easy, at his time of life, to compress into the limits of an
ordinary epistle all he wished to say to the widow of his
benefactor. His purpose was, with all possible respect yet as firmly
as might be, to inform Lady Whitelaw that he could not spend the
last of his proposed three years at the College in Kingsmill, and
furthermore to request of her that she would permit his using the
promised sum of money as a student at the Royal School of Mines.
This had to be done without confession of the reasons for his change
of plan; he could not even hint at them. Yet cause must be assigned,
and the best form of words he could excogitate ran thus: 'Family
circumstances render it desirable--almost necessary--that I
should spend the next twelve months in London. In spite of sincere
reluctance to leave Whitelaw College, I am compelled to take this
step.' The lady must interpret that as best she might. Very hard
indeed was the task of begging a continuance of her bounty under
these changed conditions. Could he but have resigned the money, all
had been well; his tone might then have been dignified without
effort. But such disinterestedness he could not afford. His mother
might grant him money enough barely to live upon until he discovered
means of support--for his education she was unable to pay. After
more than an hour's work he had moderately satisfied himself;
indeed, several portions of the letter struck him as well composed,
and he felt that they must heighten the reader's interest in him.
With an author's pleasure (though at the same time with much
uneasiness) he perused the appeal again and again.

Late in the evening, when he was alone with his mother, he told her
what he had done, and read the letter for her opinion. Mrs. Peak was
gravely troubled.