登陆注册
5429600000028

第28章

THE STANHOPE FAMILY

It is now three months since Dr Proudie began his reign, and changes had already been affected in the diocese which show at least the energy of an active mind. Among other things, absentee clergymen have been favoured with hints much too strong to be overlooked. Poor dear old Bishop Grantly had on this matter been too lenient, and the archdeacon had never been inclined to be severe with those who were absent on reputable pretences, and who provided for their duties in a liberal way.

Among the greatest of the diocesan sinners in this respect was Dr Vesey Stanhope. Years had now passed since he had done a day's duty; and yet there was no reason against his doing duty except a want of inclination on his own part. He held a prebendal stall in the diocese; one of the best residences in the close; and the two large rectories of Crabtree Canonicorum, and Stogpingum. Indeed, he had the cure of three parishes, for that of Eiderdown was joined to Stogpingum. He had resided in Italy for twelve years. His first going there had been attributed to a sore throat; and that sore throat, though never repeated in any violent manner had stood him in such stead, that it had enabled him to live in easy idleness ever since.

He had now been summoned home,--not indeed, with rough violence, or by any peremptory command, but by a mandate which he found himself unable to disregard. Mr Slope had written to him by the bishop's desire. In the first place, the bishop much wanted the valuable co-operation of Dr Vesey Stanhope in the diocese; in the next, the bishop thought it his imperative duty to become personally acquainted with the most conspicuous of his diocesan clergy; then the bishop thought it essentially necessary for Dr Stanhope's own interests, that Dr Stanhope should, at any rate for a time, return to Barchester; and lastly, it was said that so strong a feeling was at the present moment evinced by the hierarchs of the church with reference to the absence of its clerical members, that it behoved Dr Vesey Stanhope not to allow his name to stand among those which would probably in a few months be submitted to the councils of the nation.

There was something so ambiguously frightful in this last threat that Dr Stanhope determined to spend two or three summer months at his residence in Barchester. His rectories were inhabited by his curates, and he felt himself from disuse to be unfit for parochial duty; but his prebendal home was kept empty for him, and he thought it probable that he might be able now and again to preach a prebendal sermon. He arrived, therefore, with all his family at Barchester, and he and they must be introduced to my readers.

The great family characteristic of the Stanhopes might probably be said to be heartlessness; but the want of feeling was, in most of them, accompanied by so great an amount of good nature that their neighbours failed to perceive how indifferent to them was the happiness and well-being of those around them. The Stanhopes would visit you in your sickness (provided it were not contagious), would bring you oranges, French novels, and the last new bit of scandal, and then hear of your death or your recovery with an equally indifferent composure. Their conduct to each other was the same as to the world; they bore and forbore: and there was sometimes, as will be seen, much necessity for forbearing: but their love among themselves rarely reached above this. It is astonishing how much each of the family was able to do, and how much each did, to prevent the well-being of the other four.

For there were five in all; the doctor, namely, and Mrs Stanhope, two daughters, and one son. The doctor, perhaps, was the least singular and most estimable of them all, and yet such good qualities as he possessed were all negative. He was a good looking rather plethoric gentleman of about sixty years of age. His hair was snow white, very plentiful, and somewhat like wool of the finest description. His whiskers were large and very white, and gave to his face the appearance of a benevolent sleepy old lion.

His dress was always unexceptionable. Although he had lived so many years in Italy it was invariably of a decent clerical hue, but it never was hyperclerical. He was a man not given to much talking, but what little he did say was generally well said. His reading seldom went beyond romances and poetry of the lightest and not always most moral description. He was thoroughly a bon vivant; an accomplished judge of wine, though he never drank to excess; and a most inexorable critic in all affairs touching the kitchen. He had had much to forgive in his own family, since a family had grown up around him, and had forgiven everything--except inattention to his dinner. His weakness in that respect was now fully understood, and his temper but seldom tried. As Dr Stanhope was a clergyman, it may be supposed that his religious convictions made up a considerable part of his character; but this was not so. That he had religious convictions must be believed; but he rarely obtruded them, even on his children. This abstinence on his part was not systematic, but very characteristic of the man. It was not that he had predetermined never to influence their thoughts; but he was so habitually idle that his time for doing so had never come till the opportunity for doing so was gone forever. Whatever conviction the father may have had, the children were at any rate but indifferent members of the church from which he drew his income.

同类推荐
  • 琴谱序

    琴谱序

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 诏狱惨言

    诏狱惨言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 阿弥陀经义记

    阿弥陀经义记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说长者法志妻经

    佛说长者法志妻经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大乘四法经

    大乘四法经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 温州人赚大钱16条商规

    温州人赚大钱16条商规

    犹太人被尊称为“最伟大的商人”,而温州人则被公认为“东方的犹太人”,但当温州人抢滩欧洲大陆仅仅十几年后,却将真正的犹太人打得一败涂地、落花流水,其经商的天才由此震惊世界:世界上还有比犹太人更会经商的人群!所以,有种提法越来越得到世界的公认,就是应该将犹太人称为“欧洲的温州人”才更为准确。
  • 树杞林志

    树杞林志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 战襄阳

    战襄阳

    南宋末年,权臣贾似道当政,对内欺君误国,对外屈辱求和。蒙古皇帝忽必烈有意吞并天下,一改以西路四川为主战场的传统战术,决意自中路襄阳突破。自景定三年(1262)起,蒙古开始暗中经略襄阳,而南宋君臣对此浑然不觉,不知亡在旦夕。咸淳四年(1268),襄阳老龙堤发生一起命案,各色人物纷纷登场。波诡云谲的连环圈套,血腥残忍的布局谋杀,如梦似幻的迷离情感。真相揭开之时,亦是危机降临之日……
  • 总裁你丫死定了

    总裁你丫死定了

    【致江逻妹妹】学的是兽医咋啦,咱照样给人当护工,而且这人还不是一般人,他可是X市最大的化妆品公司的董事长,若是说骗这样一个人,不被发现还好,若是发现了,那咱这小命不就得。。。想想都后怕啊,可是,好朋友都拍着胸脯说没事了,那咱就硬着头皮干吧,而且不干又能咋办呢,也不能老窝在家里当寄生虫吧。谁知道上班的第一天,就和这董事长老头子PK了一番,然后呢,接二连三的和这个大家族的所有成员都接触了个遍,最讨喜的还数纪家二少爷了,人长得好看咱不说了,关键是人好,笑起来也和煦的不得了,更重要的是和自己一样,都爱小动物爱的不行,最讨人厌的就数纪家大少爷了,那脾气是又臭又硬,而且还风流无比,偏偏他的风流韵事还让自己撞倒了正着,而且还不是一次,呜呜,自己这倒的是什么霉啊。不论咋地,既然咱做了护工,那就好好的照顾老爷子,尽量少插手人家家的家事,可是,为什么,为什么咱不愿意,可是他们家的那些丑事偏偏非得让我知道的清清楚楚的呢,呜呜,不要啦,我要回归无知啦,人家说知道的太多,会有横祸的啦。
  • 娱乐圈模范家庭

    娱乐圈模范家庭

    为了妻子和孩子的梦想,叶洛身处平行时空的娱乐圈,不弄虚作假,不恶意炒作,不借故撕逼,一切靠作品说话,做娱乐圈模范家庭。
  • 民间宝卷花名宝卷

    民间宝卷花名宝卷

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 蒙古王的眷恋:落雁谣歌

    蒙古王的眷恋:落雁谣歌

    “无论你是谁都是我的夫人,我的谣谣!”好听的嗓音在耳畔沙哑响起。他的霸道与执着不肯承认她是替身的事实。耳鬓厮磨间她惊慌的发现自己已无法脱身,斑驳的意识闪现:穿越人,女高中,古怪的锁扣,为寻好友穿越到此……命运之轮启动,她的命定恋人在等,她却被蒙古王牢牢禁锢于此。
  • 夹缝

    夹缝

    杨穆青每个星期都会轮到一次值日。每次值日,他都是最后一个离校的老师。他除了尽好值日老师应有的职责,还会把办公室打扫一遍。这一天,杨穆青前脚刚踏出办公室,兜里的手机就响了。他看了一眼来电显示,是二哥杨丹青打来的。杨穆青接起电话,听见丹青对他说,穆青啊,我想和你商量个事。杨丹青同住在县城里,平日里见面次数频繁,很少打电话,偶尔通通电话,也是因为母亲的事情。这一次,也不例外。电话里,丹青对他弟弟杨穆青说,我想这个月妈妈先到你家里住一段时间。
  • 盛宠天下:一品不良妃

    盛宠天下:一品不良妃

    凉影,二十五世纪的地下雇佣兵之首,不是好人也没有素质,欠下的恩情不一定会还,但犯了她的人却一个也跑不掉!一朝睡死,她穿越到楚国尚书府嫡女苏凉身上,一个本该是千金大小姐的身份,却在寺庙中苟延残喘的可怜人儿,她想过悠悠闲闲混吃等死的小日子,却不想各种阴谋诡计都朝她蜂拥而来......既然如此,就且看她如何排除万难,扬名九州!乱世纷争,天下几分,这个大陆,强者为尊!不过谁来告诉她,面前这个人是传说中那个声名狼藉,风流成性,背负着断袖之名的靖国皇子?“喂,你你你...你脱衣服做什么?”咽了两口唾沫,她杏眸一瞪。“娘子,夜深了...”“深你妹!你丫还记得自己是个断袖吗!”...(本文一对一,男主强大,女主腹黑,宠文爽文,小虐怡情,各位看官们请放心入坑。)
  • 逆杀神魔

    逆杀神魔

    上古三大秘术,太乙,六壬,奇门遁甲。奇门最后一个传人苏冬重生异世,依靠风水阵法,开启不朽篇章。九星连珠通鬼门!引强弓,射天龙!PS:小九的上一本书【超级基因优化液】,近四百五十万字,讲述速度系夏飞的故事,他的速度像光一样快,上午在魔都喝早茶,下午跨银河系打高尔夫,没有看过的朋友不妨去看一下,高速型疯子,很过瘾的。194994098,新开的千人大群,欢迎加入!68920190194994098老群继续开放。