boy was none the worse for his accident; but there must be an end of it.
There was something in her manner, as she said this, which almost overawed
Lady De Lawle. She made herself, at any rate, understood, and no further
attempt was made for the next six weeks to induce her or Mr. Peacocke to
enter the Rectory dining-room. But a good deal was said about Mr.
Peacocke,--generally in his favour.

Generally in his favour,--because he was a fine scholar, and could swim
well. His preaching perhaps did something for him, but the swimming did
more. But though there was so much said of good, there was something also
of evil. A man would not altogether refuse society for himself and his
wife unless there were some cause for him to do so. He and she must have
known themselves to be unfit to associate with such persons as they would
have met at De Lawle Park. There was a mystery, and the mystery, when
unravelled, would no doubt prove to be very deleterious to the character
of the persons concerned. Mrs. Stantiloup was quite sure that such must
be the case. "It might be very well," said Mrs. Stantiloup, "for Dr.
Wortle to obtain the services of a well-educated usher for his school, but
it became quite another thing when he put a man up to preach in the
church, of whose life, for five years, no one knew anything." Somebody
had told her something as to the necessity of a bishop's authority for the
appointment of a curate; but no one had strictly defined to her what a
curate is. She was, however, quite ready to declare that Mr. Peacocke had
no business to preach in that pulpit, and that something very disagreeable
would come of it.

Nor was this feeling altogether confined to Mrs. Stantiloup, though it had
perhaps originated with what she had said among her own friends. "Don't
you think it well you should know something of his life during these five
years?" This had been said to the Rector by the Bishop himself,--who
probably would have said nothing of the kind had not these reports reached
his ears. But reports, when they reach a certain magnitude, and attain a
certain importance, require to be noticed.

So much in this world depends upon character that attention has to be paid
to bad character even when it is not deserved. In dealing with men and
women, we have to consider what they believe, as well as what we believe
ourselves. The utility of a sermon depends much on the idea that the
audience has of the piety of t