s of dulness; those who met him wandering about the
banks of the river found him apparently unable to understand things; at
such times he looked heavy and dull; it was supposed that he was
abstracted; men respected his moods, but these things do not increase
friendships. Challice the Animal and Challice the Intellect weighed each
other down.

They left Cambridge, they went to London, they took lodgings. "You are
now so different from me in appearance," said the Intellect, "that I
think we may leave off the usual precautions. Go about without troubling
what I am and what I am doing. Go about and amuse yourself, but be
careful."

The victim of sloth obeyed; he went about all day long in heavy,
meaningless fashion; he looked at things in shops; he sat in museums,
and dropped off to sleep. He strolled round squares. At luncheon and
dinner time he found out restaurants where he could feed--in reality,
the only pleasure left to him was to eat, drink, and sleep.

One day he was in Kensington Gardens, sitting half asleep in the sun.
People walked up and down the walk before him; beautiful women gaily
dressed; sprightly women gaily talking; the world of wealth, fashion,
extravagance, and youth. He was no more than three-and-twenty himself.
He ought to have been fired by the sight of all this beauty, and all
this happiness. Nobody in the world can look half so happy as a lovely
girl finely dressed. But he sat there like a clod, dull and insensate.

Presently, a voice which he remembered: "Papa, it is Will Challice!" He
looked up heavily. "Why, Will," the girl stood before him, "don't you
know me?"

[Illustration: "PAPA, IT IS WILL CHALLICE!"]

It was Nell, the daughter of his tutor, now a comely maiden of
one-and-twenty, who laughed and held out her hand to him He rose, but
not with alacrity. The shadow of a smile crossed his face. He took her
hand.

"Challice!" his tutor clapped him on the shoulder. "I haven't seen you
since you took your degree. Splendid, my boy! But it might have been
better. I hear you are reading Law--good. With the House before you?
Good again! Let me look at you. Humph!" He grunted a little
disappointment. "You don't look quite so--quite so--what? Do you take
exercise enough?"

"Plenty of exercise--plenty," replied the young scholar, who looked so
curiously dull and heavy.

"Well, let us walk together. You are doing nothing for the moment."

They walked together; Nelly between them.

"Father