Here was this Mr. Gridley, a man of a robust will and surprising energy--intellectually speaking, a sort of inharmonious blacksmith--and he could easily imagine that there Gridley was, years ago, wandering about in life for something to expend his superfluous combativeness upon--a sort of Young Love among the thorns--when the Court of Chancery came in his way and accommodated him with the exact thing he wanted. 
Here was this Mr. Gridley, a man of surprising energy - and he could easily imagine Gridley wandering about in life looking for something to expend his combativeness upon - when the Court of Chancery provided him with the exact thing he wanted. 