Framley Parsonage | Page 6

at the age of twenty-five, or a little more, he married Fanny Monsell. The marriage was celebrated in his own church, for Miss Monsell had no home of her own, and had been staying for the last three months at Framley Court. She was given away by Sir George Meredith, and Lady Lufton herself saw that the wedding was what it should be, with almost as much care as she had bestowed on that of her own daughter. The deed of marrying, the absolute tying of the knot, was performed by the Very Reverend the Dean of Barchester, an esteemed friend of Lady Lufton's. And Mrs Arabin, the dean's wife, was of the party, though the distance from Barchester to Framley is long, and the roads deep, and no railway lends its assistance. And Lord Lufton was there of course; and people protested that he would surely fall in love with one of the four beautiful bridesmaids, of whom Blanche Robarts, the vicar's second sister, was by common acknowledgement by far the most beautiful. And there was there another and a younger sister of Mark's--who did not officiate at the ceremony, though she was present--and of whom no prediction was made, seeing that she was then only sixteen, but of whom mention is made here, as it will come to pass that my readers will know her hereafter. Her name was Lucy Robarts. And then the vicar and his wife on their wedding tour, the old curate taking care of the Framley souls the while. And in due time they returned; and after a further interval, in due course a child was born to them; and then another; and after that came a period at which we will begin our story. But before doing so, may I not assert that all men were right in saying all manner of good things as to the Devonshire physician, and in praising his luck in having such a son?
'You were up at the house to-day, I suppose,' said Mark to his wife, as he sat stretching himself in an easy chair in the drawing-room, before the fire, previously to his dressing for dinner. It was a November evening, and he had been out all day, and on such occasions the aptitude for delay in dressing is very powerful. A strong-minded man goes direct from the hall door to his chamber without encountering the temptation of the drawing-room fire.
'No; but Lady Lufton was down here.'
'Full of suggestions in favour of Sarah Thompson?'
'Exactly so, Mark.'
'And what did you say about Sarah Thompson?'
'Very little as coming from myself: but I did hint that you thought, or that I thought you thought, that one of the regular trained schoolmistresses would be better.'
'But her ladyship did not agree?'
'Well, I won't exactly say that;--though I think that perhaps she did not.'
'I am sure she did not. When she has a point to carry, she is very fond of carrying it.'
'But, you see, in this affair of the school she is thinking more of her protege than she does of the children.'
'Tell her that, and I am sure she will give way.' And then again they were both silent. And the vicar having thoroughly warmed himself, as far as this might be done by facing the fire, turned round and began the operation a tergo.
'Come, Mark, it is twenty minutes past six. Will you go and dress?'
'I'll tell you what, Fanny: she must have her way about Sarah Thompson. You can see her to-morrow and tell her so.'
'I am sure, Mark, I would not give way, if I thought it wrong. Nor would she expect it.'
'If I persist this time, I shall certainly have to yield the next; and then the next may probably be more important.'
'But if it's wrong, Mark?'
'I didn't say it was wrong. Besides, if it is wrong, wrong in some infinitesimal degree, one must put up with it. Sarah Thompson is very respectable; the only question is whether she can teach.'
The young wife, though she did not say so, had some idea her husband was in error. It is true that one must put up with wrong, with a great deal of wrong. But no one need put up with wrong that he can remedy. Why should he, the vicar, consent to receive an incompetent teacher for the parish children, when he was able to procure one that was competent? In such a case--so thought Mrs Robarts to herself--she would have fought the matter out with Lady Lufton. On the next morning, however, she did as she was bid, and signified to the dowager that all objections to Sarah Thompson would be withdrawn.
'Ah! I was sure he would agree with me,' said her ladyship, 'when he learned what sort of person she is. I know I