CHAPTER III.
In the month of October of that year, a short time after John had taken up his abode in Trinity College, an event occurred which shook Billingsfield to its foundations; no less an event than the occupation of the dwelling known as the "cottage." What the cottage was will appear hereafter.

The arrival of the new tenants occurred in the following manner.
The Reverend Augustin Ambrose received a letter, which he immediately showed to his wife, as he showed most of his correspondence; for he was of the disposition which may be termed wife-consulting.

Married men are generally of two kinds; those who tell their wives everything and those who tell them nothing.

It is evident that the relative merits of the two systems depend chiefly upon the relative merits of the wives in question.
Mr.Ambrose had no doubt of the advantages of his own method and he carried it to its furthest expression, for he never did anything whatever without consulting his better half.

On the whole the plan worked well, for the vicar had learning and his wife had common sense.