e major. "You
may as well take the horses through," said the archdeacon. "Your
mother will not want them. And I suppose you might as well bring your
friend Toogood back to dinner. We'll give him a bed."

"He must be a good sort of man," said Mrs. Grantly; "for I suppose he
has done all this for love?"

"Yes; and spent a lot of money out of his own pocket too!" said the
major enthusiastically. "And the joke of it is, that he has been
defending Crawley in Crawley's teeth. Mr. Crawley had refused to
employ counsel; but Toogood had made up his mind to have a barrister,
on purpose that there might be a fuss about it in court. He thought
that it would tell with the jury in Crawley's favour."

"Bring him here, and we'll hear all about that from himself," said
the archdeacon. The major, before he started, told his mother that he
should call at Framley Parsonage on his way back; but he said nothing
on this subject to his father.

"I'll write to her in a day or two," said Mrs. Grantly, "and we'll
have things settled pleasantly."

CHAPTER LXXIV

The Crawleys Are Informed

Major Grantly made an early start, knowing that he had a long day's
work before him. He had written over-night to Mr. Toogood, naming the
hour at which he would reach "The Dragon", and was there punctual
to the moment. When the attorney came out and got into the open
carriage, while the groom held the steps for him, it was plain
to be seen that the respect in which he was held at "The Dragon"
was greatly increased. It was already known that he was going to
Plumstead that night, and it was partly understood that he was
engaged with the Grantly and Arabin faction in defending Mr. Crawley
the clergyman against the Proudie faction. Dan Stringer, who was
still at the inn, as he saw his enemy get into the Plumstead
carriage, felt himself to be one of the palace party, and felt that
if Mrs. Proudie had only lived till after the assizes all this heavy
trouble would not have befallen him. The waiter with the dirty napkin
stood at the door and bowed, thinking perhaps that as the Proudie
party was going down in Barchester, it might be as well to be civil
to Mr. Toogood. The days of the Stringers were probably drawing to a
close at the "The Dragon of Wantly", and there was no knowing who
might be the new landlord.

Henry Grantly and the lawyer found very little to say to each other
on their long way out to Hogglestock. They were thinking, probably,
much o