a plentiful grey beard. He shaved his upper lip however, greatly to the
detriment of his appearance, for the said upper lip was very long and the
absence of the hirsute appendage showed a very large mouth with very thin
lips, generally compressed into an expression of remarkable obstinacy.
His nose was both broad and long and his grey eyes were bright and
aggressive in their glance. As a matter of fact Mr. Ambrose was combative
by nature, but his fighting instincts seem to have been generally
employed in the protection of rights he already possessed, rather than in
pushing on in search of fresh fields of activity. He was an active man,
fond of walking alone and able to walk any distance he pleased; a
charitable man with the charity peculiar to people of exceedingly
economical tendencies and possessing small fixed incomes. He would give
himself vast personal trouble to assist distress, as though aware that
since he could not give much money to the poor he was bound to give the
best of himself. The good Mrs. Ambrose seconded him in this as in all his
works; labouring hard when hard work could do any good, but giving
material assistance with a sparing hand. It sufficiently defines the two
to say that although many a surly labourer in the parish grumbled that
the vicar and his wife were "oncommon near", when money was concerned,
there was nevertheless no trouble in which their aid was not invoked and
their advice asked. But the indigent labourer not uncommonly retrieved
his position by asking a shilling of one of the young gentlemen at the
vicarage, who were generally open-handed, good-looking boys, blessed with
a great deal more money than brains.

At the time when this tale opens, however, it chanced that one of the two
young gentlemen at the vicarage was by no means in the position peculiar
to the majority of youths who sought the good offices of the Reverend
Augustin Ambrose. John Short, aged eighteen, was in all respects a
remarkable contrast to his companion the Honourable Cornelius Angleside.