Being happily married to a discreet woman who managed him without ever
letting him be aware of it, and having a sure and sufficient income, and
never knowing that he had a stomach, he did his clerical work (with the
help of a curate), and lived out the measure of his days, no wiser at the
last than he was at thirty.

In passing, we may call attention to the fact that the average man is a
victim of Arrested Development, and that the fleeting years bring an
increase of knowledge only in very exceptional cases. Health and
prosperity are not pure blessings--a certain element of discontent is
necessary to spur men on to a higher life.

The Reverend George Clayton Tennyson had income enough to meet his wants,
but not enough to embarrass him with the responsibility of taking care of
it. Each quarterly stipend was spent before it arrived, and the family
lived on credit until another three months rolled around. They had roast
beef as often as they wanted it; in the cellar were puncheons, kegs and
barrels, and as there was no rent to pay nor landlords to appease, care
sat lightly on the Rector.

Elizabeth, this man's wife, is worthy of more than a passing note. She was
the daughter of the Reverend Stephen Fytche, vicar of Louth. Her family
was not so high in rank as the Tennysons, because the Tennysons belonged
to the gentry. But she was intelligent, amiable, fairly good-looking, and
being the daughter of a clergyman, had beyond doubt a knowledge of
clerical needs; so it was thought she would make a good wife for the newly
appointed incumbent of Somersby.

The parents arranged it, the young folks were willing, and so they were