ubject. "And now, Mrs. Crawley," he said. "Mrs. Arabin wishes you all
to come over to the deanery for a while and stay with us."

"Mrs. Arabin is too kind," said Mrs. Crawley, looking across at her
husband.

"We should like it of all things," said the dean, with perhaps more
of good nature than of truth. "Of course you must have been knocked
about a good deal."

"Indeed we have," said Mrs. Crawley.

"And till you are somewhat settled again, I think that the change of
scene would be good for all of you. Come, Crawley, I'll talk to you
every evening about Jerusalem for as long as you please;--and then
there will perhaps come back to us something of the pleasantness of
old days." As she heard this Mrs. Crawley's eyes became full of tears,
and she could not altogether hide them. What she had endured during
the last four months had almost broken her spirit. The burden had at
last been too heavy for her strength. "You cannot fancy, Crawley,
how often I have thought of the old days and wished that they might
return. I have found it very hard to get an opportunity of saying so
much to you; but I will say it now."

"It may hardly be as you say," said Crawley, grimly.

"You mean that the old days can never be brought back?"

"Assuredly they cannot. But it was not that that I meant. It may not
be that I and mine should transfer ourselves to your roof and sojourn
there."

"Why should you not?"

"The reasons are many, and on the face of things. The reason,
perhaps, the most on the face of it is to be found in my wife's gown,
and in my coat." This Mr. Crawley said very gravely, looking neither
to the right nor to the left nor at the face of any of them, nor at
his own garment, nor at hers, but straight before him; and when he
had so spoken he said not a word further,--not going on to dilate on
his poverty as the dean expected that he would do.

"At such a time such reasons should stand for nothing," said the
dean.

"And why not now as they always do, and always must till the power
of tailors shall have waned, and the daughters of Eve shall toil and
spin no more? Like to like is true, and should be held to be true, of
all societies and of all compacts for co-operation and mutual living.
Here, where, if I may venture to say so, you and I are like to
like;--for the new gloss of your coat;"--the dean, as it happened,
had on at the moment a very old coat, his oldest coat, selected
perhaps with some view to this special visi