Its reasoned rejection of mundane agitations, its calm, its leisure, its profound and ardent scholarship were vastly to his taste,--A man touching middle-age might do worse, surely, than spend his days between worship and learning, thus ?--He saw, and approved, its social office in offering sanctuary to the fugitive, alms to the poor, teaching to the ignorant, consolation to the sick and safe passage heavenward to the dying.

Saw, not without sympathy, its more jovial moments--its good fellowship, shrewd and witty conversation, well salted stories--whereat a man laughs slyly in his sleeve--its good cheer, too, with feasts on holy-days and high-days, rich and succulent .-- And in this last connection, as he reflected, much was to be said for the geographical position of Marychurch; since if river mists and white dullness of sea fog, drifting in from the Channel, were to hand, so, also, in their season, were fresh run salmon, snipe, wood-cock, flocks of wild duck, of plover and other savoury fowl.
For in this thankfulness of awakening from the hellish nightmare of the Terror, Mr.Verity's facile imagination tended to run to another extreme.
With all the seriousness of which he was capable he canvassed the notion of a definite retirement from the world.

Public movements, political and social experiments ceased to attract him.

His appetite for helping to make the wheels of history go round had been satisfied to the point of nausea.

All he desired was tranquillity and repose.