She went up to her husband, hat in hand, and looking round to see that
she was not watched put the hat on his head, and then lifted him as it
were from the chair. He did not refuse to be led, and allowed her to
throw round his shoulders the old cloak which was hanging in the
passage, and then he passed out, and was the first to seat himself in
the Silverbridge fly. His wife followed him, and did not hear the
blandishments with which Thompson instructed his myrmidon to follow
through the mud on foot. Slowly they made their way through the lanes,
and it was nearly twelve when the fly was driven through the yard of the
"George and Vulture" at Silverbridge.

Silverbridge, though it was blessed with a mayor and corporation, and
was blessed also with a Member of Parliament all to itself, was not
blessed with a courthouse. The magistrates were therefore compelled to
sit in the big room at the "George and Vulture" in which the county
balls were celebrated, and the meeting of the West Barsetshire
freemasons was held. That part of the country was, no doubt, very much
ashamed of its backwardness in this respect, but as yet nothing had been
done to remedy the evil. Thompson and his fly were therefore driven into
the yard of the inn, and Mr and Mrs Crawley were ushered by him up into
a little bed-chamber close adjoining to the big room in which the
magistrates were already assembled. 'There's a bit of a fire here,' said
Thompson, 'and you can make yourselves a little warm.' He himself was
shivering with the cold. 'When the gents is ready in there, I'll just
come and fetch you.'

'I may go in with him?' said Mrs Crawley.

'I'll have a chair for you at the end of the table, just nigh to him,'