longed for since my father had grown so distant and dim to me; but
confession to Mr. Rippenger seemed, as he said of Heriot's behaviour to
him, a gross breach of trust to my father; so I refused steadily to
answer, and suffered the consequences now on my dear father's behalf.
Heriot's aunt brought me a cake, and in a letter from him an
extraordinary sum of money for a boy of my age. He wrote that he knew
I should want it to pay my debts for treats to the boys and keep them in
good humour. He believed also that his people meant to have me for the
Christmas holidays. The sum he sent me was five pounds, carefully
enclosed. I felt myself a prince again. The money was like a golden
gate through which freedom twinkled a finger. Forthwith I paid my debts,
amounting to two pounds twelve shillings, and instructed a couple of day-
boarders, commercial fellows, whose heavy and mysterious charges for
commissions ran up a bill in no time, to prepare to bring us materials
for a feast on Saturday. Temple abominated the trading propensities of
these boys. 'They never get licked and they've always got money, at
least I know they always get mine,' said he; 'but you and I and Heriot
despise them.' Our position toward them was that of an encumbered
aristocracy, and really they paid us great respect. The fact was that,
when they had trusted us, they were compelled to continue obsequious, for
Heriot had instilled the sentiment in the school, that gentlemen never
failed to wipe out debts in the long run, so it was their interest to
make us feel they knew us to be gentlemen, who were at some time or other
sure to pay, and thus also they operated on our consciences. From which
it followed that one title of superiority among us, ranking next in the
order of nobility to the dignity conferred by Mr. Rippenger's rod, was
the being down in their books. Temple and I walked in the halo of
unlimited credit like more than mortal twins. I gave an order for four
bottles of champagne.