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Chapter 4 The Bishop's Chaplain

Word Count: 2628    |    Released on: 11/11/2017

sted at the birth of Mr. T. Shandy and that in early years he added an “e” to his name, for the sake of euphony, as other great men have done before

ents are not of the highest order, but such as they are, they are completely under control, and he knows the use of them. He is gifted with a certain kind of pulpit eloquence, not likely indeed to be persuasive with men, but powerful with the softer sex. In his sermons he deals greatly in denunciations, excites the minds of his weaker hearers with a not unpleasant terror, and leaves an impression on their minds that all mankind are in a perilous state, and all womankind, too, except those who attend regularly to the evening lectures in Baker Street. His looks and tones are extremely severe, so much so that one cannot but fancy that he regards the greater part of the world as being infinitely too bad for his care. As he walks through the streets his very face denotes his horror of the world’s wickedness, and there is always an anathema lurking in the corner of his eye.In doctrine he, like his patron, is tolerant of dissent, if so strict a mind can be called tolerant of anything. With Wesleyan-Methodists he has something in common, but his soul trembles in agony at the iniquities of the Puseyites. His aversion is carried to things outward as well as inward. His gall rises at a new church with a high-pitched roof; a full-breasted black silk waistcoat is with him a symbol of Satan; and a profane jest-book would not, in his view, more foully desecrate the church seat of a Christian than a book of prayer printed with red letters and ornamented with a cross on the back. Most active clergymen have their hobby, and Sunday observances are his. Sunday, however, is a word which never pollutes his mouth — it is always “the Sabbath.” The “desecration of the Sabbath,” as he delights to call it, is to him meat and drink: he thrives upon that as policemen do on the general evil habits of the community. It is the loved subject of all his evening discourses, the source of all his eloquence, the secret of all his power over the female heart. To him the revelation of God appears only in that one law given for Jewish observance. To him the mercies of our Saviour speak in vain, to him in vain has been preached that sermon which fell from divine lips on the mountain —“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”—“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” To him the New Testament is comparatively of little moment, for from it can he draw no fresh authority for that dominion which he loves to exercise over at least a seventh part of man’s allotted time here below.Mr. Slope is tall and not ill-made. His feet and hands are large, as has ever been the case with all his family, but he has a broad chest and wide shoulders to carry off these excrescences, and on the whole his figure is good. His countenance, however, is not specially prepossessing. His hair is lank and of a dull pale reddish hue. It is always formed into three straight, lumpy masses, each brushed with admirable precision and cemented with much grease; two of them adhere closely to the sides of his face, and the other lies at right angles above them. He wears no whiskers and is always punctiliously shaven. His face is nearly of the same colour as his hair, though perhaps a little redder: it is not unlike beef — beef, however, one would say, of a bad quality. His forehead is capacious and high, but square and heavy and unpleasantly shining. His mouth is large, though his lips are thin and bloodless, and his big, prominent, pale-brown eyes inspire anything but confidence. His nose, however, is his redeeming feature: it is pronounced, straight and well-formed; though I myself should have liked it better did it not possess a somewhat spongy, porous appearance, as though it had been cleverly formed out of a red-coloured cork.I never could endure to shake hands with Mr. Slope. A cold, clammy perspiration always exudes from him, the small drops are ever to be seen standing on his brow, and his friendly grasp is unpleasant.Such is Mr. Slope — such is the man who has suddenly fallen into the midst of Barchester Close, and is destined there to assume the station which has heretofore been filled by the son of the late bishop. Think, oh, my meditative reader, what an associate we have here for those comfortable prebendaries, those gentlemanlike clerical doctors, those happy, well-used, well-fed minor canons who have grown into existence at Barchester under the kindly wings of Bishop Grantly!But not as a mere associate for these does Mr. Slope travel down to Barchester with the bishop and his wife. He intends to be, if not their master, at least the chief among them. He intends to lead and to have followers; he intends t

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Contents

Chapter 1 Who Will Be the New Bishop Chapter 2 Hiram's Hospital According to Act of Parliament Chapter 3 Dr. and Mrs. Proudie Chapter 4 The Bishop's Chaplain Chapter 5 A Morning Visit Chapter 6 War Chapter 7 The Dean and Chapter Take Counsel Chapter 8 The Ex-warden Rejoices in His Probable Return to th Chapter 9 The Stanhope Family Chapter 10 Mrs. Proudie's Reception - Commenced Chapter 11 Mrs. Proudie's Reception - Concluded
Chapter 12 Slope Versus Harding
Chapter 13 The Rubbish Cart
Chapter 14 The New Champion
Chapter 15 The Widow's Suitors
Chapter 16 Baby Worship
Chapter 17 Who Shall be Cock of the Walk
Chapter 18 The Widow's Persecution
Chapter 19 Barchester by Moonlight
Chapter 20 Mr. Arabin
Chapter 21 St. Ewold's Parsonage
Chapter 22 The Thornes of Ullathorne
Chapter 23 Mr. Arabin Reads Himself in at St. Ewold's
Chapter 24 Mr. Slope Manages Matters very Cleverly at Pudding
Chapter 25 Fourteen Arguments in Favour of Mr. Quiverful's
Chapter 26 Mrs. Proudie Wrestles and Gets a Fall
Chapter 27 A Love Scene
Chapter 28 Mrs. Bold is Entertained by Dr. and Mrs. Grantly a
Chapter 29 A Serious Interview
Chapter 30 Another Love Scene
Chapter 31 The Bishop's Library
Chapter 32 A New Candidate for Ecclesiastical Honours
Chapter 33 Mrs. Proudie Victrix
Chapter 34 Oxford - The Master and Tutor of Lazarus
Chapter 35 Miss Thorne's Fête Champêtre
Chapter 36 Ullathorne Sports - Act I
Chapter 37 The Signora Neroni, the Countess De Courcy, and Mr
Chapter 38 The Bishop Breakfasts, and the Dean Dies
Chapter 39 The Lookalofts and the Greenacres
Chapter 40 Ullathorne Sports - Act II
Chapter 41 Mrs. Bold Confides Her Sorrow to Her Friend Miss S
Chapter 42 Ullathorne Sports - Act III
Chapter 43 Mr. and Mrs. Quiverful Are Made Happy Mr. Slope is
Chapter 44 Mrs. Bold at Home
Chapter 45 The Stanhopes at Home
Chapter 49 Mr. Slope's Parting Interview with the Signora
Chapter 42 The Dean Elect
Chapter 43 Miss Thorne Shows Her Talent at Match-Making
Chapter 49 The Beelzebub Colt
Chapter 50 The Archdeacon is Satisfied with the State of Affa
Chapter 51 Mr. Slope Bids Farewell to the Palace and Its Inha
Chapter 52 The New Dean Takes Possession of the Deanery, and
Chapter 53 Conclusion
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