to be conscientious enough
to be sure to keep his word. He greatly wished to be a clergyman; and
this desire of his had been an intense joy to his father, who, though a
good deal disappointed at his two elder sons choosing army and navy, had
consoled himself with the thought that _one_ at least of his children
had a real desire for the priesthood, and this the very one whose
talents best fitted him for a university education. From school he was
to have gone to Oxford; and his whole prospects had seemed fair enough
till now, so that it was not wonderful that the unexpected news of his
failure had occasioned great disappointment at the Rectory. His father
was much displeased with him, and meant that he should feel how great a
fault his idleness had been; and his mother, who knew this, and believed
that her boy was _already_ feeling it, was anxious that the first
meeting should be got over without the presence of spectators.

But just as she spoke, Cecil, followed by the gardener wheeling his
luggage in a barrow, was seen coming up the gravel walk towards the
house.

The little curly-haired boy rushed off at once to meet him,--not to open
the hall door, for that stood wide open already,--but a restraining look
from the mother stopped the girls, who were rising also; and when Cecil
came in, the greetings were very quiet, though not in the least cold,
except perhaps on Mr. Cunningham's part. Cecil had his mother's face, at
once dark and bright, with brown clear eyes that looked full of
intelligence, and, alas! seemed to say that their owner might have kept
his place in the school with ease had he but so chosen. He did not seem
very conscious or very miserable: he had the true boyish instinct of
hiding feelings, and looked much as usual, though there was nothing like
bravado or nonchalance in his manner. When his father shook hands with
him gravely, and merely said, 'Well, Cecil,' in a short dry way, a
sudden flush mounted up in his brown cheek; and there was a little
anxiety in his face when he turned to kiss his mother, as if a sudden
fear had come over him that she might refuse the caress. But she did
not; and he sat down calmly enough to his bread and butter, showing a
very tolerable schoolboy appetite, and munching away rather quickly when
he found that the others were near the end of their meal. His sisters
and his little brother volunteered some information about his rabbits,
and so on; but when they began to ask que