She had a
scheme in her head, but it seemed to her to savour of cruelty. And
yet at present it was her chief duty to assist her old friend, if any
assistance could be given. There could hardly be a doubt that such a
marriage as this, of which they were speaking, was in itself an evil.
In her case, the case of her son, there had been no question of a
trial, of money stolen, of aught that was in truth disgraceful. "I
think if I were you, Dr. Grantly," she said, "that I would see the
young lady while I was here."

"See her myself?" said the archdeacon. The idea of seeing Grace
Crawley himself had, up to this moment, never entered his head.

"I think I would do so."

"I think I will," said the archdeacon, after a pause. Then he got up
from his chair. "If I am to do it, I had better do it at once."

"Be gentle with her, my friend." The archdeacon paused again. He
certainly had entertained the idea of encountering Miss Crawley with
severity rather than gentleness. Lady Lufton rose from her seat, and
coming up to him, took one of his hands between her own two. "Be
gentle to her," she said. "You have owned that she has done nothing
wrong." The archdeacon bowed his head in token of assent and left the
room.

Poor Grace Crawley.

CHAPTER LVII

A Double Pledge

The archdeacon, as he walked across from the Court to the parsonage,
was very thoughtful and his steps were very slow. The idea of seeing
Miss Crawley herself had been suggested to him suddenly, and he had
to determine how he could bear himself towards her, and what he would
say to her. Lady Lufton had beseeched him to be gentle with her. Was
the mission one in which gentleness would be possible? Must it not be
his object to make this young lady understand that she could not be
right in desiring to come into his family and share in all his good
things when she had no good things of her own,--nothing but evil
things to bring with her? And how could this be properly explained to
the young lady in gentle terms? Must he not be round with her, and
give her to understand in plain words,--the plainest which he could
use,--that she would not get his good things, though she would most
certainly impose the burden of all her evil things on the man whom
she was proposing to herself as a husband. He remembered very well as
he went, that he had been told that Miss Crawley had herself refused
the offer, feeling herself to be unfit for the honour tendered to
her; but h