things were fitting and
appliances were at command. Indeed Mrs. Crawley at once said that she
felt herself unfit to go through such a ceremony with anything like
comfort. The dean, she said, would talk of their going to stay at
the deanery; but she thought it quite impossible that either of them
should endure even that. But, all the same, Lady Lufton was a comfort
to her; and the poor woman felt that it was well to have a lady near
her in case of need.

The task was much harder with Mr. Crawley, but even with him it was
not altogether unsuccessful. Lady Lufton talked to him of his parish
and of her own; made Mark Robarts go to him, and by degrees did
something towards civilizing him. Between him and Robarts too there
grew up an intimacy rather than a friendship. Robarts would submit
to his opinion on matters of ecclesiastical and even theological law,
would listen to him with patience, would agree with him where he
could, and differ from him mildly when he could not. For Robarts
was a man who made himself pleasant to all men. And thus, under
Lady Lufton's wing, there grew up a connexion between Framley and
Hogglestock, in which Mrs. Robarts also assisted. And now that Lady
Lufton was looking about her, to see how she might best bring proper
clerical influence to bear upon her own recreant fox-hunting parson,
it occurred to her that she might use Mr. Crawley in the matter.
Mr. Crawley would certainly be on her side as far as opinion went,
and would have no fear as to expressing his opinion to his brother
clergyman. So she sent for Mr. Crawley. In appearance he was the
very opposite to Mark Robarts. He was a lean, slim, meagre man, with
shoulders slightly curved, and pale, lank, long locks of ragged hair;
his forehead was high, but his face was narrow; his small grey eyes
were deeply sunken in his head, his nose was well-formed, his lips
thin, and his mouth expressive. Nobody could look at him without
seeing that there was a purpose and a meaning in his countenance.
He always wore, in summer and winter, a long dusky grey coat, which
buttoned close up to his neck and descended almost to his heels. He
was full six feet high, but being so slight in build, he looked as
though he were taller. He came at once at Lady Lufton's bidding,
putting himself into the gig beside the servant, to whom he spoke no
single word during the journey. And the man, looking into his face,
was struck with taciturnity. Now Mark Robarts would have