g that I have consented to take the parish
temporarily into my hands. Mrs. Crawley, I hope that there may be
no mistake about the schools. It must be exactly as though I were
residing on the spot."

"Sir," said Mr. Crawley, very irate at this appeal to his wife, and
speaking in a loud voice, "do you misdoubt my word; or do you think
that if I were minded to be false to you, that I should be corrected
in my falsehood by the firmer faith of my wife?"

"I meant nothing about falsehood, Mr. Crawley."

"Having resigned this benefice for certain reasons of my own, with
which I shall not trouble you, and acknowledging as I do,--and have
done in writing under my hand to the bishop,--the propriety of his
lordship's interference in providing for the services of the parish
till my successor shall have been instituted, I shall, with what
feelings of regret, I need not say, leave you to the performance of
your temporary duties."

"That is all that I require, Mr. Crawley."

"But it is wholly unnecessary that you should instruct me in mine."

"The bishop especially desires--" began Mr. Thumble. But Mr. Crawley
interrupted him instantly--

"If the bishop has directed you to give me such instruction, the
bishop has been much in error. I will submit to receive none from him
through you, sir. If you please, sir, let there be an end of it;" and
Mr. Crawley waved his hand. I hope the reader will conceive the tone
of Mr. Crawley's voice, and will appreciate the aspect of his face,
and will see the motion of his hand, as he spoke these latter words.
Mr. Thumble felt the power of the man so sensibly that he was unable
to carry on the contest. Though Mr. Crawley was now but a broken reed,
and was beneath his feet, yet Mr. Thumble acknowledged to himself that
he could not hold his own in debate with this broken reed. But the
words had been spoken, and the tone of the voice had died away, and
the fire in the eyes had burned itself out before the moment of the
major's arrival. Mr. Thumble was now returning to his horse, and
having enjoyed,--if he did enjoy,--his little triumph about the
parish, was becoming unhappy at the future dangers that awaited him.
Perhaps he was the more unhappy because it had been proposed to him
by authorities at the palace that he should repeatedly ride on the
same animal from Barchester to Hogglestock and back. Mr. Crawley was
in the act of replying to lamentations on this subject, with his hand
on the latch, w