Luftons,--mother-in-law and daughter-in-law,--who
at this time were living together at Framley Hall, Lord Lufton's seat
in the county of Barset, and they were both thoroughly convinced
of Mr. Crawley's innocence. The elder lady had lived much among
clergymen, and could hardly, I think, by any means have been brought
to believe in the guilt of any man who had taken upon himself the
orders of the Church of England. She had also known Mr. Crawley
personally for some years, and was one of those who could not admit
to herself that any one was vile who had been near to herself. She
believed intensely in the wickedness of the outside world, of the
world which was far away from herself, and of which she never saw
anything; but they who were near to her, and who had even become dear
to her, or who even had been respected by her, were made, as it were,
saints in her imagination. They were brought into the inner circle,
and could hardly be expelled. She was an old woman who thought all
evil of those she did not know, and all good of those whom she did
know; and as she did know Mr. Crawley, she was quite sure that he had
not stolen Mr. Soames's twenty pounds. She did know Mr. Soames also;
and thus there was a mystery for the unravelling of which she was
very anxious. And the young Lady Lufton was equally sure, and perhaps
with better reason for such certainty. She had, in truth, known more
of Mr. Crawley personally, than had any one in the county, unless it
was the dean. The younger Lady Lufton, the present Lord Lufton's
wife, had sojourned at one time in Mr. Crawley's house, amidst the
Crawley poverty, living as they lived, and nursing Mrs. Crawley
through an illness which had wellnigh been fatal to her; and the
younger Lady Lufton believed in Mr. Crawley,--as Mr. Crawley also
believed in her.

"It is quite impossible, my dear," the old woman said to her
daughter-in-law.

"Quite impossible, my lady." The dowager was always called "my
lady", both by her own daughter and by her son's wife, except in the
presence of their children, when she was addressed as "grandmamma".
"Think how well I knew him. It's no use talking of evidence. No
evidence would make me believe it."

"Nor me; and I think it a great shame that such a report should be
spread about."

"I suppose Mr. Soames could not help himself?" said the younger lady,
who was not herself very fond of Mr. Soames.

"Ludovic says that he has only done what he was obliged to do.