He was grateful to Lady Lufton for what she had done for him; but perhaps not so grateful as he should have been.
At any rate he was not Lady Lufton's servant, nor even her dependant.
So much he had repeated to himself on many occasions, and had gone so far as to hint the same idea to his wife.

In his career as parish priest he must in most things be the judge of his own actions--and in many also it was his duty to be the judge of those of his patroness.
The fact of Lady Lufton having placed him in the living, could by no means make her the proper judge of his actions.

This he often said to himself; and he said as often that Lady Lufton certainly had a hankering after such a judgement-seat.
Of whom generally did prime ministers and official bigwigs think it expedient to make bishops and deans?
Was it not, as a rule, of those clergymen who had shown themselves able to perform their clerical duties efficiently, and able also to take their place with ease in high society?
He was very well off certainly at Framley; but he could never hope for anything beyond Framley, if he allowed himself to regard Lady Lufton as a bugbear.

Putting Lady Lufton and her prejudices out of the question, was there any reason why he ought not to accept the duke's invitation?
He could not see that there was any such reason.

If any one could be a better judge on such a subject than himself, it must be his bishop.