The Last Chronicle of Barset | Page 7

he suspect him as yet. The poor man had probably
received the money from the dean, and had told the lie about it, not
choosing to own that he had taken the money from his rich friend, and
thinking that there would be no further inquiry. He had been very
foolish, and that would be the end of it. Mr Soames was by no means
so good-natured in his belief. 'How should my pocket-book have got
into Dean Arabin's hands?' said Mr Soames, almost triumphantly. 'And
then I felt sure at the time that I had left it at Crawley's house!'
Mr Walker wrote a letter to the dean, who at that moment was in
Florence, on his way to Rome, from whence he was going on to the
Holy Land. There came back a letter from Mr Arabin, saying that on
the 17th March he had given to Mr Crawley a sum of fifty pounds and
that the payment had been made in five Bank of England notes of ten
pounds each, which had been handed to his friend in the library at the
deanery. The letter was very short, and, may, perhaps, be described as
having been almost curt. Mr Walker, in his anxiety to do the best he
could for Mr Crawley, had simply asked a question as to the nature of
the transaction between the two gentlemen, saying that no doubt the
dean's answer would clear up a little mystery which existed at present
respecting a cheque for twenty pounds. The dean in answer simply
stated the fact as it had been given above; but he wrote to Mr Crawley
begging to know what was in truth this new difficulty, and offering any
assistance in his power. He explained all the circumstances of the

money, as he remembered them. The sum advanced had certainly
consisted of fifty pounds, and there had certainly been five Bank of
England notes. He had put the notes into an envelope, which he had not
closed, but had addressed to Mr Crawley, and had placed this envelope
in his friend's hands. He went on to say that Mrs Arabin would have
written, but she was in Paris with her son. Mrs Arabin was to remain in
Paris during his absence in the Holy Land, and meet him in Italy on his
return. As she was so much nearer at hand, the dean expressed a hope
that Mrs Crawley would apply to her if there was any trouble.
The letter to Mr Walker was conclusive as to the dean's money. Mr
Crawley had not received Lord Lufton's cheque from the dean. Then
whence had he received it? The poor wife was left by the lawyer to
obtain further information from her husband. Ah, who can tell how
terrible were the scenes between that poor pair of wretches, as the wife
endeavoured to learn the truth from her miserable, half-maddened
husband! That her husband had been honest throughout, she had not
any shadow of doubt. She did not doubt that to her at least he
endeavoured to tell the truth, as far as his poor racked imperfect
memory would allow him to remember what was true and what was not
true. The upshot of it all was that the husband declared that he still
believed that the money had come to him from the dean. He had kept it
by him, not wishing to use it if he could help it. He had forgotten it--so
he said at times--having understood from Arabin that he was to have
fifty pounds, and having received more. If it had not come to him from
the dean, then it had been sent to him by the Prince of Evil for his utter
undoing; and there were times in which he seemed to think that such
had been the manner in which the fatal cheque had reached him. In all
that he said he was terribly confused, contradictory,
unintelligible--speaking almost as a madman might speak--ending
always in declaring that the cruelty of the world had been too much for
him, that the waters were meeting over his head, and praying to God's
mercy to remove him from this world. It need hardly be said that his
poor wife in these days had a burden on her shoulders that was more
than enough to crush any woman.
She at last acknowledged to Mr Walker that she could not account for

the twenty pounds. She herself would write again to the dean about it,
but she hardly hoped for any further assistance there. 'The dean's
answer was plain,' said Mr Walker. 'He says that he gave Mr Crawley
five ten-pound notes, and those five notes we have traced to Mr
Crawley's hands.' Then Mrs Crawley could say nothing further beyond
making protestations