Thompson carried the fasces, Miss Anne
would have known more about it.

The sad tidings were not told to Grace till the evening. Mrs. Crawley,
when the inquiry was over before the magistrates, would fain have had
herself driven to the Miss Prettymans' school, that she might see her
daughter; but she felt that to be impossible while her husband was in
her charge. The father would of course have gone to his child, had
the visit been suggested to him; but that would have caused another
terrible scene; and the mother, considering it all in her mind,
thought it better to abstain. Miss Prettyman did her best to make
poor Grace think that the affair had so far gone favourably,--did her
best, that is, without saying anything which her conscience told her
to be false. "It is to be settled at the assizes in April," she said.

"And in the meantime what will become of papa?"

"Your papa will be at home, just as usual. He must have some one to
advise him. I dare say it would have been all over now if he would
have employed an attorney."

"But it seems so hard that an attorney should be wanted."

"My dear Grace, things in this world are hard."

"But they are always harder for papa and mamma than for anybody
else." In answer to this, Miss Prettyman made some remarks intended
to be wise and kind at the same time. Grace, whose eyes were laden
with tears, made no immediate reply to this, but reverted to her
former statement, that she must go home. "I cannot remain, Miss
Prettyman; I am so unhappy."

"Will you be more happy at home?"

"I can bear it better there."

The poor girl soon learned from the intended consolations of those
around her, from the ill-considered kindness of the pupils, and from
words which fell from the servants, that her father had in fact
been judged to be guilty, as far as judgment had as yet gone. "They
do say, miss, it's only because he hadn't a lawyer," said the
housekeeper. And if men so kind as Lord Lufton and Mr. Walker had made
him out to be guilty, what could be expected from a stern judge down
from London, who would know nothing about her poor father and his
peculiarities, and from twelve jurymen who would be shopkeepers out
of Barchester. It would kill her father, and then it would kill her
mother; and after that it would kill her also. And there was no money
in the house at home. She knew it well. She had been paid three
pounds a month for her services at the school, and the money for the
la