d Guy, in the same tone as he had fixed his hours of
study.

Each of the family made Guy a birthday present, as an outfit for Oxford;
Mr. Edmonstone gave him a set of studs, Mrs. Edmonstone a Christian
Year, Amabel copied some of his favourite songs, Laura made a drawing
of Sintram, Charlotte worked a kettle-holder, with what was called by
courtesy a likeness of Bustle. Charles gave nothing, professing that he
would do nothing to encourage his departure.

'You don't know what a bore it is to lose the one bit of quicksilver in
the house!' said he, yawning. 'I shall only drag on my existence till
you come back.'

'You, Charles, the maker of fun!' said Guy, amazed.

'It is a case of flint and steel,' said Charles; 'but be it owing to who
it will, we have been alive since you came here. You have taken care
to be remembered. We have been studying you, or laughing at you, or
wondering what absurdity was to come next.'

'I am very sorry--that is, if you are serious. I hoped at least I
appeared like other people.'

'I'll tell you what you appear like. Just what I would be if I was a
free man.'

'Never say that, Charlie!'

'Nay, wait a bit. I would never be so foolish. I would never give my
sunny mornings to Euripides; I would not let the best hunter in the
county go when I had wherewithal to pay for him.'

'You would not have such an ill-conditioned self to keep in rule.'

'After all,' continued Charles, yawning, 'it is no great compliment to
say I am sorry you are going. If you were an Ethiopian serenader, you
would be a loss to me. It is something to see anything beyond this old
drawing-room, and the same faces doing the same things every day. Laura
poking over her drawing, and meditating upon the last entry in Philip's
memorandum-book, and Amy at her flowers or some nonsense or other,
and Charlotte and the elders all the same, and a lot of stupid people
dropping in and a lot of stupid books to read, all just alike. I can
tell what they are like without looking in!' Charles yawned again,
sighed, and moved wearily. 'Now, there came some life and freshness with
you. You talk of Redclyffe, and your brute creation there, not like
a book, and still less like a commonplace man; you are innocent and
unsophisticated, and take new points of view; you are something to
interest oneself about; your coming in is something to look forward
to; you make the singing not such mere milk-and-water, your reading the
Praelectiones is