take the trouble of copying it was out of the question,--wherein Lord
Montfort was made to express great admiration of the disinterested
delicacy of sentiment, which proved George Vipont Morley to be still more
fitted to the cure of souls; and, placing rooms at Montfort Court at his
service (the Marquess not being himself there at the moment), suggested
that George should talk the matter over with the present incumbent of
Humberston (that town was not many miles distant from Montfort Court),
who, though he had no impediment in his speech, still never himself
preached nor read prayers, owing to an affection of the trachea, and who
was, nevertheless, a most efficient clergy man. George Morley,
therefore, had gone down to Montfort Court some months ago, just after
his interview with Mrs. Crane. He had then accepted an invitation to
spend a week or two with the Rev. Mr. Allsop, the Rector of Humberston; a
clergyman of the old school, a fair scholar, a perfect gentleman, a man
of the highest honour, good-natured, charitable, but who took pastoral
duties much more easily than good clergymen of the new school--be they
high or low-are disposed to do. Mr. Allsop, who was then in his
eightieth year, a bachelor with a very good fortune of his own, was
perfectly willing to fulfil the engagement on which he held his living,
and render it up to George; but he was touched by the earnestness with
which George assured him that at all events he would not consent to
displace the venerable incumbent from a tenure he had so long and
honourably held, and would wait till the living was vacated in the
ordinary course of nature. Mr. Allsop conceived a warm affection for the
young scholar. He had a grand-niece staying with him on a visit, who
less openly, but not less warmly, shared that affection; and with her
George Morley fell shyly and timorously in love. With that living he
would be rich enough to marry; without it, no. Without it he had nothing
but a fellowship, which matrimony would forfeit, and the scanty portion
of a country squire's younger son. The young lady herself was dowerless,