t_ the heavens from which they fall.

Cov. Patmore.

It may be thought strange that Kenrick did not at once, while his heart
was softened, and when he saw so clearly how much he had erred, go there
and then to Walter, confess to him that everything was now explained,
that he had never received his last note, and that, for his own sake, he
desired to be restored, as far as was possible, to his former footing.
If that had not been for Kenrick a period of depression and ill-repute,
he would undoubtedly have done so; but he did not like to go, now that
he was in disgrace, now that his friendship could do no credit, and, as
he feared, confer no pleasure on any one, and under circumstances which
would make it appear that he had changed his views under the influence
of selfish interest, rather than of true conviction or generous impulse.
He thought, too, that friendship over was like water spilt, and could
not be gathered up again; that it was like a broken thread which cannot
again be smoothly reunited. So things remained on the same footing as
before, except that Kenrick's whole demeanour was changed for the
better. He bore his punishment in a quiet and manly way; took his place
without a murmur below Henderson at the bottom of the monitors; did not
by any bravado attempt to conceal that he felt justly humiliated, and
gave Whalley his best assistance in governing the Noelites, and bringing
them back by slow but sure degrees to a better tone of thought and
feeling. Towards Walter especially his whole manner altered. Hitherto
he had made a point of always opposing him, and taking every opportunity
to show him a strong dislike. If Walter had embraced one opinion at a
monitors' meeting, it was quite sufficient reason for Kenrick to support
another; if Walter had spoken on one side at the debating society,
Kenrick held it to be a logical consequence that, whatever he thought,
he should speak on the other, and use his powers of speaking, which were
considerable, to throw on Walter's illustrations and arguments all the
ridicule he could. All this folly and virulence was now abandoned; the
swagger which Kenrick had adopted was from that time entirely laid
aside. At the very next meeting of the debating society he spoke, as
indeed he generally thought, on the same side with Walter; and spoke,
not in his usual flippant conceited style, but more seriously and
earnestly, treating Walter's speech with approval and almost with
d