at requires to be acted upon at once.
We cannot doubt that the man is doing right at last. He is submitting
himself where his submission is due; but his submission will be of no
avail unless you take some action upon his letter. Do you not think
that Mr. Thumble had better go over?"

"No, I don't. I think Mr. Thumble had better stay where he is," said
the irritated bishop.

"What, then, would you wish to have done?"

"Never mind," said he.

"But, bishop, that is nonsense," said Mrs. Proudie, adding something
of severity to the tone of her voice.

"No, it isn't nonsense," said he. Still he did not look at her, nor
had he done so for a moment since she had entered the room. Mrs
Proudie could not bear this, and as her anger became stronger within
her breast, she told herself that she would be wrong to bear it. She
had tried what gentleness would do, and she had failed. It was now
imperatively necessary that she should resort to sterner measures.
She must make him understand that he must give her authority to send
Mr. Thumble to Hogglestock.

"Why do you not turn round and speak to me properly?" she said.

"I do not want to speak to you at all," the bishop answered.

This was very bad;--almost anything would be better than this. He was
sitting now over the fire, with his elbows on his knees, and his face
buried in his hands. She had gone round the room so as to face him,
and was now standing almost over him, but still she could not see his
countenance. "This will not do at all," she said. "My dear, do you
know that you are forgetting yourself altogether?"

"I wish I could forget myself."

"That might be all very well if you were in a position in which you
owed no service to any one; or, rather, it would not be well then,
but the evil would not be so manifest. You cannot do your duty in the
diocese if you continue to sit there doing nothing, with your head
upon your hands. Why do you not rally, and get to your work like a
man?"

"I wish you would go away and leave me," he said.

"No, bishop. I will not go away and leave you. You have brought
yourself to such a condition that it is my duty as your wife to stay
by you; and if you neglect your duty, I will not neglect mine."

"It was you that brought me to it."

"No sir, that is not true. I did not bring you to it."

"It is the truth." And now he got up and looked at her. For a moment
he stood upon his legs, and then sat down again with his face turned
towar