The Last Chronicle of Barset [205]
I know nothing of him. My father tried to be civil to him once, but Crawley wouldn't have it at all. We all thought he was mad then. I suppose he has done his duty in his parish?'
'He has quarrelled with the bishop, you know,--out and out.'
'Has he, indeed? But I'm not sure that I think very much about bishops, Walker.'
'That depends very much on the particular bishop. Some people say ours isn't all that a bishop ought to be, while others are very fond of him.'
'And Mr Crawley belongs to the former set, that's all?' said Mr Toogood.
'No, Mr Toogood; that isn't all. The worst of your cousin as that he has an aptitude to quarrel with everybody. He is one of those men who always think themselves to be ill-used. Now our dean, Dr Arabin, has been his very old friend--and as far as I can learn, a very good friend; but it seems that Mr Crawley has done his best to quarrel with him too.'
'He spoke of the dean in the highest terms to me.'
'He may do that--and yet quarrel with him. He'd quarrel with his own right hand, if he nothing else to quarrel with. That makes the difficulty, you see. He'll take nobody's advice. He thinks we're all against him.'
'I suppose the world has been heavy on him, Mr Walker?'
'The world has been very heavy on him,' said John Eames, who had now been left free to join the conversation, Mr Summerkin having gone away to his lady-love. 'You must not judge him as you do other men.'
'That is just it,' said Mr Walker. 'And to what result will that bring us?'
'That we ought to stretch a point in his favour,' said Toogood.
'But why?' asked the attorney from Silverbridge. 'What do we mean when we say that one man isn't to be trusted as another? We simply imply that he is not what we call responsible.'
'And I don't think Mr Crawley is responsible,' said Johnny.
'Then how can he be fit to have charge of a parish?' said Mr Walker. 'You see where the difficulty is. How it embarrasses one all round. The amount of evidence as to the cheque is, I think, sufficient to get a verdict in an ordinary case, and the Crown has not alternative but so to treat it. Then his friends come forward--and from sympathy with his sufferings, I desire to be ranked among the number--and say, 'Ah, but you should spare this man, because he is not responsible.' Were he one who filled no position requiring special responsibility, that might be very well. His friends might undertake to look after him, and the prosecution might perhaps be smothered. But Mr Crawley holds a living, and if he escape he will be triumphant--especially triumphant over the bishop. Now, if he has really taken this money, and if his only excuse be that he did not know when he took it whether he was stealing or whether he was not--for the sake of justice that ought not to be allowed.'
'You think he certainly did steal the money?' said Johnny.
'You have heard the evidence, no doubt?' said Mr Walker.
'I don't feel quite sure about it, yet,' said Mr Toogood.
'Quite sure of what?' said Mr Walker.
'That the cheque got dropped in his house.'
'It was at any rate traced to his hands.'
'I have no doubt about that,' said Toogood.
'And he can't account for it,' said Walker.
'A man isn't bound to show where he got his money,' said Johnny. 'Suppose that sovereign is marked,' and Johnny produced a coin from his pocket, 'and I don't know but what it is; and suppose it is proved to have belonged to someone who lost it, and then to be traced to my own hands--how am I to say where I got it? If I were asked I should simply decline to answer.'
'But a cheque is not a sovereign, Mr Eames,' said Walker. 'It is presumed that a man can account for the possession of a cheque. It may be that a man should have a cheque in his possession and not be able to account for it, and should yet be open to no grave suspicion. In such a case a jury has to judge. Here is the fact: that Mr Crawley has the cheque, and brings it in to use some considerable time after it is drawn; and the additional fact that the drawer of the cheque had
'He has quarrelled with the bishop, you know,--out and out.'
'Has he, indeed? But I'm not sure that I think very much about bishops, Walker.'
'That depends very much on the particular bishop. Some people say ours isn't all that a bishop ought to be, while others are very fond of him.'
'And Mr Crawley belongs to the former set, that's all?' said Mr Toogood.
'No, Mr Toogood; that isn't all. The worst of your cousin as that he has an aptitude to quarrel with everybody. He is one of those men who always think themselves to be ill-used. Now our dean, Dr Arabin, has been his very old friend--and as far as I can learn, a very good friend; but it seems that Mr Crawley has done his best to quarrel with him too.'
'He spoke of the dean in the highest terms to me.'
'He may do that--and yet quarrel with him. He'd quarrel with his own right hand, if he nothing else to quarrel with. That makes the difficulty, you see. He'll take nobody's advice. He thinks we're all against him.'
'I suppose the world has been heavy on him, Mr Walker?'
'The world has been very heavy on him,' said John Eames, who had now been left free to join the conversation, Mr Summerkin having gone away to his lady-love. 'You must not judge him as you do other men.'
'That is just it,' said Mr Walker. 'And to what result will that bring us?'
'That we ought to stretch a point in his favour,' said Toogood.
'But why?' asked the attorney from Silverbridge. 'What do we mean when we say that one man isn't to be trusted as another? We simply imply that he is not what we call responsible.'
'And I don't think Mr Crawley is responsible,' said Johnny.
'Then how can he be fit to have charge of a parish?' said Mr Walker. 'You see where the difficulty is. How it embarrasses one all round. The amount of evidence as to the cheque is, I think, sufficient to get a verdict in an ordinary case, and the Crown has not alternative but so to treat it. Then his friends come forward--and from sympathy with his sufferings, I desire to be ranked among the number--and say, 'Ah, but you should spare this man, because he is not responsible.' Were he one who filled no position requiring special responsibility, that might be very well. His friends might undertake to look after him, and the prosecution might perhaps be smothered. But Mr Crawley holds a living, and if he escape he will be triumphant--especially triumphant over the bishop. Now, if he has really taken this money, and if his only excuse be that he did not know when he took it whether he was stealing or whether he was not--for the sake of justice that ought not to be allowed.'
'You think he certainly did steal the money?' said Johnny.
'You have heard the evidence, no doubt?' said Mr Walker.
'I don't feel quite sure about it, yet,' said Mr Toogood.
'Quite sure of what?' said Mr Walker.
'That the cheque got dropped in his house.'
'It was at any rate traced to his hands.'
'I have no doubt about that,' said Toogood.
'And he can't account for it,' said Walker.
'A man isn't bound to show where he got his money,' said Johnny. 'Suppose that sovereign is marked,' and Johnny produced a coin from his pocket, 'and I don't know but what it is; and suppose it is proved to have belonged to someone who lost it, and then to be traced to my own hands--how am I to say where I got it? If I were asked I should simply decline to answer.'
'But a cheque is not a sovereign, Mr Eames,' said Walker. 'It is presumed that a man can account for the possession of a cheque. It may be that a man should have a cheque in his possession and not be able to account for it, and should yet be open to no grave suspicion. In such a case a jury has to judge. Here is the fact: that Mr Crawley has the cheque, and brings it in to use some considerable time after it is drawn; and the additional fact that the drawer of the cheque had