some delight in what he thought to be the absurdities of his brother-in-law.  Mr. Babington himself was a man who was joyous on most occasions and always gay on such an occasion as this.  He had praised the mother, and praised the baby, and praised the house of Folking generally, graciously declaring that his wife looked forward to the pleasure of making acquaintance with her new niece, till old Mr. Caldigate had been delighted with these manifestations of condescension.  ‘Folking is a poor place,’ said he, ’but Babington is really a country-house.’

‘Yes,’ replied the other squire, much gratified, ’Babington is what you may call really a good country-house.’

You had to laugh very hard at him before you could offend Uncle Babington.  In all this John Caldigate was obliged to assist, knowing all the time, feeling all the time, that Crinkett was in Cambridge; and through all this the young mother had to appear happy, knowing the existence of that letter signed ’Euphemia Caldigate,’—­feeling it at every moment.  And they both acted their parts well.  Caldigate himself,—­though when he was alone the thought of what was coming would almost crush him,—­could always bear himself bravely when others were present.

On the morning before they went to church, when the bells were ringing, old Mr. Bolton came in a carriage with his wife from Cambridge.  She, of course, condescended to give her hand to her son-in-law but she did it with a look which was full of bitterness.  She did not probably intend to be specially bitter, but bitterness of expression was common to her.  She was taken, however, at once up to the baby, and then in the presence of her daughter and grandchild it may be presumed that she relaxed a little.  At any rate, her presence in the house made her daughter happy for the time.

Then they all went to the church, except the squire, who, as he himself pleaded, had no duty to perform there.  Mrs. Bolton, as she was taken through the hall, saw him and recognised him, but would not condescend even to bow her head to him, though she knew how intimate he had been with her husband.  She still felt,—­though she had yielded for this day, this day which was to make her grandchild a Christian,—­that there must be, and should be, a severance between people such as the Boltons and people such as the Caldigates.

As the service went on, and as the water was sprinkled, and as the prayers were said, Caldigate felt thankful that so much had been allowed to be done before the great trouble had disclosed itself.  The doubt whether even the ceremony could be performed before the clap of thunder had been heard through all Cambridge had been in itself a distinct sorrow to him.  Had Crinkett showed himself at Chesterton, neither Mrs. Bolton nor Daniel Bolton would have been standing then at the font.  Had Crinkett been heard of at Babington, Uncle Babington would not now have been at Folking.  All this was passing through his mind