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Page 74
"You'll sleep on this, Mr Harding, and to-morrow--"
"I have done more than sleep upon it," said the warden; "I have lain
awake upon it, and that night after night. I found I could not sleep
upon it: now I hope to do so."
The attorney-general had no answer to make to this; so he expressed
a quiet hope that whatever settlement was finally made would be
satisfactory; and Mr Harding withdrew, thanking the great man for
his kind attention.
Mr Harding was sufficiently satisfied with the interview to feel a
glow of comfort as he descended into the small old square of Lincoln's
Inn. It was a calm, bright, beautiful night, and by the light of
the moon, even the chapel of Lincoln's Inn, and the sombre row of
chambers, which surround the quadrangle, looked well. He stood still
a moment to collect his thoughts, and reflect on what he had done,
and was about to do. He knew that the attorney-general regarded him
as little better than a fool, but that he did not mind; he and the
attorney-general had not much in common between them; he knew also
that others, whom he did care about, would think so too; but Eleanor,
he was sure, would exult in what he had done, and the bishop, he
trusted, would sympathise with him.
In the meantime he had to meet the archdeacon, and so he walked slowly
down Chancery Lane and along Fleet Street, feeling sure that his work
for the night was not yet over. When he reached the hotel he rang the
bell quietly, and with a palpitating heart; he almost longed to escape
round the corner, and delay the coming storm by a further walk round
St Paul's Churchyard, but he heard the slow creaking shoes of the old
waiter approaching, and he stood his ground manfully.
Chapter XVIII
THE WARDEN IS VERY OBSTINATE
"Dr Grantly is here, sir," greeted his ears before the door was well
open, "and Mrs Grantly. They have a sitting-room above, and are
waiting up for you."
There was something in the tone of the man's voice which seemed to
indicate that even he looked upon the warden as a runaway schoolboy,
just recaptured by his guardian, and that he pitied the culprit,
though he could not but be horrified at the crime.
The warden endeavoured to appear unconcerned, as he said, "Oh, indeed!
I'll go upstairs at once;" but he failed signally. There was,
perhaps, a ray of comfort in the presence of his married daughter;
that is to say, of comparative comfort, seeing that his son-in-law
was there; but how much would he have preferred that they should both
have been safe at Plumstead Episcopi! However, upstairs he went,
the waiter slowly preceding him; and on the door being opened the
archdeacon was discovered standing in the middle of the room, erect,
indeed, as usual, but oh! how sorrowful! and on the dingy sofa behind
him reclined his patient wife.
"Papa, I thought you were never coming back," said the lady; "it's
twelve o'clock."
"Yes, my dear," said the warden. "The attorney-general named ten for
my meeting; to be sure ten is late, but what could I do, you know?
Great men will have their own way."
And he gave his daughter a kiss, and shook hands with the doctor, and
again tried to look unconcerned.
"And you have absolutely been with the attorney-general?" asked the
archdeacon.
Mr Harding signified that he had.
"Good heavens, how unfortunate!" And the archdeacon raised his huge
hands in the manner in which his friends are so accustomed to see him
express disapprobation and astonishment. "What will Sir Abraham think
of it? Did you not know that it is not customary for clients to go
direct to their counsel?"
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