s of the roses
of peace--was simply this:

He had written to his mother for money to lay out upon superior
instruments, and new chemical apparatus; and his mother had replied
sadly that she was unable to send it. She hinted that his education had
cost more than she had expected. She told him that she was in debt to
Robert Bruce, and had of late been compelled to delay the payment of
its interest. She informed him also that, even under James Dow's
conscientious management, there seemed little ground for hoping that
the farm would ever make a return correspondent to the large outlay his
father had made upon it.

This letter stung Alec to the heart. That his mother should be in the
power of such a man as Bruce, was bad enough; but that she should have
been exposed for his sake to the indignity of requesting his
forbearance, seemed unendurable. To despise the man was no
satisfaction, the right and the wrong being where they were.--And what
proportion of the expenses of last session had gone to his
college-accounts?

He wrote a humble letter to his mother--and worked still harder. For
although he could not make a shilling at present, the future had hope
in it.

Meantime Mr Cupples, in order that he might bear such outward signs of
inward grace as would appeal to the perceptions of the Senatus, got a
new hat, and changed his shabby tail-coat for a black frock. His shirt
ceased to be a hypothesis to account for his collar, and became a real
hypostasis, evident and clean. These signs of improvement led to
inquiries on the part of the Senatus, and the result was that, before
three months of the session were over, he was formally installed as
librarian. His first impulse on receiving the good news was to rush
down to Luckie Cumstie's and have a double-tumbler. But conscience was
too strong for Satan, and sent him home to his pipe--which, it must be
confessed, he smoked twice as much as before his reformation.

From the moment of his appointment, he seemed to regard the library as
his own private property, or, rather, as his own family. He was
grandfather to the books: at least a grandfather shows that combination
of parent and servant which comes nearest to the relation he henceforth
manifested towards them. Most of them he gave out graciously; some of
them grudgingly; a few of them with much reluctance; but all of them
with injunctions to care, and special warnings against forcing the
backs, crumpling or folding the leave