Part 13 (2/2)

All this was wormwood to our old friend. He had never rated very high his own abilities or activity, but all the feelings of his heart were with the old clergy, and any antipathies of which his heart was susceptible were directed against those new, busy, uncharitable, self-lauding men, of whom Mr. Slope was so good an example.

”Perhaps,” said he, ”the bishop will prefer a new man at the hospital?”

”By no means,” said Mr. Slope. ”The bishop is very anxious that you should accept the appointment, but he wishes you should understand beforehand what will be the required duties. In the first place, a Sabbath-day school will be attached to the hospital.”

”What! For the old men?” asked Mr. Harding.

”No, Mr. Harding, not for the old men, but for the benefit of the children of such of the poor of Barchester as it may suit. The bishop will expect that you shall attend this school, and that the teachers shall be under your inspection and care.”

Mr. Harding slipped his topmost hand off the other and began to rub the calf of the leg which was supported.

”As to the old men,” continued Mr. Slope, ”and the old women who are to form a part of the hospital, the bishop is desirous that you shall have morning and evening service on the premises every Sabbath, and one weekday service; that you shall preach to them once at least on Sundays; and that the whole hospital be always collected for morning and evening prayer. The bishop thinks that this will render it unnecessary that any separate seats in the cathedral should be reserved for the hospital inmates.”

Mr. Slope paused, but Mr. Harding still said nothing.

”Indeed, it would be difficult to find seats for the women; on the whole, Mr. Harding, I may as well say at once, that for people of that cla.s.s the cathedral service does not appear to me the most useful--even if it be so for any cla.s.s of people.”

”We will not discuss that, if you please,” said Mr. Harding.

”I am not desirous of doing so; at least, not at the present moment.

I hope, however, you fully understand the bishop's wishes about the new establishment of the hospital; and if, as I do not doubt, I shall receive from you an a.s.surance that you accord with his lords.h.i.+p's views, it will give me very great pleasure to be the bearer from his lords.h.i.+p to you of the presentation to the appointment.”

”But if I disagree with his lords.h.i.+p's views?” asked Mr. Harding.

”But I hope you do not,” said Mr. Slope.

”But if I do?” again asked the other.

”If such unfortunately should be the case, which I can hardly conceive, I presume your own feelings will dictate to you the propriety of declining the appointment.”

”But if I accept the appointment and yet disagree with the bishop, what then?”

This question rather bothered Mr. Slope. It was true that he had talked the matter over with the bishop and had received a sort of authority for suggesting to Mr. Harding the propriety of a Sunday school and certain hospital services, but he had no authority for saying that these propositions were to be made peremptory conditions attached to the appointment. The bishop's idea had been that Mr.

Harding would of course consent and that the school would become, like the rest of those new establishments in the city, under the control of his wife and his chaplain. Mr. Slope's idea had been more correct. He intended that Mr. Harding should refuse the situation, and that an ally of his own should get it, but he had not conceived the possibility of Mr. Harding openly accepting the appointment and as openly rejecting the conditions.

”It is not, I presume, probable,” said he, ”that you will accept from the hands of the bishop a piece of preferment with a fixed predetermination to disacknowledge the duties attached to it.”

”If I become warden,” said Mr. Harding, ”and neglect my duty, the bishop has means by which he can remedy the grievance.”

”I hardly expected such an argument from you, or I may say the suggestion of such a line of conduct,” said Mr. Slope with a great look of injured virtue.

”Nor did I expect such a proposition.”

”I shall be glad at any rate to know what answer I am to make to his lords.h.i.+p,” said Mr. Slope.

”I will take an early opportunity of seeing his lords.h.i.+p myself,”

said Mr. Harding.

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