第44章

'Proper! It would be a scandal to the whole diocese. How could he raise his head as he pronounced the eighth commandment? That must be at least prevented.'

The bishop, who was seated, fretted himself in his chair, moving about with little movements. He knew that there was a misery coming upon him;and, as far as he could see, it might become a great misery--a huge blistering sore upon him. When miseries came to him, as they did not unfrequently, he would unconsciously endeavour to fathom them and weigh them, and then, with some gallantry, resolve to bear them, if he could find that their depth and weight were not too great for his powers of endurance. He would let the cold wind whistle by him, putting up the collar of his coat, and would be patient under the winter weather without complaint. And he would be patient under the sun, knowing well that tranquillity is best for those who have to bear tropical heat. But when the storm threatened to knock him off his legs, when the earth beneath him became too hot for his poor tender feet--what could he do then? There had been with him such periods of misery, during which he had wailed inwardly and had confessed to himself that the wife of his bosom was too much for him. Now the storm seemed to be coming very roughly. It would be demanded of him that he should exercise certain episcopal authority which he knew did not belong to him. Now, episcopal authority admits of being stretched or contracted according to the character of the bishop who uses it. It is not always easy for a bishop himself to know what he may do, and what he may not do. He may certainly give advice to any clergyman in his diocese, and he may give it in such form that it will have in it something of authority. Such advice coming from a dominant bishop to a clergyman with a submissive mind, has in it very much of authority. But Bishop Proudie knew that Mr Crawley was not a clergyman with a submissive mind, and he feared that he himself, as regarded from Mr Crawley's point of view, was not a dominant bishop. And yet he could only act by advice. 'I will write to him,' said the bishop 'and will explain to him that as he is circumstanced he should not appear in the reading-desk.'

'Of course he must not appear in the reading-desk. That scandal must at any rate be inhibited.' Now the bishop did not at all like the use of the word inhibited, understanding will that Mrs Proudie intended it to be understood as implying some episcopal command against which there should be no appeal;--but he let it pass.

'I will write to him, dear, tonight.'

'And Mr Thumble can go over with the letter first thing in the morning.'

'Will not the post be better?'

'No, bishop; certainly not.'

'He would get it sooner, if I write tonight, dear.'

'In either case he will get it tomorrow morning. An hour or two will not signify, and if Mr Thumble takes it himself we shall know how it is received. It will be well that Thumble should be there in person as he will want to look for lodgings in the parish.'

'But, my dear--'

'Well, bishop?'

'About lodgings? I hardly think Mr Thumble, if we decide that Mr Thumble should undertake the duty--'

'We have decided that Mr Thumble should undertake the duty. That is decided.'

'But I do not think he should trouble himself to look for lodgings at Hogglestock. He can go over on the Sundays.'

'And who is to do the parish work? Would you have that man, a convicted thief, to look after the schools, and visit the sick, and perhaps attend the dying?'

'There will be a great difficulty; there will indeed,' said the bishop, becoming very unhappy, and feeling that he was driven by circumstances either assert his own knowledge or teach his wife something of the law with reference to his position as a bishop. 'Who is to pay Mr Thumble?'

'The income of the parish must be sequestrated, and he must be paid out of that. Of course he must have the income while he does the work.'

'But, my dear, I cannot sequestrate the man's income.'

'I don't believe it, bishop. If the bishop cannot sequestrate, who can?

But you are always timid in exercising the authority put into your hands for wise purposes. Not sequestrate the income of a man who has been proved to be a thief! You leave that to us, and we will manage it.' The 'us' named comprised Mrs Proudie and the bishop's managing chaplain.

Then the bishop was left alone for an hour to write the letter which Mr Thumble was to carry over to Mr Crawley--and after a while he did write it. Before he commenced the task, however, he sat for some moments in his arm-chair close by the fire-side, asking himself whether it might not be possible for him to overcome his enemy in this matter. How would it go with him suppose he were to leave the letter unwritten, and send in a message by his chaplain to Mrs Proudie, saying that as Mr Crawley was out on bail, the parish might be left for the present without episcopal interference? She could not make him interfere. She could not force him to write the letter. So, at least, he said to himself. But as he said it, he almost thought that she could do these things. In the last thirty years, or more, she had ever contrived by some power latent in her to have her will effected. But what would happen if now, even now, he were to rebel? That he would personally become very uncomfortable, he was well aware, but he thought he could bear that. The food would become bad--mere ashes, between his teeth, the daily modicum of wine would lose its flavour, the chimneys would all smoke, the wind would come from the east, and the servants would not answer the bell.