to make long journeys.  A run into Barchester and back, which was altogether under ten miles, was generally the extent of their work.  ’I meant to have posted from Barchester,’ said the major.  ‘You may as well take the horses through,’ said the archdeacon.  ’Your mother will not want them.  And I suppose you might as well bring your friend Toogood back to dinner.  We’ll give him a bed.’

‘He must be a good sort of man,’ said Mrs Grantly; ’for I suppose he has done this all for love?’

‘Yes; and spent a lot of money out of his own pocket too!’ said the major enthusiastically.  ’And the joke of it is, that he has been defending Crawley in Crawley’s teeth.  Mr Crawley had refused to employ counsel; but Toogood had made up his mind to have a barrister, on purpose that there might be a fuss about it in court.  He thought that it would tell with the jury in Crawley’s favour.’

‘Bring him here, and we’ll hear all about that from himself,’ said the archdeacon.  The major, before he started, told his mother that he should call at Framley Parsonage on his way back; but he said nothing on this subject to his father.

‘I’ll write to her in a day or two,’ said Mrs Grantly, ’and we’ll have things settled pleasantly.’

CHAPTER LXXIV

THE CRAWLEYS ARE INFORMED

Major Grantly made an early start, knowing that he had a long day’s work before him.  He had written over-night to Mr Toogood, naming the hour at which he would reach ‘The Dragon’, and was there punctual to the moment.  When the attorney came out and got into the open carriage, while the groom held the steps for him, it was plain to see that the respect in which he was held at ‘The Dragon’ was greatly increased.  It was already known that he was going to Plumstead that night, and it was partly understood that he was engaged with the Grantly and Arabin faction in defending Mr Crawley the clergyman against the Proudie faction.  Dan Stringer, who was still at the inn, as he saw his enemy get into the Plumstead carriage, felt himself to be one of the palace party, and felt that if Mrs Proudie had only lived till after the assizes all this heavy trouble would not have befallen him.  The waiter with the dirty napkin stood at the door and bowed, thinking perhaps that as the Proudie party was going down in Barchester, it might be as well to be civil to Mr Toogood.  The days of the Stringers were probably drawing to a close at the ‘The Dragon of Wantly’, and there was no knowing who might be the new landlord.

Henry Grantly and the lawyer found very little to say to each other on their long way out to Hogglestock.  They were thinking, probably, much of the coming interview, and hardly knew how to express their thoughts to each other.  ‘I will not take the carriage up to the house,’ said the major, as there were entering the parish of Hogglestock; ’particularly as the man must feed the horses.’  So they