hed
yourself, and have been a credit to the man that sent you there.--By the
bye, didn't you ever want to know who it was sent you there?"

"Often and often," replied I, "have I longed to know ~404~~ to whose
disinterested kindness and generosity I was indebted for so great an
advantage."

"Umph! Well, you must be told some day, I suppose, so you may as well
know now as at any other time. The man that sent you to college ain't
very unlike me in the face. Umph!"

"My dear, kind friend," replied I, seizing his hand and pressing it
warmly, "and is it indeed you who have taken such interest in me? How
can I ever thank you?"

"I want no thanks, boy; you did better than thank me when you came
out fourth wrangler; why, I felt as proud that day when they were all
praising you as if it had been my own son. Say no more about that; but
now you've left college, what are your wishes--what do you think of
doing? Umph!"

"I had thought of reading for the bar, deeming it a profession in which
a man stands a fair chance of distinguishing himself by honourable
exertion; I am aware it is somewhat uphill work at starting, but Mr.
Coleman has promised to introduce me to several men in his branch of the
profession, and to give me all the business he can himself, so I should
not be quite a briefless barrister. But if there is anything else you
wish to recommend, any other career you would advise me to pursue, I am
very indifferent, that is, I am not at all bigoted to my own opinion."

"Umph! I never had any over-strong affection for lawyers--gentlemen that
eat the oysters themselves and leave their clients the shells! However,
I suppose there may be such things as honest lawyers to be met with, and
it's better for every man to have a profession. Well, now, listen to me,
Frank, I--umph!--your sister's going to be married, to be married to
a young man for whom I've a very great respect and affection; Sir John
Oaklands is a thorough specimen of a fine old English gentleman, and
his son bids fair to become just such another, or even a yet higher
character, for Harry's got the better headpiece of the two. However,
I don't like your sister to marry into such a family without a little
money of her own to buy a wedding-bonnet; so you give her this letter,
and tell her to mind and get a becoming one. We may trust a woman to
take care of that, though, eh, Frank? Umph!"

"Really, sir, your kindness quite overpowers me; we have no possible
claim