He had lived all his life on terms of equality with the best of the gentry around him.

His only daughter had made a splendid marriage.

His two sons had hitherto done well in the world, not only as regarded their happiness, but as to marriage also, and as to social standing.

But how great would be the fall if his son should at last marry the daughter of a convicted thief! How would the Proudies rejoice over him,--the Proudies who had been crushed to the ground by the success of the Hartletop alliance; and how would the low-church curates who swarmed in Barsetshire, gather together and scream in delight over his dismay! "But why should we say that he is guilty ?" said Mrs.
Grantly.
"It hardly matters as far as we are concerned, whether they find him guilty or not," said the archdeacon; "if Henry marries that girl my heart will be broken." But perhaps to no one except to the Crawleys themselves had the matter caused so much terrible anxiety as to the archdeacon's son.

He had told his father that he had made no offer of marriage to Grace Crawley, and he had told the truth.