tock. She would go back at once. When asked both
by Lady Lufton and by Mrs. Robarts why she was in so great a haste,
she merely said that it must be so. She was, as it were, absolved
from her passive obedience to Framley authorities by the diminution
of the family misfortunes.

Mrs. Robarts understood the feeling by which Grace was hurried away.
"Do you know why she is so obstinate?" Lady Lufton asked.

"I think I do," said Mrs. Robarts.

"And what is it?"

"Should Major Grantly renew his offer to her she is under a pledge to
accept him now."

"Of course he will renew it, and of course she will accept him."

"Just so. But she prefers that he should come for her to her own
house,--because of its poverty. If he chooses to seek her there, I
don't think she will make much difficulty." Lady Lufton demurred to
this, not however with anger, and expressed a certain amount of mild
displeasure. She did not quite see why Major Grantly should not be
allowed to come and do his love-making comfortably, where there was
a decent dinner for him to eat, and chairs and tables and sofas and
carpets. She said that she thought that something was due to Major
Grantly. She was in truth a little disappointed that she was not
allowed to have her own way, and to arrange the marriage at Framley
under her own eye. But, through it all, she appreciated Grace; and
they who knew her well and heard what she said upon the occasion,
understood that her favour was not to be withdrawn. All young women
were divided by old Lady Lufton into sheep and goats,--very white
sheep and very black goats;--and Grace was to be a sheep. Thus it
came to pass that Grace Crawley was at home when the dean visited
Hogglestock. "Mamma," she said, looking out of the window, "there is
the dean with papa at the gate."

"It was a narrow squeak,--a very narrow squeak," Mr. Crawley had said
when his friend had congratulated him on his escape. The dean felt
at the moment that not for many years had he heard the incumbent
of Hogglestock speak either of himself or of anything else with so
manifest an attempt at jocularity. Arabin had expected to find the
man broken down by the weight of his sorrows, and lo! at the first
moment of their first interview he himself began to ridicule them!
Crawley having thus alluded to the narrow squeak had asked his
visitor to enter the house and see his wife.

"Of course I will," said Arabin, "but I will speak just a word to you
first." Jane,