h he had once been
tempted to wage against the wife of his bosom? Nor did any of the
Miss Proudies show themselves at that early hour. They, perhaps, were
absent on a different ground. With them Mrs. Proudie had not been
so successful as with the bishop. They had wills of their own which
became stronger and stronger every day. Of the three with whom Mrs.
Proudie was blessed one was already in a position to exercise that
will in a legitimate way over a very excellent young clergyman in
the diocese, the Rev. Optimus Grey; but the other two, having as yet
no such opening for their powers of command, were perhaps a little
too much inclined to keep themselves in practice at home. But at
half-past seven punctually Mrs. Proudie was there, and so was the
domestic chaplain; so was Mr. Robarts, and so were the household
servants--all excepting one lazy recreant. "Where is Thomas?" said
she of the Argus eyes, standing up with her book of family prayers in
her hand. "So please you, ma'am, Tummas be bad with the tooth-ache."
"Tooth-ache!" exclaimed Mrs. Proudie; but her eyes said more terrible
things than that. "Let Thomas come to me before church." And then
they proceeded to prayers. These were read by the chaplain, as it was
proper and decent that they should be: but I cannot but think that
Mrs. Proudie a little exceeded her office in taking upon herself
to pronounce the blessing when the prayers were over. She did it,
however, in a clear, sonorous voice, and perhaps with more personal
dignity than was within the chaplain's compass.

Mrs. Proudie was rather stern at breakfast, and the vicar of Framley
felt an unaccountable desire to get out of the house. In the first
place she was not dressed with her usual punctilious attention to the
proprieties of her high situation. It was evident that there was to
be a further toilet before she sailed up the middle of the cathedral
choir. She had on a large loose cap with no other strings than those
which were wanted for tying it beneath her chin, a cap with which the
household and the chaplain were well acquainted, but which seemed
ungracious in the eyes of Mr. Robarts after all the well-dressed
holiday doings of the last week. She wore also a large, loose,
dark-coloured wrapper, which came well up round her neck, and which
was not buoyed out, as were her dresses in general, with an under
mechanism of petticoats. It clung to her closely, and added to the
inflexibility of her general appeara