ooks, and amuse him by turning his attention to other
subjects; but with such strong reasons for exertion, and so much
depending on success or failure, the Clerkland scholarship continued
ever the prominent subject of Julian's thoughts.

At last the long looked for week arrived. After chapel, on the Sunday
morning, De Vayne invited himself to breakfast with Julian, and
continued in his company the greater part of the day, going with him to
the University sermon. He entirely forbade Julian even to allude more
than once to the coming examination, and managed in the evening to get
him to come to his rooms, where, with some other Hartonians and Kennedy,
they spent a very pleasant evening.

"Good-night," he said to Julian, as he strolled with him to his
stair-case across the starlight court; "don't stay up to-night. In
quietness and confidence shall be your strength."

The examination was to last a week, and Julian rose for it refreshed and
cheerful on Monday morning. The papers suited him excellently, and his
hopes rose higher and higher as he felt that in each paper he had done
to the utmost of his knowledge and ability. He had not been able to
afford a private tutor during the term, with whom he might have
discussed the papers, but he sent his Iambics and Latin verse to Mr
Carden at Harton, who wrote back a most favourable and encouraging
judgment of them, and seemed to regard Julian's success as certain.
Julian had implicit confidence in his opinion, for Mr Carden entered
very warmly into all his hopes and wishes, and kept up with him an
affectionate correspondence, which had helped him out of many
intellectual difficulties, and lessened the force of many a temptation.

The papers usually lasted from nine till twelve in the morning, and from
two to four in the afternoon. It was on the Friday morning, when only
three more papers remained, that Julian found Mr Carden's kind and
hopeful letter lying on his breakfast-table at eight o'clock; he read it
with a glow of pleasure, because he knew that he could rely thoroughly
on the accuracy and truth of his old tutor's judgment, and as he read
and re-read it, his hopes rose higher and higher. Finishing breakfast,
he began to build castles in the air, and to imagine to himself the
delight it would be to write and tell the Doctor and Mr Carden of this
new leaf to the Harton laurels. Never before had he a more reasonable
ground for favourable expectation, and he began al