her
an unclean bird. The bird wants a mate, and doesn't much care how she
finds one. And the bird wants money, and doesn't much care how she
gets it. The bird is a decidedly bad bird, and not at all fit to take
the place of domestic hen in a decent farmyard. In plain English,
Johnny, you'll find some day, if you go over too often to Porchester
Terrace, either that you are going to marry the bird, or else that
you are employing your cousin Toogood for you defence in an action
for breach of promise, brought against you by that venerable old
bird, the bird's mamma."

"If it's to be either, it will be the latter," said Johnny, as he
took up his hat to go away.

CHAPTER LXXVI

I Think He Is Light of Heart

[Illustration]

Mrs. Arabin remained one day in town. Mr. Toogood, in spite of his
asseveration that he would not budge from Barchester till he had seen
Mr. Crawley through all his troubles, did run up to London as soon as
the news reached him that John Eames had returned. He came up and
took Mrs. Arabin's deposition, which he sent down to Mr. Walker. It
might still be necessary, Mrs. Arabin was told, that she should go
into court, and there state on oath that she had given the cheque to
Mr. Crawley; but Mr. Walker was of the opinion that the circumstances
would enable the judge to call upon the grand jury not to find a true
bill against Mr. Crawley, and that the whole affair, as far as Mr
Crawley was concerned, would thus be brought to an end. Toogood was
still very anxious to place Dan Stringer in the dock, but Mr. Walker
declared that they would fail if they made the attempt. Dan had been
examined before the magistrates at Barchester, and had persisted in
his statement that he had heard nothing about Mr. Crawley and the
cheque. This he said in the teeth of the words which had fallen from
him unawares in the presence of Mr. Toogood. But they could not punish
him for a lie,--not even for such a lie as that! He was not upon
oath, and they could not make him responsible to the law because he
had held his tongue upon a matter as to which it was manifest to them
all that he had known the whole history during the entire period of
Mr. Crawley's persecution. They could only call upon him to account
for his possession of the cheque, and this he did by saying that
it had been paid to him by Jem Scuttle, who received all moneys
appertaining to the hotel stables, and accounted for them once a
week. Jem Scuttle had si