or lightened upon
his forehead, but remained uniform throughout; the usual neutral
salmon-colour of a man who feeds well--not to say too well--and does not
think hard; every pore being in visible working order. His tout ensemble
was that of a highly improved class of farmer, dressed up in the wrong
clothes; that of a firm-standing perpendicular man, whose fall would
have been backwards in direction if he had ever lost his balance.

The vicar's background was at present what a vicar's background should
be, his study. Here the consistency ends. All along the chimneypiece
were ranged bottles of horse, pig, and cow medicines, and against the
wall was a high table, made up of the fragments of an old oak Iychgate.
Upon this stood stuffed specimens of owls, divers, and gulls, and over
them bunches of wheat and barley ears, labelled with the date of the
year that produced them. Some cases and shelves, more or less laden
with books, the prominent titles of which were Dr. Brown's 'Notes on
the Romans,' Dr. Smith's 'Notes on the Corinthians,' and Dr. Robinson's
'Notes on the Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians,' just saved the
character of the place, in spite of a girl's doll's-house standing above
them, a marine aquarium in the window, and Elfride's hat hanging on its
corner.

'Business, business!' said Mr. Swancourt after breakfast. He began to
find it necessary to act the part of a fly-wheel towards the somewhat
irregular forces of his visitor.

They prepared to go to the church; the vicar, on second thoughts,
mounting his coal-black mare to avoid exerting his foot too much at
starting. Stephen said he should want a man to assist him. 'Worm!' the
vicar shouted.

A minute or two after a voice was heard round the corner of the
building, mumbling, 'Ah, I used to be strong enough, but 'tis altered
now! Well, there, I'm as independent as one here and there, even if they
do write 'squire after their names.'

'What's the matter?' said the vicar, as William Worm appeared; when the
remarks were repeated to him.

'Worm says some very true things sometimes,' Mr. Swancourt said, turning
to Stephen. 'Now, as regards that word "esquire." Why, Mr. Smith,
that word "esquire" is gone to the dogs,--used on the letters of every
jackanapes who has a black coat. Anything else, Worm?'

'Ay, the folk have begun frying again!'

'Dear me! I'm sorry to hear that.'

'Yes,' Worm said groaningly to Stephen, 'I've got such a noise in my
head t