portion of it who were Carlton's guests in the
neighbouring Common-Room. Tea and coffee had made their appearance, the
men had risen from table, and were crowding round the fire.

"Who is that Mr. Reding spoken of in the _Gazette_ of last week?" said a
prim little man, sipping his tea with his spoon, and rising on his toes
as he spoke.

"You need not go far for an answer," said his neighbour, and, turning to
their host, added, "Carlton, who is Mr. Reding?"

"A very dear honest fellow," answered Carlton: "I wish we were all of us
as good. He read with me one Long Vacation, is a good scholar, and ought
to have gained his class. I have not heard of him for some time."

"He has other friends in the room," said another: "I think," turning to
a young Fellow of Leicester, "_you_, Sheffield, were at one time
intimate with Reding?"

"Yes," answered Sheffield; "and Vincent, of course, knows him too; he's
a capital fellow; I know him exceedingly well; what the _Gazette_ says
about him is shameful. I never met a man who cared less about success in
the schools; it was quite his _fault_."

"That's about the truth," said another; "I met Mr. Malcolm yesterday at
dinner, and it seems he knows the family. He said that his religious
notions carried Reding away, and spoiled his reading."

The conversation was not general; it went on in detached groups, as the
guests stood together. Nor was the subject a popular one; rather it was
either a painful or a disgusting subject to the whole party, two or
three curious and hard minds excepted, to whom opposition to Catholicism
was meat and drink. Besides, in such chance collections of men, no one
knew exactly his neighbour's opinion about it; and, as in this instance,
there were often friends of the accused or calumniated present. And,
moreover, there was a generous feeling, and a consciousness how much
seceders from the Anglican Church were giving up, which kept down any
disrespectful mention of them.

"Are you to do much in the schools this term?" said one to another.

"I don't know: we have two men going up, good scholars."

"Who has come into Stretton's place?"

"Jackson, of King's."

"Jackson? indeed; he's strong in science, I think."

"Very."

"Our men know their books well, but I should not say that science is
their line."

"Leicester sends four."

"It will be a large class-list, from what I hear."

"Ah! indeed! the Michaelmas paper is always a good one."

Meanwhile t