While they were still standing at the gate, Mr. Bromley the clergyman joined them, and walked back towards the house with the two Caldigates.  He, too, had come to offer his congratulations, and to assure the released prisoner that he never believed the imputed guilt.  But he would not go into the house, surmising that on such a day the happy wife would not care to see many visitors.  But Caldigate asked him to take a turn about the grounds, being anxious to learn something from the outside world.  ‘What do they say to it all at Babington?’

‘I think they’re a little divided.’

‘My aunt has been against me, of course.’

’At first she was, I fancy.  It was natural that people should believe till Shand came back.’

‘Poor, dear old Dick.  I must look after Dick.  What about Julia?’

‘Spretae injuria formae!’ said Mr. Bromley.  ‘What were you to expect?’

’I’ll forgive her.  And Mr. Smirkie?  I don’t think Smirkie ever looked on me with favourable eyes.’

Then the clergyman was forced to own that Smirkie too had been among those who had believed the woman’s story.  ’But you have to remember how natural it is that a man should think a verdict to be right.  In our country a wrong verdict is an uncommon occurrence.  It requires close personal acquaintance and much personal confidence to justify a man in supposing that twelve jurymen should come to an erroneous decision.  I thought that they were wrong.  But still I knew that I could hardly defend my opinion before the outside world.’

‘It is all true,’ said Caldigate; ’and I have made up my mind that I will be angry with no one who will begin to believe me innocent from this day.’

His mind, however, was considerably exercised in regard to the Boltons, as to whom he feared that they would not even yet allow themselves to be convinced.  For his wife’s happiness their conversion was of infinitely more importance than that of all the outside world beyond.  When the gloom of the evening had come, she too came out and walked with him about the garden and grounds with the professed object of showing him whatever little changes might have been made.  But the conversation soon fell back upon the last great incident of their joint lives.

’But your mother cannot refuse to believe what everybody now declares to be true,’ he argued.

‘Mamma is so strong in her feelings.’

’She must know they would not have let me out of prison in opposition to the verdict until they were very sure of what they were doing.’

Then she told him all that had occurred between her and her mother since the trial,—­how her mother had come out to Folking and had implored her to return to Chesterton, and had then taken herself away in dudgeon because she had not prevailed.  ’But nothing would have made me leave the place,’ she said, ’after what they tried to do when I was there before.  Except to go to church, I have not once been outside the gate.’