iety, Portman prophesied Pen's ruin after that, and
groaned in spirit over the rebellious young prodigal.

So did Helen tremble in her heart, and little Laura--Laura had grown
to be a fine young stripling by this time, graceful and fair, clinging
round Helen and worshipping her, with a passionate affection. Both
of these women felt that their boy was changed. He was no longer the
artless Pen of old days, so brave, so artless, so impetuous, and tender.
His face looked careworn and haggard, his voice had a deeper sound,
and tones more sarcastic. Care seemed to be pursuing him; but he only
laughed when his mother questioned him, and parried her anxious queries
with some scornful jest. Nor did he spend much of his vacations at home;
he went on visits to one great friend or another, and scared the quiet
pair at Fairoaks by stories of great houses whither he had been invited;
and by talking of lords without their titles.

Honest Harry Foker, who had been the means of introducing Arthur
Pendennis to that set of young men at the university, from whose society
and connexions Arthur's uncle expected that the lad would get so
much benefit; who had called for Arthur's first song at his first
supper-party; and who had presented him at the Barmecide Club, where
none but the very best men of Oxbridge were admitted (it consisted in
Pen's time of six noblemen, eight gentlemen-pensioners, and twelve of
the most select commoners of the university), soon found himself left
far behind by the young freshman in the fashionable world of Oxbridge,
and being a generous and worthy fellow, without a spark of envy in
his composition, was exceedingly pleased at the success of his young
protege, and admired Pen quite as much as any of the other youth did. I
was he who followed Pen now, and quoted his sayings; learned his songs,
and retailed them at minor supper-parties, and was never weary of
hearing them from the gifted young poet's own mouth--for a good deal of
the time which Mr. Pen might have employed much more advantageously
in the pursuit of the regular scholastic studies, was given up to the
composition of secular ballads, which he sang about at parties according
to university wont.

It had been as well for Arthur if the honest Foker had remained for some
time at college, for, with all his vivacity, he was a prudent young
man, and often curbed Pen's propensity to extravagance: but Foker's
collegiate career did not last very long after Arthur