iven by Dean Arabin to her husband in April
last. There had been, she said, great heartburnings about this gift,
and she had hardly dared to speak to her husband on the subject. An
execution had been threatened in the house by Grobury, the baker,
of which the dean had heard. Then there had been some scenes at the
deanery between her husband and the dean and Mrs. Arabin, as to which
she had subsequently heard much from Mrs. Arabin. Mrs. Arabin had told
her that money had been given,--and at last taken. Indeed, so much
had been very apparent, as bills had been paid to the amount of at
least fifty pounds. When the threat made by the butcher had reached
her husband's ears, the effect upon him had been very grievous. All
this was the story told by Mrs. Crawley to Mr. Walker, the lawyer,
when he was pushing his inquiries. She, poor woman, at any rate told
all that she knew. Her husband had told her one morning, when the
butcher's threat was weighing heavily on his mind, speaking to her
in such a humour that she found it impossible to cross-question him,
that he had still money left, though it was money which he had hoped
that he would not be driven to use; and he had given her the four
five-pound notes and had told her to go to Silverbridge and satisfy
the man who was so eager for his money. She had done so, and had felt
no doubt that the money so forthcoming had been given by the dean.
That was the story told by Mrs. Crawley.

But how could she explain her husband's statement as to the cheque,
which had been shown to be altogether false? All this passed between
Mr. Walker and Mrs. Crawley, and the lawyer was very gentle with her.
In the first stages of the inquiry he had simply desired to learn the
truth, and place the clergyman above suspicion. Latterly, being bound
as he was to follow the matter up officially, he would not have seen
Mrs. Crawley had he been able to escape that lady's importunity. "Mr
Walker," she had said, at last, "you do not know my husband. No one
knows him but I. It is hard to have to tell you of all our troubles."
"If I can lessen them, trust me that I will do so," said the lawyer.
"No one, I think, can lessen them in this world," said the lady. "The
truth is, sir, that my husband often knows not what he says. When
he declared that the money had been paid to him by Mr. Soames, most
certainly he thought so. There are times when in his misery he knows
not what he says,--when he forgets everything."

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