‘It is a very difficult question,—­a very difficult question, indeed,’ said Mr. Smirkie, shaking his head.  He was quite sure that were Folking in his parish he would perform the duty, though Mr. Caldigate and the unfortunate lady might be as a lion and a lioness in opposition to him; but he was also of opinion that sacerdotal differences of opinion should not be discussed among laymen,—­should not be discussed by a clergyman even with the wife of his bosom.

At Babington opinion was somewhat divided.  Aunt Polly and Julia were of course certain that John Caldigate had married the woman in Australia.  But the two other girls and their father were not at all so sure.  Indeed, there had been a little misunderstanding among the Babingtons on the subject, which was perhaps strengthened by the fact that Mr. Smirkie had more endeared himself to Julia’s mother than to Julia’s father or sisters, and that Mr. Smirkie himself was very clear as to the criminality of the bigamist.  ‘I suppose you are often there,’ Mr. Babington said to his guest, the parson of Utterden.

‘Yes; I have seen a good deal of them.’

‘Do you think it possible?’

‘Not probable,’ said the clergyman.

‘I don’t,’ said the Squire.  ’I suppose he was a little wild out there, but that is a very different thing from bigamy.  Young men, when they get out to those places, are not quite so particular as they ought to be, I daresay.  When I was young, perhaps I was not as steady as I ought to have been.  But, by George! here is a man comes over and asks for a lot of money; and then the woman asks for money; and then they say that if they don’t get it, they’ll swear the fellow was married in Australia.  I can’t fancy that any jury will believe that.’

‘I hope not.’

’And yet, Madame,’—­the Squire was in the habit of calling his wife Madame when he intended to insinuate anything against her,—­’has got it settled in her head that this young woman isn’t his wife at all.  I think it’s uncommon hard.  A man ought to be considered innocent till he has been found guilty.  I shall go over and see him one of these days, and say a kind word to her.’

There was at that moment some little difference of opinion, which was coming to a head in reference to a very delicate matter.  When the conversations above related took place, the Babington wedding had been fixed to take place in a week’s time.  Should cousin John be invited, or should he not?  Julia was decidedly against it.  ‘She did not think,’ she said, ’that she could stand up at the altar and conduct herself on an occasion so trying if she were aware that he were standing by her.’  Mr. Smirkie, of course, was not asked,—­was not directly asked.  But equally, of course, he was able to convey his own opinion through his future bride.  Aunt Polly thought that the county would be shocked if a man charged with bigamy was allowed to be present at the marriage.  But the Squire was a man who could have an opinion of his own; and after having elicited that of Mr. Bromley, insisted that the invitation should be sent.