shy, very reticent, and altogether uninstructed in
the ordinary daily intercourse of man with man.
Anyone knowing him might have predicted of him that
he would be sure on such an occasion as this to be
found floundering in a sea of doubts. Mr Quiverful
was the father of a large family, whose life had been
devoted to fighting a cruel world on behalf of his
wife and children. That fight he had fought bravely;
but it had left him no energy for any other business.
Mr Thumble was a poor creature—so poor
a creature that, in spite of a small restless ambition
to be doing something, he was almost cowed by the hard
lines of Dr Tempest’s brow. The Rev. Mr
Robarts was a man of the world, and a clever fellow,
and did not stand in awe of anybody—unless
it might be, in a very moderate degree, of his patrons
the Luftons, whom he was bound to respect; but his
cleverness was not of the cleverness needed by a judge.
He was essentially a partisan, and would be sure to
vote against the bishop in such a matter as this now
before him. There was a palace faction in the
diocese, and an anti-palace faction. Mr Thumble
and Mr Quiverful belonged to one, and Mr Oriel and
Mr Robarts to the other. Mr Thumble was too weak
to stick to his faction against the strength of such
a man as Dr Tempest. Mr Quiverful would be too
indifferent to do so—unless his interest
was concerned. Mr Oriel would be too conscientious
to regard his own side on such an occasion as this.
But Mark Robarts would be sure to support his friends
and oppose his enemies, let the case be what it might.
’Now, gentlemen, if you please, we will go into
the other room,’ said Dr Tempest. They went
into the other room, and there they found five chairs
arranged for them round the table. Not a word
had as yet been said about Mr Crawley, and no one of
the four strangers knew whether Mr Crawley was to appear
before them on that day or not.
‘Gentlemen,’ said Dr Tempest, seating
himself at once in an armchair placed at the middle
of the table, ’I think it will be well to explain
to you at first what, as I regard the matter, is the
extent of the work which we are called upon to perform.
It is of its nature very disagreeable. It cannot
but be so, be it ever so limited. Here is a brother
clergyman and a gentleman, living among us, and doing
his duty, as we are told, in a most exemplary manner;
and suddenly we hear that he is accused of theft.
The matter is brought before the magistrates, of whom
I myself was one, and he was committed for trial.
There is therefore prima facie evidence of his guilt.
But I do not think that we need to go into the question
of his guilt at all.’ When he said this,
the other four all looked up at him in astonishment.
’I thought that we had been summoned here for
that purpose,’ said Mr Robarts. ’Not
at all, as I take it,’ said the doctor.
’Were we to commence any such inquiry, the jury
would have given their verdict before we could come
to any conclusion; and it would be impossible for
us to oppose that verdict whether it declares this
unfortunate gentleman to be innocent or to be guilty.
If the jury shall say that he is innocent, there is
an end of the matter altogether. He would go
back to his parish amidst the sympathy and congratulations
of his friends. That is what we all should wish.’