on's estate; every stiver of
it will be required for the maintenance of the poor Mater while I am
away. And I must go away, because, as you yourself have admitted, there
is no employment or occupation of any kind here at home to which, in my
present condition of unpreparedness, I could turn my hand with any hope
of earning a sufficient income to maintain her and myself, though ever
so modestly; even if posts were to be had for the asking, which--in this
country, at all events--they are not. You know that to be the plain,
unvarnished truth, do you not?"

"Yes," Humphreys answered unhesitatingly, "it is true--unfortunately."

"Very well, then," Dick resumed; "that being the case, the next question
is: Where am I to go, and what am I to do, in order to earn enough money
to maintain myself and my mother in the meantime, and eventually to
restore her to that position of security of which she was robbed by that
rascal Cuthbertson?"

"_De mortuis nil nisi bonum_!" reproved Humphreys gravely. "The poor
chap has gone to answer for his sins, whatever they may have been, and
there is an end of him, so far as you are concerned. To rail at him
now, and speak of him disparagingly, will not hurt him, or do you any
good, Dick, my friend, so do not unnecessarily bespatter his memory.
This by the way. And now to return to our muttons. The problem that
you propound is indeed a hard one to solve; to many it would probably
appear an impossibility. But, although I am by no means an old man, I
have been long enough in this world to have recognised that what many
people deem impossibilities are nothing of the sort, if only one has the
grit to face and tackle them. It is grit, my boy, that makes
impossibilities possible, and I believe you possess that quality in
sufficient measure to enable you to accomplish great things. The
question is: What is the particular great thing which will meet your
case? What is the work which you are best fitted to do? You are
already very well up in the profession which you have chosen. There is
many a man in successful practice to-day who knows less about it than
you do; but, unfortunately, you are not yet `qualified', therefore you
cannot set up for yourself, even if you could afford the time to create
a practice--which you cannot. And as to becoming an unqualified
assistant, that of course is out of the question; the pay is altogether
too poor to justify the entertainment of that idea. But there