Association with Herbert Hamilton, to whom in frankness he confided these secret feelings, did much towards removing their bitterness; and the admiration which he felt for Herbert, whose unaffected piety and devotion to the Church he could not fail to appreciate, partially reconciled his ambitious spirit to his station.
Yet the exalted ideas of Herbert were not entirely shared by Arthur, whose thoughts were centred in a more stirring field of usefulness than it would in all probability be his to fill.

Herbert combated these objections with so much eloquence, he pointed with such ardent zeal to the crown eternal that would be his, when divine love had triumphed over all earthly ambition, and his duties were done for love of Him, who had ordained them, that when the time of his ordination came (which it did very shortly after the commencement of this chapter), he would not have drawn back, even had a more attractive profession been offered for his acceptance.

The friendship and countenance of Mr.Hamilton did much to reconcile him to his lot.

Mr.Howard's curate died suddenly, at the very time that Mr.Hamilton was writing to the Marquis of Malvern, in Arthur's favour, for a vacant living then at his disposal.

Both now were offered to the young man's choice, and Percy, even Mr.Hamilton himself, were somewhat surprised that, without a moment's hesitation, he accepted that under Mr.Howard, in the gift of Mr.Hamilton, inferior as it was in point of worldly prospects to Lord Malvern's.