"One moment," interrupted Sylvester: "what do you mean by his grinding?"
"Why, whed a bad is dot sure of passidg—do bad cad be sure—but what I bead is, whed he thidks it at all probable that he shall be plucked, he goes to a gridder, whose busidess it is to put to hib those questiods which he ibagides arc bost likely to be asked, add to crab hib with the adswers, that he bay dot, whed he goes up, be buch at a loss. Well: he couldd't raise the buddy. He had borrowed of every fellow who had buddy to ledd, while he was able to get dode frob hobe, for his bother, who was a widow, he had by his extravagadce ibpoverished already. What thed was to be dode? Udless he passed, he was raided for ever! He tried—constadtly tried every bad whob he kdew: still he could get do buddy, add absolute starvatiod stared hib id the face. Fortudately, whed he foudd hibself reduced to the last extrebity, Julia heard of the circubstadce, add sedt for hib, add delicately offered to ledd hib the buddy, provided he applied it to do other purpose. He probised her solebdly that he would dot, add she ledt hib the buddy: she ledt hib sufficieclt, dot odly to pay for his grididg, but to go up both to the College add the Hall—to pay for his lodgidgs, add to carry hib hobe.
"He has repaid her, I hope?" said Sylvester.
"Yes! he has repaid her! He would have beed a scouddrel if he hadd't. He dot odly repaid her, but—as he jubpt idto a capital practice—he offered to marry her! But do; she refused his offer codceividg that a bad, who would recklessly mid his bother, wouldd't have buch regard for the feelidgs of his wife. Oh! she's up to a thidg or two,—dowd as a habber; codverse with her, add you'll fidd she's dot a cobbod style of girl."
"She appears to have had a good education."
"A good educatiod; she's highly accomplished. I bet her at a party wud dight, add really her badders are elegadt id the extrebe. I was perfectly astodished. She plays well, dadces well, sidgs well, codverses well! If I had dot kdown her, I should have said, that's a lady, add do bistakc. She was out add out the bost graceful creature id the roob."
"I am amazed, then," Sylvester, "that she is in that position."
"By boy," said Tom, gravely, "a girl who has deither a father dor a friedd, has dot the choice of her owd positiod. She has deither a father dor a friedd—I bead a friedd havidg the power to probote her idterests baterially. What thed is she to do? If she eddeavour to get a birth as a goverdcss, the chadces are a huddred to wud agaidst her; add if eved she succeed, what is a goverdcss? A creature dobidally above, but id reality, far below a bedial servadt. Do bedial would put up with wud half the codtubely that she is cobpelled to put up with. Her life is, id fact, a two-edged sword. She has bore to bear, with less power to bear it. A word that would woudd her feelidgs, would, upod a bedial, have do effect, while a bedial would dot eddure half the idsults which are with ibpudity heaped upod her"
"I see," said Sylvester, "I see."
"Very well, thed; what's a girl like that to do? For years she has had ad aged bother to support, add she does support her like a brick. But
