Der Praefekt

coming.
     
    It had been decided, the archdeacon advising, that no remonstrance,
    explanation, or defence should be addressed from the Barchester
    conclave to the editor of _The Jupiter_; but hitherto that was the
    only decision to which they had come.
     
    Sir Abraham Haphazard was deeply engaged in preparing a bill for the
    mortification of papists, to be called the “Convent Custody Bill,”
    the purport of which was to enable any Protestant clergyman over
    fifty years of age to search any nun whom he suspected of being in
    possession of treasonable papers or Jesuitical symbols; and as there
    were to be a hundred and thirty-seven clauses in the bill, each clause
    containing a separate thorn for the side of the papist, and as it
    was known the bill would be fought inch by inch, by fifty maddened
    Irishmen, the due construction and adequate dovetailing of it did
    consume much of Sir Abraham’s time.  The bill had all its desired
    Wirkung. Of course it never passed into law; but it so completely
    divided the ranks of the Irish members, who had bound themselves
    together to force on the ministry a bill for compelling all men to
    drink Irish whiskey, and all women to wear Irish poplins, that for
    the remainder of the session the Great Poplin and Whiskey League was
    utterly harmless.
     
    Thus it happened that Sir Abraham’s opinion was not at once
    forthcoming, and the uncertainty, the expectation, and suffering of
    the folk of Barchester was maintained at a high pitch.
     
     
     
     
    Chapter VIII
     
    PLUMSTEAD EPISCOPI
     
     
    The reader must now be requested to visit the rectory of Plumstead
    Episcopi; and as it is as yet still early morning, to ascend again
    with us into the bedroom of the archdeacon.  The mistress of the
    mansion was at her toilet; on which we will not dwell with profane
    eyes, but proceed into a small inner room, where the doctor dressed
    and kept his boots and sermons; and here we will take our stand,
    premising that the door of the room was so open as to admit of a
    conversation between our reverend Adam and his valued Eve.
     
    “It’s all your own fault, archdeacon,” said the latter.  “I told you
    from the beginning how it would end, and papa has no one to thank but
    Sie. “
     
    “Good gracious, my dear,” said the doctor, appearing at the door of
    his dressing-room, with his face and head enveloped in the rough towel
    which he was violently using; “how can you say so?  I am doing my very
    best.”
     
    “I wish you had never done so much,” said the lady, interrupting him.
    “If you’d just have let John Bold come and go there, as he and papa
    liked, he and Eleanor would have been married by this time, and we
    should not have heard one word about all this affair.”
     
    “But, my dear—”
     
    “Oh, it’s all very well, archdeacon; and of course you’re right; I
    don’t for a moment think you’ll ever admit that you could be wrong;
    but the fact is, you’ve brought this young man down upon papa by
    huffing him as you have done.”
     
    “But, my love—”
     
    “And all because you didn’t like John Bold for a brother-in-law.
    How is she ever to do better?  Papa hasn’t got a shilling; and though
    Eleanor is well enough, she has not at all a taking style of beauty.
    I’m sure I don’t know how she’s to do better than marry John Bold; or
    as well indeed,” added the anxious sister, giving the last twist to
    her last shoe-string.
     
    Dr Grantly felt keenly the injustice of this attack; but what could he
    sagen? He certainly had huffed John Bold; he certainly had objected to
    him as a brother-in-law, and a very few months ago the very idea had
    excited his wrath: but now matters were changed; John Bold had shown
    his power, and, though he was as odious as ever to the archdeacon,
    power is always respected, and the reverend dignitary began to think
    that such an alliance might not have been imprudent. Dennoch
    his motto was still “no surrender;” he would still fight it out;
    he believed confidently in Oxford, in the bench of bishops, in Sir
    Abraham Haphazard, and in himself; and it was only when alone with
    his wife that doubts of defeat ever beset him.  He once more tried to
    communicate this confidence to Mrs Grantly, and for the twentieth time
    began to tell her of Sir Abraham.
     
    “Oh, Sir Abraham!” said she, collecting all her house keys into her
    basket before she descended; “Sir Abraham won’t get Eleanor a husband;
    Sir