ouraged by her as he was, you perhaps saw more of him than I did."

"Mrs. Proudie, that was never the case."

"I have reason to know that the archdeacon conceived it to be so, and
that he was very unhappy about it." Now this, unfortunately, was a
fact which Mrs. Grantly could not deny.

"The archdeacon may have been mistaken about Mr. Slope," she said,
"as were some other people at Barchester. But it was you, I think,
Mrs. Proudie, who were responsible for bringing him here." Mrs.
Grantly, at this period of the engagement, might have inflicted a
fatal wound by referring to poor Olivia's former love affairs, but
she was not destitute of generosity. Even in the extremest heat of
the battle she knew how to spare the young and tender.

"When I came here, Mrs. Grantly, I little dreamed what a depth of
wickedness might be found in the very close of a cathedral city,"
said Mrs. Proudie.

"Then, for dear Olivia's sake, pray do not bring poor Mr. Tickler to
Barchester."

"Mr. Tickler, Mrs. Grantly, is a man of assured morals and of a
highly religious tone of thinking. I wish every one could be so safe
as regards their daughters' future prospects as I am."

"Yes, I know he has the advantage of being a family man," said Mrs.
Grantly, getting up. "Good morning, Mrs. Proudie; good day, Olivia."

"A great deal better that than--" But the blow fell upon the empty
air; for Mrs. Grantly had already escaped on to the staircase while
Olivia was ringing the bell for the servant to attend the front-door.

Mrs. Grantly, as she got into her carriage, smiled slightly, thinking
of the battle, and as she sat down she gently pressed her daughter's
hand. But Mrs Proudie's face was still dark as Acheron when her enemy
withdrew, and with angry tone she sent her daughter to her work. "Mr.
Tickler will have great reason to complain if, in your position, you
indulge such habits of idleness," she said. Therefore I conceive that
I am justified in saying that in that encounter Mrs. Grantly was the
conqueror.

CHAPTER XLI

Don Quixote

On the day on which Lucy had her interview with Lady Lufton the dean
dined at Framley parsonage. He and Robarts had known each other
since the latter had been in the diocese, and now, owing to Mark's
preferment in the chapter, had become almost intimate. The dean was
greatly pleased with the manner in which poor Mr. Crawley's children
had been conveyed away from Hogglestock, and was inclined to open hi