thing all right, Raven?"

"Yes, everything," he said, taking one last long look at the familiar
scene. It was dim moonlight; the lights twinkled in the studies where
the upper boys were working, and in the dormitories where the rest were
now going to bed. The tall trees round the building stood quite black
against the faintly-lighted sky, waving their thinned remnant of yellow
leaves in the November air. In the stillness you heard every slight
sound; and the murmur of boys' voices came mingled with the plashing of
the mountain stream, and the moaning of the low waves as they broke upon
the shore. A merry laugh rang from one of the dormitories, jarring
painfully on Wilton's feelings, as he stood gazing round in silence.

He got into the carriage, sighing heavily and grasping Kenrick's hand.

"Well, good-bye, Ken; it _must_ be said at last. May I write to you?"

"I wish you would. I shall be so glad to hear of you."

"And you will answer me, Ken?"

"Of course I will, my poor child. Good-bye. God bless you!" They
still lingered for a moment, and Kenrick saw in the moonlight that
Wilton's face was bathed in tears.

"All right, sir?" said the driver.

"Yes," said Wilton; "but it's all wrong, Ken, I think. Good-bye." He
waved his hand, the carriage drove off into the darkening night with the
little boy alone, and Kenrick with a sinking heart strolled back to his
study. Do not pry into his feelings, for they were very terrible ones,
as he sat down to his books with the strong conviction that there is
nothing so good as the steady: fulfilment of duty for the driving away
of heavy thoughts.

All his time was taken up with working for the scholarship. It was a
scholarship of ninety pounds a year for four years, founded by a
princely benefactor of the school, but only falling vacant biennially.
There were other scholarships besides this, but this was by far the most
valuable one at Saint Winifred's; the tenure of it was circumscribed by
no conditions, and it was therefore proportionably desirable that
Kenrick, who was poor, should obtain it. He had, indeed, hardly a
chance, as he well knew; for even if he succeeded in beating Walter, he
could not expect to beat Power. But Power, though a most graceful and
finished scholar, was not strong in mathematics, and as they counted
something in the examination, Kenrick's chief chance lay in this, for as
a scholar he was by no means to be despised; and with a just re