只爱你。丫头,我只宠你。爱你爱进心中,宠你宠入骨髓。
  • 红楼梦

    红楼梦

    “四大名著”之一,中国十八世纪最伟大的文学巨著,以贾、史、王、薛四大家族为背景,以贾宝玉、林黛玉的爱情悲剧为主要线索,着重描写了贾家荣、宁二府由盛到衰的过程,广泛反映了当时的社会矛盾和阶级斗争,对封建礼教进行了批判;思想博大精深,艺术精湛完美,语言丰富生动。书中对中国古代民俗、封建制度、世俗人情、衣着服饰、建筑金石等方面都有细腻描述,规模宏大,结构严谨,包罗万象,使之成为中国文学的典范和骄傲,并屹立于世界文学之林。 
  • 他亦有爱

    他亦有爱

    当年,简莫璃十八岁的时候,为父还债,她成了礼物。作为礼物,她成了恶魔的猎物,只有任他宰割。他既邪恶又冷血无情,明明不喜欢她,却又……可就是这样一个魔鬼,却忽然有一天对她说:他爱她?简莫璃听后却止不住的笑了,只是轻轻的问:“所以呢?”“所以呢?”男人习惯的挑眉,俊美的脸上却荡起了霸道的笑:“所以你简莫璃唯一的男人必须只能是我,而你也只能是我的女人!”