In return, Reverend Finch had spoken in the frankest manner, on his side.

He had drawn a sad picture of the poverty-stricken condition of Dimchurch, viewed as an ecclesiastical endowment; and he had spoken in such feeling terms of the neglected condition of the ancient and interesting church, that poor simple Oscar, smitten with pity, had produced his cheque-book, and had subscribed on the spot towards the Fund for repairing the ancient round tower.

They had been still occupied with the subject of the tower and the subscription, when we had opened the garden gate and had let them in.

Hearing this, I now understood the motives under which our reverend friend was acting as well as if they had been my own.

It was plain to my mind that the rector had taken his financial measure of Oscar, and had privately satisfied himself, that if he encouraged the two young people in cultivating each other's society, money (to use his own phrase) might come of it.