prayers, owing to an affection of the
trachea, and who was, nevertheless, a most efficient clergy man. George
Morley, therefore, had gone down to Montfort Court some months ago, just
after his interview with Mrs. Crane. He had then accepted an invitation
to spend a week or two with the Rev. Mr. Allsop, the Rector of
Humberston; a clergyman of the old school, a fair scholar, a perfect
gentleman, a man of the highest honour, good-natured, charitable, but
who took pastoral duties much more easily than good clergymen of the new
school--be they high or low-are disposed to do. Mr. Allsop, who was then
in his eightieth year, a bachelor with a very good fortune of his own,
was perfectly willing to fulfil the engagement on which he held
his living, and render it up to George; but he was touched by the
earnestness with which George assured him that at all events he would
not consent to displace the venerable incumbent from a tenure he had so
long and honourably held, and would wait till the living was vacated in
the ordinary course of nature. Mr. Allsop conceived a warm affection for
the young scholar. He had a grand-niece staying with him on a visit, who
less openly, but not less warmly, shared that affection; and with her
George Morley fell shyly and timorously in love. With that living he
would be rich enough to marry; without it, no. Without it he had nothing
but a fellowship, which matrimony would forfeit, and the scanty portion
of a country squire's younger son. The young lady herself was dowerless,
for Allsop's fortune was so settled that no share of it would come
to his grand-niece,--another reason for conscience to gulp down that
unhappy impediment of speech. Certainly, during this visit, Morley's
scruples relaxed; but when he returned home they came back with greater
force than ever,--with greater force, because he felt that now not
only a spiritual ambition, but a human love was a casuist in favour of
self-interest. He had returned on a visit to Humberston Rectory about
a week previous to the date of this chapter; the niece was not there.
Sternly he had forced himself to examine a little more closely into the
condition of the flock which (if he accepted the charge) he would have
to guide, and the duties that devolved upon a chief pastor in a populous
trading town. He became appalled. Humberston, like most towns under the
political influence of a great House, was rent by parties,--one party,
who succeeded in returning on