The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Life's Morning, by George Gissing

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: A Life's Morning

Author: George Gissing

Posting Date: July 12, 2009 [EBook #4312]
Release Date: August, 2003
First Posted: January 4, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LIFE'S MORNING ***

Produced by Charles Aldarondo. HTML version by Al Haines.

A Life's Morning

by

George Gissing

CONTENTS

I AN UNDERGRADUATE AT LEISURE
II BEATRICE REDWING
III LYRICAL
IV A CONFLICT OF OPINIONS
V THE SHADOW OF HOME
VI A VISITOR BY EXPRESS
VII ON THE LEVELS
VIII A STERNER WOOING
IX CIRCUMSTANCE
X AT THE SWORD'S POINT
XI EMILY'S DECISION
XII THE FINAL INTERVIEW
XIII THE CUTTING OF THE KNOT
XIV NEWS AND COMMENTS
XV MRS. BAXENDALE'S QUESTS
XVI RENUNCIATION
XVII THEIR SEVERAL WAYS
XVIII A COMPACT
XIX THE COMPLETION OF MISCHANCE
XX WILFRID THE LEGISLATOR
XXI DANGEROUS RELICS
XXII HER PATH IN THE SHADOW
XXIII HER PATH IN THE LIGHT
XXIV THE UNEXPECTED
XXV A FAMILY CONCLAVE
XXVI MID-DAY

CHAPTER I

AN UNDERGRADUATE AT LEISURE

Wilfrid Athel went down invalided a few days after the beginning of
Trinity term. The event was not unanticipated. At Christmas it had been
clear enough that he was overtaxing himself; his father remarked on the
fact with anxiety, and urged moderation, his own peculiar virtue.
Wilfrid, whose battle with circumstances was all before him, declined to
believe that the body was anything but the very humble servant of the
will. So the body took its revenge.

He had been delicate in childhood, and the stage of hardy naturalism
which interposes itself between tender juvenility and the birth of
self-consciousness did not in his case last long enough to establish his
frame in the vigour to which it was tending. There was nothing sickly
about him; it was only an excess of nervous vitality that would not
allow body to keep pace with mind. He was a boy to be, intellectually,
held in leash, said the doctors. But t