as coming from you or from
the bishop, may present himself in the parish, and shall
declare himself prepared to undertake the cure. Should it
be so that Mr. Thumble be sent hither again, I will sit
under him, endeavouring to catch improvement from his
teaching, and striving to overcome the contempt which I
felt for him when he before visited this parish. I annex
beneath my signature a copy of the letter which I have
written to the bishop on this subject.

And now it behoves me, as the guardianship of the souls of
those around me was placed in my hands by you, to explain
to you as shortly as may be possible the reasons which
have induced me to abandon my work. One or two whose
judgment I do not discredit,--and I am allowed to name
Dr. Tempest of Silverbridge as one,--have suggested to me
that I should take no step myself till after my trial.
They think that I should have regard to the chance of the
verdict, so that the preferment may still be mine should
I be acquitted; and they say, that should I be acquitted,
the bishop's action against me must of necessity cease.
That they are right in these facts I do not doubt; but
in giving such advice they look only to facts, having no
regard to the conscience. I do not blame them. I should
give such advice myself, knowing that a friend may give
counsel as to outer things, but that a man must satisfy
his inner conscience by his own perceptions of what is
right and what is wrong.

I find myself to be ill-spoken of, to be regarded with
hard eyes by those around me, my people thinking that I
have stolen this money. Two farmers in this parish have,
as I am aware, expressed opinions that no jury could
acquit me honestly, and neither of these men have appeared
in my church since the expression of that opinion. I doubt
whether they have gone to other churches; and if not they
have been deterred from all public worship by my presence.
If this be so, how can I with a clear conscience remain
among these men? Shall I take from their hands wages for
those administrations, which their deliberately formed
opinions will not allow them to accept from my hands?

And yet, though he thus pleaded against himself, he knew that the two
men of whom he was speaking were thick-headed dolts who were always
tipsy on Saturday nights, and who came to church perhaps once in
three weeks.