t of success seemed reasonably certain if he were to
give himself wholly to the work. And then he came to a pause.

"Yes. It looks like that," said his mother. She missed the eager
hopefulness with which her son was wont to bring forward any new plan or
prospect of his, and she thought it wiser to let him go on of his own
accord to say his say than to question him. "Do you think well of it,
mother? But there is one thing to be said which will please neither you
nor me. I doubt in such a case we will need to say farewell to
Nethermuir, and take up house in the town."

"Ay, we should both be sorry for that, but it could be done. You have
more to say yet, John?"

"I thought I might have more to say, but since you are content with
things as they are, it might be as well to say nothing."

"Tell me what is in your mind, John. You needna doubt but I'll take it
reasonably, whatever it may be."

John laughed.

"I have no fears for you, mother. It is for myself and my own
discontents that I fear."

"Tell your mother, laddie."

Then he went on with his story. How he had taken to college work in
earnest with Sandy Begg, how he had enjoyed it and been successful with
it, and how the thought had come into his mind that after all he might
go on again and redeem his character by doing now what he had failed to
do when the way was made easy to him.

"I think my father would be pleased, mother, if he could ken. When I
think of him I canna forget that I gave him a sore heart at the time
when his troubles were coming thick upon him. I would like to do as he
wished me to do, now that the way seems open."

"_Is_ the way open?" asked his mother gravely. "If you take that way,
all that you have been doing and learning for the last years will be an
utter loss. I have ay liked to think of you as following in your
father's steps to overtake success as he did."

"I am not the man my father was, as no one should ken better than my
mother."

"But if you were to fall in with this man's offer, you could take the
road your father took with fewer steps and less labour, and I might see
you a prosperous man yet before I die. And all the good your father
did, whether openly or in secret, would begin again in his son's life,
and some of it, at least, your mother might see. I canna but long for
the like of that, John."

"I would try to do my best, mother. But my best would fall far short of
what my father did."

"Oh, fie!