CHAPTER VII.

emncelebrations,andeventoserveasaneducatinginfluenceaccordingtotheancientconception,Isaynothing,forwiththesewearenotimmediatelyconcerned.” “NobutmusicofthatsortIshouldenjoy,”saidDorothea.“WhenwewerecominghomefromLausannemyuncletookustohearthegreatorganatFreiberg,anditmademesob.” “Thatkindofthingisnothealthy,mydear,”saidMr.Brooke.“Casaubon,shewillbeinyourhandsnow:youmustteachmyniecetotakethingsmorequietly,eh,Dorothea?” Heendedwithasmile,notwishingtohurthisniece,butreallythinkingthatitwasperhapsbetterforhertobeearlymarriedtososoberafellowasCasaubon,sinceshewouldnothearofChettam. “Itiswonderful,though,”hesaidtohimselfasheshuffledoutoftheroom—“itiswonderfulthatsheshouldhavelikedhim.However,thematchisgood.Ishouldhavebeentravellingoutofmybrieftohavehinderedit,letMrs.Cadwalladersaywhatshewill.Heisprettycertaintobeabishop,isCasaubon.ThatwasaveryseasonablepamphletofhisontheCatholicQuestion:—adeaneryatleast.Theyowehimadeanery.” AndhereImustvindicateaclaimtophilosophicalreflectiveness,byremarkingthatMr.BrookeonthisoccasionlittlethoughtoftheRadicalspeechwhich,atalaterperiod,hewasledtomakeontheincomesofthebishops.Whateleganthistorianwouldneglectastrikingopportunityforpointingoutthathisheroesdidnotforeseethehistoryoftheworld,oreventheirownactions?—Forexample,thatHenryofNavarre,whenaProtestantbaby,littlethoughtofbeingaCatholicmonarchorthatAlfredtheGreat,whenhemeasuredhislaboriousnightswithburningcandles,hadnoideaoffuturegentlemenmeasuringtheiridledayswithwatches.Hereisamineoftruth,which,howevervigorouslyitmaybeworked,islikelytooutlastourcoal. ButofMr.BrookeImakeafurtherremarkperhapslesswarrantedbyprecedent—namely,thatifhehadforeknownhisspeech,itmightnothavemadeanygreatdifference.Tothinkwithpleasureofhisniece’shusbandhavingalargeecclesiasticalincomewasonething—tomakeaLiberalspeechwasanotherthinganditisanarrowmindwhichcannotlookatasubjectfromvariouspointsofview.