So much for the circumstances of the Reverend Augustin Ambrose.  Personally he was a man of good presence, five feet ten inches in height, active and strong, of a ruddy complexion with smooth, thick grey hair and 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.  John Short was apparently very poor; the Honourable Cornelius on the other hand had plenty of money.  Short was undeniably clever; Angleside was uncommonly dull.  Short was the son of a decayed literary man; Angleside was the son of a nobleman.  Short was by nature a hard worker; Angleside was amazingly idle.  Short meant to do something in the world; Angleside had early determined to do nothing.