s
heart to the whole Framley household. As he still had to ride home
he could only allow himself to remain half an hour after dinner, but
in that half-hour he said a great deal about Crawley, complimented
Robarts on the manner in which he was playing the part of the Good
Samaritan, and then by degrees informed him that it had come to his,
the dean's, ears, before he left Barchester, that a writ was in the
hands of certain persons in the city, enabling them to seize--he did
not know whether it was the person or the property of the vicar of
Framley.

The fact was that these tidings had been conveyed to the dean with
the express intent that he might put Robarts on his guard; but the
task of speaking on such a subject to a brother clergyman had been so
unpleasant to him that he had been unable to introduce it till the
last five minutes before his departure. "I hope you will not put it
down as an impertinent interference," said the dean, apologizing.

"No," said Mark; "no, I do not think that." He was so sad at heart
that he hardly knew how to speak of it.

"I do not understand much about such matters," said the dean; "but I
think, if I were you, I should go to a lawyer. I should imagine that
anything so terribly disagreeable as an arrest might be avoided."

"It is a hard case," said Mark, pleading his own cause. "Though these
men have this claim against me I have never received a shilling
either in money or money's worth."

"And yet your name is to the bills!" said the dean.

"Yes, my name is to the bills, certainly, but it was to oblige a
friend."

And then the dean, having given his advice, rode away. He could not
understand how a clergyman, situated as was Mr. Robarts, could find
himself called upon by friendship to attach his name to accommodation
bills which he had not the power of liquidating when due! On that
evening they were both wretched enough at the parsonage. Hitherto
Mark had hoped that perhaps, after all, no absolutely hostile steps
would be taken against him with reference to these bills. Some
unforeseen chance might occur in his favour, or the persons holding
them might consent to take small instalments of payment from time to
time; but now it seemed that the evil day was actually coming upon
him at a blow. He had no longer any secrets from his wife. Should he
go to a lawyer? and if so, to what lawyer? And when he had found his
lawyer, what should he say to him? Mrs. Robarts at one time suggested