nds. And then what would
Lady Lufton say?

"And do you think that you must go up to London, Mark?"

"Oh, certainly; that is, if I intend to accept Harold Smith's kind
offices in the matter."

"I suppose it will be better to accept them," said Fanny, feeling
perhaps that it would be useless in her to hope that they should not
be accepted.

"Prebendal stalls, Fanny, don't generally go begging long among
parish clergymen. How could I reconcile it to the duty I owe to my
children to refuse such an increase to my income?" And so it was
settled that he should at once drive to Silverbridge and send off a
message by telegraph, and that he should himself proceed to London on
the following day. "But you must see Lady Lufton first, of course,"
said Fanny, as soon as all this was settled. Mark would have avoided
this if he could have decently done so, but he felt that it would be
impolitic, as well as indecent. And why should he be afraid to tell
Lady Lufton that he hoped to receive this piece of promotion from
the present Government? There was nothing disgraceful in a clergyman
becoming a prebendary of Barchester. Lady Lufton herself had always
been very civil to the prebendaries, and especially to little Dr.
Burslem, the meagre little man who had just now paid the debt of
nature. She had always been very fond of the chapter, and her
original dislike to Bishop Proudie had been chiefly founded on his
interference with the cathedral clergy,--on his interference, or on
that of his wife or chaplain. Considering these things Mark Robarts
tried to make himself believe that Lady Lufton would be delighted
at his good fortune. But yet he did not believe it. She at any rate
would revolt from the gift of the Greek of Chaldicotes. "Oh, indeed,"
she said, when the vicar had with some difficulty explained to her
all the circumstances of the case. "Well, I congratulate you, Mr.
Robarts, on your powerful new patron."

"You will probably feel with me, Lady Lufton, that the benefice is
one which I can hold without any detriment to me in my position here
at Framley," said he, prudently resolving to let the slur upon his
friends pass by unheeded.

"Well, I hope so. Of course, you are a very young man, Mr. Robarts,
and these things have generally been given to clergymen more advanced
in life."

"But you do not mean to say that you think I ought to refuse it?"

"What my advice to you might be if you really came to me for advice,
I am hardly