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not understand that a man might sincerely say things as a
clergyman which he never acted up to as a man. The decep-
tion outraged him. His uncle was a weak and selfish man,
whose chief desire it was to be saved trouble.
Mr. Perkins had spoken to him of the beauty of a life ded-
icated to the service of God. Philip knew what sort of lives
the clergy led in the corner of East Anglia which was his
home. There was the Vicar of Whitestone, a parish a little
way from Blackstable: he was a bachelor and to give himself
something to do had lately taken up farming: the local pa-
per constantly reported the cases he had in the county court
against this one and that, labourers he would not pay their
wages to or tradesmen whom he accused of cheating him;
scandal said he starved his cows, and there was much talk
about some general action which should be taken against
him. Then there was the Vicar of Ferne, a bearded, fine fig-
ure of a man: his wife had been forced to leave him because
of his cruelty, and she had filled the neighbourhood with
stories of his immorality. The Vicar of Surle, a tiny hamlet
by the sea, was to be seen every evening in the public house
a stone’s throw from his vicarage; and the churchwardens
had been to Mr. Carey to ask his advice. There was not a
soul for any of them to talk to except small farmers or fish-
ermen; there were long winter evenings when the wind blew,
whistling drearily through the leafless trees, and all around
they saw nothing but the bare monotony of ploughed fields;
and there was poverty, and there was lack of any work that
seemed to matter; every kink in their characters had free
play; there was nothing to restrain them; they grew nar-

1 Of Human Bondage