opportunity.

Dr Lane had observed, with much pity, the depression which had fastened
on Kenrick like a disease. He was not surprised to see him come back
deeply affected; but if "the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts,"
its sorrows are usually short and transient, and he looked upon it as
unnatural that Kenrick's grief should seem thus incurable, and that a
young boy like him should thus refuse to be comforted. It was not long
before he introduced the subject, while talking to Power after looking
over his composition.

"Kenrick has just been here, Power," he said; "it pains me to see him so
sadly altered. I can hardly get him to speak a word; all things seem
equally indifferent to him, and his eyes look to me as though they were
always ready to overflow with tears. What can we manage to do for him?
Would not a little cheerful society brighten him up? We had him here
the other day, but he did not speak once the whole evening. Can't even
Henderson get him to smile somehow?"

"I'm afraid not, sir," said Power. "Henderson and Evson and I have all
tried, but he seems to avoid seeing any one. It makes him ill at ease
apparently. I am afraid, for one thing, that he is vexing himself about
not being allowed to return, and about being sent into a merchant's
office, which he detests."

"If that is all, there can be no difficulty about it," said the Doctor;
"we have often kept deserving boys here, when funds failed, and I can
easily assure his guardian, without his knowing of it, that the expense
need not for a moment stand in the way of his return."

These generous acts are common at Saint Winifred's, for she is indeed an
_alma mater_ to all her children; and since Kenrick had confided this
particular sorrow to _Walter_, Walter undertook to remove it by telling
him that Dr Lane would persuade his guardian to let him return.
Kenrick appeared glad of the news, as though it brought him a little
relief, but it made no long change in his present ways.

Nor even did a still further piece of good fortune, when his guardian
wrote and told him that, _on condition of his being sent to the
University_, an unknown and anonymous friend had placed at his disposal
100 pounds a year, to be continued until such time as he was able to
maintain himself; and that this generous gift would of course permit of
his receiving the advantage of an Oxford training, and obviate the
necessity of his entering an office, by clearing for h