had
quite appreciated the fact that Mr. Crawley was not like other men.
"The man's not above half-saved," he had said to his wife,--meaning
thereby to insinuate that the poor clergyman was not in full
possession of his wits. And, to tell the truth of Mr. Toogood, he was
a little afraid of his relative. There was something in Mr. Crawley's
manner, in spite of his declared poverty, and in spite also of his
extreme humility, which seemed to announce that he expected to be
obeyed when he spoke on any point with authority. Mr. Toogood had not
forgotten the tone in which Mr. Crawley had said to him, "Sir, this
thing you cannot do." And he thought that, upon the whole, he had
better not go to Hogglestock on this occasion.

When at Silverbridge, he began at once to "rummage about". His chief
rummaging was to be done at Mr. Walker's table; but before dinner he
had time to call upon the magistrates' clerk, and ask a few questions
as to the proceedings at the sitting from which Mr. Crawley was
committed. He found a very taciturn old man, who was nearly as
difficult to deal with in any rummaging process as a porcupine. But,
nevertheless, at last he reached a state of conversation which was
not absolutely hostile. Mr. Toogood pleaded that he was the poor man's
cousin,--pleaded that, as the family lawyer, he was naturally the
poor man's protector at such a time as the present,--pleaded also
that as the poor man was so very poor, no one else could come forward
on his behalf,--and in this way somewhat softened the hard sharpness
of the old porcupine's quills. But after all this, there was very
little to be learned from the old porcupine. "There was not a
magistrate on the bench," he said, "who had any doubt that the
evidence was sufficient to justify them in sending the case to the
assizes. They had all regretted,"--the porcupine said in his softest
moment,--"that the gentleman had come there without a legal adviser."
"Ah, that's been the mischief of it all!" said Mr. Toogood, dashing
his hand against the porcupine's mahogany table. "But the facts were
so strong, Mr. Toogood!" "Nobody there to soften 'em down, you know,"
said Mr. Toogood, shaking his head. Very little more than this was
learned from the porcupine; and then Mr. Toogood went away, and
prepared for Mr. Walker's dinner.

Mr. Walker had invited Dr. Tempest and Miss Anne Prettyman and Major
Grantly to meet Mr. Toogood, and had explained, in a manner intended
to be half ea