Framley Parsonage Anthony Trollope (best english novels for beginners .TXT) đ
- Author: Anthony Trollope
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Now, whenever Tozer, Mr. Sowerbyâs Tozer, spoke of Tom Tozer, Mr. Sowerby knew that seven devils were being evoked, each worse than the first devil. Mr. Sowerby did feel something like sincere regard, or rather love, for that poor parson whom he had inveigled into mischief, and would fain save him, if it were possible, from the Tozer fang. Mr. Forrest, of the Barchester bank, would probably take up that last five hundred pound bill, on behalf of Mr. Robartsâ âonly it would be needful that he, Sowerby, should run down and see that this was properly done. As to the other billâ âthe former and lesser oneâ âas to that, Mr. Tozer would probably be quiet for a while.
Such had been Sowerbyâs programme for these two days; but nowâ âwhat further possibility was there now that he should care for Robarts, or any other human being; he that was to be swept at once into the dung-heap?
In this frame of mind he walked up South Audley Street, and crossed one side of Grosvenor Square, and went almost mechanically into Green Street. At the farther end of Green Street, near to Park Lane, lived Mr. and Mrs. Harold Smith.
XXVIII Dr. ThorneWhen Miss Dunstable met her friends, the Greshamsâ âyoung Frank Gresham and his wifeâ âat Gatherum Castle, she immediately asked after one Dr. Thorne, who was Mrs. Greshamâs uncle. Dr. Thorne was an old bachelor, in whom both as a man and a doctor Miss Dunstable was inclined to place much confidence. Not that she had ever entrusted the cure of her bodily ailments to Dr. Thorneâ âfor she kept a doctor of her own, Dr. Easyman, for this purposeâ âand it may moreover be said that she rarely had bodily ailments requiring the care of any doctor. But she always spoke of Dr. Thorne among her friends as a man of wonderful erudition and judgment; and had once or twice asked and acted on his advice in matters of much moment. Dr. Thorne was not a man accustomed to the London world; he kept no house there, and seldom even visited the metropolis; but Miss Dunstable had known him at Greshamsbury, where he lived, and there had for some months past grown up a considerable intimacy between them. He was now staying at the house of his niece, Mrs. Gresham; but the chief reason of his coming up had been a desire expressed by Miss Dunstable, that he should do so. She had wished for his advice; and at the instigation of his niece he had visited London and given it.
The special piece of business as to which Dr. Thorne had thus been summoned from the bedsides of his country patients, and especially from the bedside of Lady Arabella Gresham, to whose son his niece was married, related to certain large money interests, as to which one might have imagined that Dr. Thorneâs advice would not be peculiarly valuable. He had never been much versed in such matters on his own account, and was knowing neither in the ways of the share market, nor in the prices of land. But Miss Dunstable was a lady accustomed to have her own way, and to be indulged in her own wishes without being called on to give adequate reasons for them.
âMy dear,â she had said to young Mrs. Gresham, âif your uncle donât come up to London now, when I make such a point of it, I shall think that he is a bear and a savage; and I certainly will never speak to him againâ âor to Frankâ âor to you; so you had better see to it.â Mrs. Gresham had not probably taken her friendâs threat as meaning quite all that it threatened. Miss Dunstable habitually used strong language; and those who knew her well, generally understood when she was to be taken as expressing her thoughts by figures of speech. In this instance she had not meant it all; but, nevertheless, Mrs. Gresham had used violent influence in bringing the poor doctor up to London.
âBesides,â said Miss Dunstable, âI have resolved on having the doctor at my conversazione, and if he wonât come of himself, I shall go down and fetch him. I have set my heart on trumping my dear friend Mrs. Proudieâs best card; so I mean to get everybody!â
The upshot of all this was, that the doctor did come up to town, and remained the best part of a week at his nieceâs house in Portman Squareâ âto the great disgust of the Lady Arabella, who conceived that she must die if neglected for three days. As to the matter of business, I have no doubt but that he was of great use. He was possessed of common sense and an honest purpose; and I am inclined to think that they are often a sufficient counterpoise to a considerable amount of worldly experience. If one could have the worldly experience alsoâ â! True! but then it is so difficult to get everything. But with that special matter of business we need not have any further concern. We will presume it to have been discussed and completed, and will now dress ourselves for Miss Dunstableâs conversazione.
But it must not be supposed that she was so poor in genius as to call her party openly by a name borrowed for the nonce from Mrs. Proudie. It was only among her specially intimate friends, Mrs. Harold Smith and some few dozen others, that she indulged in this little joke. There had been nothing in the least pretentious about the card with which she summoned her friends to her house on this occasion. She had merely signified in some ordinary way, that she would be glad to see them as soon after nine oâclock on Thursday evening, the âž» instant, as might be convenient. But all the world understood that all the world was to be gathered together at Miss Dunstableâs house on the night in questionâ âthat
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