The Last Chronicle of Barset · Chapter
I Think He Is Light of Heart explained
Mrs.
What happens
Mrs. Arabin travels to London to give her deposition about the cheque, which may lead to the grand jury not finding a true bill against Mr. Crawley. Dan Stringer escapes legal punishment but is driven out of Barchester by public outrage. Mrs. Arabin receives a letter from Mrs. Grantly about Mr. Harding's declining health and decides to return to Barchester. She visits Lily Dale at Mrs. Thorne's house to plead John Eames's case, but Lily, still haunted by John's letter to Miss Demolines, rejects him, claiming she will never marry. Lily agrees to see John one last time before leaving for Allington.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
Lily Dale's refusal of John Eames highlights the tension between affection and romantic love; she cannot marry without love, despite his worth.
Justice and Injustice
Mr. Crawley's near exoneration contrasts with Dan Stringer's escape from legal punishment, though he faces mob justice.
Gossip and Public Opinion
Mrs. Thorne's news-sharing and the public's strong feeling against Dan Stringer show how opinion shapes events.
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Arabin
Gives deposition about the cheque; receives news of Mr. Harding's decline; visits Lily Dale to advocate for John Eames.
- Lily Dale
Visits Mrs. Thorne's house; rejects Mrs. Arabin's plea for John Eames, citing his light-heartedness and a letter to M.D.; agrees to see John one last time.
- Johnny Eames
Returns to London; Mrs. Arabin advocates for him to Lily, but Lily remains unmoved due to his correspondence with Miss Demolines.
- Thomas Toogood
Travels to London to take Mrs. Arabin's deposition; still wishes to prosecute Dan Stringer but is advised against it.
- Mr. Crawley
The cheque affair is nearly resolved; Mrs. Arabin's deposition may lead to the grand jury not finding a true bill against him.
- Mrs. Thorne
Hosts Mrs. Arabin and Lily; shares Barsetshire news and jokes about Mr. Crawley becoming bishop.
Key passages
“It might still be necessary, Mrs. Arabin was told, that she should go into court, and there state on oath that she had given the cheque to Mr. Crawley; but Mr. Walker was of opinion that the circumstances would enable the judge to call upon the grand jury not to find a true bill against Mr. Crawley, and that the whole affair, as far as Mr. Crawley was concerned, would thus be brought to an end.”
Mrs. Arabin was informed she might still need to testify in court that she gave the cheque to Mr. Crawley, but Mr. Walker believed the situation would allow the judge to direct the grand jury not to indict Mr. Crawley, ending the matter for him.
Explains the legal mechanism for dropping charges against Mr. Crawley.
“But they could not punish him for a lie—not even for such a lie as that! He was not upon oath, and they could not make him responsible to the law because he had held his tongue upon a matter as to which it was manifest to them all that he had known the whole history during the entire period of Mr. Crawley’s persecution.”
They couldn't punish Dan Stringer for lying, as he wasn't under oath, and the law couldn't hold him accountable for staying silent about something everyone knew he was aware of throughout Mr. Crawley's ordeal.
Highlights the legal limitation in prosecuting Dan Stringer for his silence.
“Why was it so? Unheroic as he might be, John Eames was surely a better man and a bigger man than Adolphus Crosbie. It was simply this;—she had fallen in love with the one, and had never fallen in love with the other!”
The reason was simple: Lily had fallen in love with Crosbie but never with John Eames, even though John was a better and more substantial man.
Explains Lily's emotional attachment to Crosbie over Eames.
