of the cabinets bequeathed
to him by Mr. Gunnery. He used a pound or two of Lady Whitelaw's money
for the purchase of scientific books, and set to work upon them with
freshened zeal. The early morning and late evening were given to
country walks, from which he always returned with brain excited by the
forecast of great achievements.

When the time of his departure approached, he decided to pay a farewell
visit to Mr. Moxey. He chose an hour when the family would probably be
taking their ease in the garden. Three of the ladies were, in fact,
amusing themselves with croquet, while their father, pipe in mouth,
bent over a bed of calceolarias.

'What's this that I hear?' exclaimed Mr. Moxey, as he shook hands. 'You
are not going back to Whitelaw?'

The story had of course spread among all Twybridge people who knew
anything of the Peaks, and it was generally felt that some mystery was
involved. Godwin had reasonably feared that his obligations to Sir Job
Whitelaw must become known; impossible for such a matter to be kept
secret; all who took any interest in the young man had long been
privately acquainted with the facts of his position. Now that
discussion was rife, it would have been prudent in the Misses Lumb to
divulge as much of the truth at they knew, but (in accordance with the
law of natural perversity) they maintained a provoking silence. Hence
whispers and suspicious questions, all wide of the mark. No one had as
yet heard of Andrew Peak, and it seemed but too likely that Lady
Whitelaw, for some good reason, had declined to discharge the expenses
of Godwin's last year at the College.

Mr. Moxey himself felt that an explanation was desirable, but he
listened with his usual friendly air to Godwin's account of the
matter--which of course included no mention of Lady Whitelaw.

'Have you friends in London?' he inquired--like everyone else.

'No. Except that your nephew was so kind as to ask me to call on him,
if ever I happened to be there.'

There passed over Mr. Moxey's countenance a curious shadow. Godwin
noticed it, and at once concluded that the manufacturer condemned
Christian for undue advances to one below his own station. The result
of this surmise was of course a sudden coldness on Godwin's part,
increased when he found that Mr. Moxey turned to another subject,
without a word about his nephew.

In less than ten minutes he offered to take leave, and no one urged him
to stay longer. Mr. Moxey made sober