such as could be despised.
If money were to be of avail, he had plenty of it, and was prepared
to spend it; whereas, rumour said that Mr Moffat was equally
determined to do nothing so foolish. Then again, Sir Roger had a sort
of rough eloquence, and was able to address the men of Barchester in
language that would come home to their hearts, in words that would
endear him to one party while they made him offensively odious to the
other; but Mr Moffat could make neither friends nor enemies by his
eloquence. The Barchester roughs called him a dumb dog that could not
bark, and sometimes sarcastically added that neither could he bite.
The de Courcy interest, however, was at his back, and he had also the
advantage of possession. Sir Roger, therefore, knew that the battle
was not to be won without a struggle.

Dr Thorne got safely back from Silverbridge that evening, and found
Mary waiting to give him his tea. He had been called there to a
consultation with Dr Century, that amiable old gentleman having so
far fallen away from the high Fillgrave tenets as to consent to the
occasional endurance of such degradation.

The next morning he breakfasted early, and, having mounted his strong
iron-grey cob, started for Boxall Hill. Not only had he there to
negotiate the squire's further loan, but also to exercise his medical
skill. Sir Roger having been declared contractor for cutting a canal
from sea to sea, through the Isthmus of Panama, had been making a
week of it; and the result was that Lady Scatcherd had written rather
peremptorily to her husband's medical friend.

The doctor consequently trotted off to Boxall Hill on his iron-grey
cob. Among his other merits was that of being a good horseman, and
he did much of his work on horseback. The fact that he occasionally
took a day with the East Barsetshires, and that when he did so he
thoroughly enjoyed it, had probably not failed to add something to
the strength of the squire's friendship.

"Well, my lady, how is he? Not much the matter, I hope?" said the
doctor, as he shook hands with the titled mistress of Boxall Hill in
a small breakfast-parlour in the rear of the house. The show-rooms
of Boxall Hill were furnished most magnificently, but they were set
apart for company; and as the company never came--seeing that they
were never invited--the grand rooms and the grand furniture were not
of much material use to Lady Scatcherd.

"Indeed then, doctor, he's just bad enough," said h