n by no means despised money.
How could he, having come forth as a bird fledged from such a nest
as the rectory at Plumstead Episcopi? Before he had been brought by
his better nature and true judgment to see that Grace Crawley was
the greater woman of the two, he had nearly submitted himself to the
twenty thousand pounds of Miss Emily Dunstable,--to that, and her
good-humour and rosy freshness combined. But he regarded himself as
the well-to-do son of a very rich father. His only child was amply
provided for; and he felt that, as regarded money, he had a right
to do as he pleased. He felt this with double strength after his
father's threat.

But he had no right to make a marriage by which his family would be
disgraced. Whether he was right or wrong in supposing that he would
disgrace his family were he to marry the daughter of a convicted
thief, it is hardly necessary to discuss here. He told himself that
it would be so,--telling himself also that, by the stern laws of
the world, the son and the daughter must pay for the offence of the
father and the mother. Even among the poor, who would willingly marry
the child of a man who had been hanged? But he carried the argument
beyond this, thinking much of the matter, and endeavouring to think
of it not only justly, but generously. If the accusation against
Crawley were false,--if the man were being injured by an unjust
charge,--even if he, Grantly, could make himself think that the
girl's father had not stolen the money, then he would dare everything
and go on. I do not know that his argument was good, or that his
mind was logical in the matter. He ought to have felt that his own
judgment as to the man's guilt was less likely to be correct than
that of those whose duty it was and would be to form and to express
a judgment on the matter; and as to Grace herself, she was equally
innocent whether her father were guilty or not guilty. If he were
to be debarred from asking her for her hand by his feelings for her
father and mother, he should hardly have trusted to his own skill in
ascertaining the real truth as to the alleged theft. But he was not
logical, and thus, meaning to be generous, he became unjust.

He found that among those in Silverbridge whom he presumed to be best
informed on such matters, there was a growing opinion that Mr. Crawley
had stolen the money. He was intimate with all the Walkers, and was
able to find out that Mrs. Walker knew that her husband believed