And Lady Lufton, when she spoke of the Chaldicotes set, distinctly
included, in her own mind, the Bishop of Barchester, and his wife
and daughter. Seeing that Bishop Proudie was, of course, much a
man addicted to religion and to religious thinking, and that Mr
Sowerby himself had no particular religious sentiments whatever,
there would not at first sight appear to be ground for much
intercourse, and perhaps there was not much of such intercourse;
but Mrs Proudie and Mrs Harold Smith were firm friends of four or
five years standing--ever since the Proudies came into the diocese
for the bishop was usually taken to Chaldicotes whenever Mrs Smith
paid her brother a visit. Now Bishop Proudie was by no means a
High Church dignitary, and Lady Lufton had never forgiven him for
coming into that diocese. She had, instinctively, a high respect
for the episcopal office; but of Bishop Proudie himself she hardly
thought better than she did of Mr Sowerby, or of that fabricator of
evil, the Duke of Omnium. Whenever Mr Robarts would plead that in
going anywhere he would have the benefit of meeting the bishop,
Lady Lufton would slightly curl her upper lip. She could not say in
words that Bishop Proudie--bishop as he certainly must be
called--was no better than he ought to be; but by that curl of her
lip she did explain to those who knew her that such was the feeling
of her heart.

And then it was understood--Mark Robarts, at least, had so heard,
and the information soon reached Framley Court--that Mr Supplehouse
was to make one of the Chaldicotes party. Now Mr Supplehouse was a
worse companion for a gentleman, young, High Church, conservative
county parson than even Harold Smith. He also was in Parliament,
and had been extolled during the early days of the Russian War by