he had always preached; eagerly, clearly, and with an eloquence fitted
for the hearts of such an audience. No one would have guessed from his
tones and gestures and appearance on that occasion, that there was aught
wrong with him--unless there had been some observer keen enough to
perceive that the greater care which he used, and the special eagerness
of his words, denoted a special frame of mind.

After that, after those church services were over, he sank again and
never roused himself till the dreaded day had come.



CHAPTER V

WHAT THE WORLD THOUGHT OF IT

Opinion at Silverbridge, at Barchester, and throughout the county, was
very much divided as to the guilt or innocence of Mr Crawley. Up to the
time of Mrs Crawley's visit to Silverbridge, the affair had not been
much discussed. To give Mr Soames his due he had be no means been
anxious to press the matter against the clergyman; but he had been
forced to go on with it. While the first cheque was missing, Lord Lufton
had sent him a second cheque for the money, and the loss had thus fallen
upon his lordship. The cheque had of course been traced, and inquiry had
of course been made as to Mr Crawley's possession of it. When that
gentleman declared that he had received it from Mr Soames, Mr Soames had
been forced to contradict and to resent such assertion. When Mr Crawley
had afterwards said that the money had come to him from the dean, and
when the dean had shown that this was also untrue, Mr Soames, confident
as he was that he had dropped the pocket-book at Mr Crawley's house,