high position among them must abide
by the danger thereby incurred. In this peculiar case
we are informed that the recommendation was made by a
very recently admitted member of the Cabinet, to whose
appointment we alluded at the time as a great mistake. The
gentleman in question held no high individual office of
his own; but evil such as this which has now been done at
Barchester, is exactly the sort of mischief which follows
the exaltation of unfit men to high positions, even though
no great scope for executive failure may be placed within
their reach.

If Mr. Robarts will allow us to tender to him our advice
he will lose no time in going through such ceremony as may
be necessary again to place the stall at the disposal of
the Crown!

I may here observe that poor Harold Smith, when he read this,
writhing in agony, declared it to be the handiwork of his hated
enemy, Mr. Supplehouse. He knew the mark; so, at least, he said; but
I myself am inclined to believe that his animosity misled him. I
think that one greater than Mr. Supplehouse had taken upon himself
the punishment of our poor vicar. This was very dreadful to them all
at Framley, and, when first read, seemed to crush them to atoms. Poor
Mrs. Robarts, when she heard it, seemed to think that for them the
world was over. An attempt had been made to keep it from her, but
such attempts always fail, as did this. The article was copied into
all the good-natured local newspapers, and she soon discovered that
something was being hidden. At last it was shown to her by her
husband, and then for a few hours she was annihilated; for a few days
she was unwilling to show herself; and for a few weeks she was very
sad. But after that the world seemed to go on much as it had done
before; the sun shone upon them as warmly as though the article had
not been written; and not only the sun of heaven, which, as a rule,
is not limited in his shining by any display of pagan thunder, but
also the genial sun of their own sphere, the warmth and light of
which were so essentially necessary to their happiness. Neighbouring
rectors did not look glum, nor did the rectors' wives refuse to call.
The people in the shops at Barchester did not regard her as though
she were a disgraced woman, though it must be acknowledged that Mrs.
Proudie passed her in the close with the coldest nod of recognition.

On Mrs. Proudie's mind alone did the article seem to