This was so settled, that the interest of his wife's money paid the heavy insurance on his life which young Robarts effected, and there was left to him, over and above, sufficient to furnish his parsonage in the very best style of clerical comfort, and to start him on the road of life rejoicing.
So much did Lady Lufton do for her protege, and it may well be imagined that the Devonshire physician, sitting meditative over his parlour fire, looking back, as men will look back on the upshot of their life, was well contented with that upshot, as regarded his eldest offshoot, the Rev.Mark Robarts, the vicar of Framley.
But little has as yet been said, personally, as to our hero himself, and perhaps it may not be necessary to say much.

Let us hope that by degrees he may come forth upon the canvas, showing to the beholder the nature of the man inwardly and outwardly.

Here it may suffice to say that he was no born heaven's cherub, neither was he a born fallen devil's spirit.

Such as his training made him, such he was.
He had large capabilities for good--and aptitudes also for evil, quite enough: quite enough to make it needful that he should repel temptation as temptation only can be repelled.

Much had been done to spoil him, but in the ordinary acceptation of the word he was not spoiled.