g, and that I ought
to pray for help to be better, yet I wanted to look grand, and to show
I didn't care, and I never used the time I had, and that's very little
here, Reginald. I have been thinking of myself almost ever since I came
back--I have been thinking of glorifying myself!" He paused, and then
added, in a lower tone, "I fancied I was not selfish, but now I _know_
I am!"

When Reginald went away, Louis had long and quiet time to trace the
reason of his sad falling away, and to make his peace with Him whose
great name he had so dishonored. Earnestly, humbly, and sorrowfully
did he confess his faults. How bowed to the earth he felt, in the
consciousness of his utter impotence! He remembered how confident
he had been in his good name; and now he became aware, in this silent
self-examination, how mixed his motives had been, how full of vanity
and vain-glory he had been, how careless in waiting for "more grace,"
how little he had thought of pressing forward, how wanting he had been
in that single heart that thought only of doing the work committed
to him regardless of the approbation of men--that only desired to
know what was right in order fearlessly to follow it; and unutterable
were the tearful desires of his heart that he might be strengthened
for the time to come to walk more worthy of the vocation wherewith
he was called.

CHAPTER XXIV.

"I will heal their backslidings, I will love them freely;
for mine anger is turned away from him. Ephraim shall say,
What have I to do any more with idols?"--Hosea xiv. 4, 8.

"I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak
peace to His people, and to His saints, but let them not
turn again to folly."--Psalm lxxxv. 8.

Louis awoke from a calm, sound sleep very early the next morning,
with a dim, indistinct recollection of having, when half awake during
the night, seen Dr. Wilkinson standing by him, and of a consciousness
of a hand being laid on his forehead and his hands; but, as he did not
feel certain, much less suppose it likely, he settled that he must have
dreamed it. It was quite dark when he awoke, and it was some few minutes
before the events of the preceding day ranged themselves in any order
in his mind; and then his thoughts flew to that rest whence they had
been so long absent.

In about half an hour, several of his school-fellows began to rouse
themselves, and, a candle or two being lighted, dressing was hastily
accompl