ases, to
speak anything but the truth."

"Of course--of course."

"If the ears be too delicate to hear the truth, the mind will be
too perverse to profit by it." And then Mr. Crawley got up to take
his leave. But Lady Lufton insisted that he should go with her to
luncheon. He hummed and ha'd and would fain have refused, but on this
subject she was peremptory. It might be that she was unfit to advise
a clergyman as to his duties, but in a matter of hospitality she
did know what she was about. Mr. Crawley should not leave the house
without refreshment. As to this, she carried her point; and Mr.
Crawley--when the matter before him was cold roast-beef and hot
potatoes, instead of the relative position of a parish priest and his
parishioner--became humble, submissive, and almost timid. Lady Lufton
recommended Madeira instead of sherry, and Mr. Crawley obeyed at
once, and was, indeed, perfectly unconscious of the difference. Then
there was a basket of seakale in the gig for Mrs. Crawley; that he
would have left behind had he dared, but he did not dare. Not a word
was said to him as to the marmalade for the children which was hidden
under the seakale, Lady Lufton feeling well aware that that would
find its way to its proper destination without any necessity for his
co-operation. And then Mr. Crawley returned home in the Framley Court
gig.

Three or four days after this he walked over to Framley parsonage.
This he did on a Saturday, having learned that the hounds never
hunted on that day; and he started early, so that he might be sure
to catch Mr. Robarts before he went out on his parish business. He
was quite early enough to attain this object, for when he reached
the parsonage door at about half-past nine, the vicar, with his
wife and sister, were just sitting down to breakfast. "Oh, Crawley,"
said Robarts, before the other had well spoken, "you are a capital
fellow;" and then he got him into a chair, and Mrs. Robarts had
poured him out tea, and Lucy had surrendered to him a knife and
plate, before he knew under what guise to excuse his coming among
them.

"I hope you will excuse this intrusion," at last he muttered; "but I
have a few words of business to which I will request your attention
presently."

"Certainly," said Robarts, conveying a broiled kidney on to the plate
before Mr. Crawley; "but there is no preparation for business like
a good breakfast. Lucy, hand Mr. Crawley the buttered toast. Eggs,
Fanny; where