t.

Some said it who envied the lad, and others said it who loved him well,
and it is possible that they were not far wrong in the belief. John the
younger was a "bonny lad," tall and strong, sweet-tempered and
light-hearted, a favourite with all. But he was open to temptation like
the rest of his kind, even more so than many, and not all of those who
gathered round him in his prosperous days were of the sort likely to
influence him for good. He went through the first years at the
university without getting much good from it, it was said. He had
disappointed his father greatly, as well as his teachers; but though he
had been foolish and idle, he had not disgraced himself by anything
beyond idleness and folly. Whether he would have gone through the
course without doing worse, might be questioned.

The chance was not given him. His father died, and instead of
inheriting what would have been called wealth among those who were his
friends, he found himself penniless, having his own bread, and possibly
his mother's also, to win. And seeing there was good stuff in the lad,
his mother's helplessness and desolation might be the saving of him,
said one of his mother's humble friends.

They had friends--yes, many of them--but some of them had suffered loss
as they themselves had suffered, and had no power to help except with
kind words. Others who had the power to help had not the will, or only
the will to help in their own way. Others added to their offers advice
that could not be followed, or they hurt the sore hearts of the lad and
his mother with words which implied censure on the dead, because he had
not foreseen and provided against the coming of evil days. And so,
seeing no help among "kenned folk," the two went out, "not knowing
whither they went."

They had gone away bravely enough, and even through the dark days which
came first, it cannot be said that they quite lost heart or hope. As
long as his mother was content, John told himself, he did not care what
fell to him to do or to endure; and as long as John was well, and within
reach of hand or voice, it was well with the mother. It was not till
the first months were over that John's heart seemed to fail. When the
mill was finished, instead of going with the men to other work in
another direction, he remained in Nethermuir, hoping to find something
to do in the neighbourhood, so that he might be near his mother. He
found enough to do for a time in maki