ther,' said Rowland, 'I am sure you will not mind sacrificing one day
to poor Aunt Griffey and Howel. I must be in London the day after
to-morrow. I will go to-morrow instead, and take her up with me, and see
what is to be done for Howel. He will not have too many friends near him
at such a time.'

'God bless you, Rowland, bach,' said Mrs Griffey, springing up from her
chair, and running to Rowland and kissing him vigorously--a compliment,
it must be confessed, he could have dispensed with. 'And you will be
standing up for him, and be telling of his character--and of his living
at Abertewey--and how he was so clever, and did never be doing anything
wrong. You will be saving him, Rowland, seure!'

Rowland shook his head.

'I will go with you, Aunt 'Lizbeth, and take you to my lodgings till I
have seen Howel, and told him you are in London. We shall then see what
can be done.'

'But you will be speaking up for him, Rowland, bach?'

'Cousin 'Lizbeth,' said Mrs Prothero, 'if Howel had been a good son, and
a steady young man, you could scarcely ask Rowland to speak up for him,
and his own sister in Llanfach churchyard! "As we have sown, so must we
reap," in this world.'

'It do be fine for you, cousin, to be preaching, who was having
fortunate sons, but--'

'Hush, Aunt 'Lizbeth, if you please,' interrupted Rowland. 'I will take
you to London to-morrow, if you are resolved to go. You must meet me at
the omnibus.'

(There was now a railway within a few miles of Llanfawr.)

'Then I will be going home to get ready. You was seure to come, Mr
Rowlands?'

'Sure, if nothing unforeseen prevents me.'

At this point of the conversation, Mr Prothero entered the parlour,
leading Minette, who had two letters in her hand.

'Here are two letters for you, Uncle Rowland,' said the child.
'Grandfather says one must be from a bishop. What's a bishop, uncle?
Oh, Grandma Jenkins!'

Minette gave the letters to Rowland, and then went to kiss her
grandmother, who began to cry when she saw her. Mr Prothero suppressed a
very equivocal question concerning the reason of her again appearing at
Glanyravon, and said,--

'How d'ye do, Mrs Griffey?'

Rowland opened his letters. One was from Mr Jones, the other, as Minette
said, was from a bishop--the Bishop of London. He read Mr Jones' first,
and turned more than usually red as he did so. He uttered an exclamation
of surprise when he finished reading it, and put it into his father's
hand