CHAPTER VIII Plumstead Episcopi

He had no personal enmity to Mr Bold, was very willing to allow him to have been instigated by high motives, and would not himself have been ashamed, after the battle was over, to have shaken hands with his adversary. But he was fully determined that no effort on his part should be wanting to discomfit those who attacked the church, and he did not much care how uncharitable might be the motives imputed to him, seeing that he was resolved to act charitably by his own lights.

His first feeling was to communicate the opinion to Mr Harding, but on second thoughts he resolved to be silent. He would give Mr Harding the comfort of knowing that the affair was doing well, but it would be too cruel unnecessarily to disturb his peace by exciting hopes which might ultimately be falsified. No; he himself would see the attorney-general, who was coming down to Barsetshire on some electioneering business, and also Mr Harding, and his father. As far as the ecclesiastical court was concerned, he had no doubt of success. If the opinion of their lawyer might be taken for anything, they were sure to come triumphant out of that ordeal; and no doubt Mr Harding’s conscience would be satisfied, if he could be acquitted by his own chancellor. There was, however, much doubt as to what the attorney-general might say about the probability of success in the court of queen’s bench. The archdeacon, however, was a practical man, and knew well that success in the ecclesiastical court would give them such a standing before a jury, that an honest verdict could scarcely be expected with a favorable judgment in the court below to back the claims of the hospital. So he posted off to Oxford, to catch the
dignitary in the midst of his electioneering turmoil; and a few days after the scene last described, may be said to have commenced the action of “The Warden” by declaring war in form against John Bold.

This chapter from “The Warden” sets the stage for the central conflict of the novel, focusing on the legal and moral intricacies surrounding the income of Mr. Harding, the warden of the hospital, which is being challenged on the grounds of it being excessive and unfairly allocated. The Archdeacon, Grantly, emerges as a key figure in the defense of the established Church’s interests and Mr. Harding’s position, interacting with various characters including his wife, Mr. Chadwick, and legal advisors, displaying a blend of personal, institutional, and moral considerations. The details of family life at Plumstead Episcopi, Grantly’s tactics, and interactions underline the complexities of Victorian social, legal, and ecclesiastical life, setting the stage for the unfolding drama.