university youth. "I wonder you can look me in the face after such a
disgrace, sir," he said; "I wonder you submitted to it as a gentleman."

"I couldn't help it, sir. I did my classical papers well enough it was
those infernal mathematics, which I have always neglected."

"Was it--was it done in public, sir?" the Major said.

"What?"

"The--the plucking?" asked the guardian, looking Pen anxiously in the
face.

Pen perceived the error under which his guardian was labouring, and in
the midst of his misery the blunder caused the poor wretch a faint smile,
and served to bring down the conversation from the tragedy-key, in which
Pen had been disposed to carry it on. He explained to his uncle that he
had gone in to pass his examination, and failed. On which the Major said,
that though he had expected far better things of his nephew, there was no
great misfortune in this, and no dishonour as far as he saw, and that Pen
must try again.

"Me again at Oxbridge," Pen thought, "after such a humiliation as that!"
He felt that, except he went down to burn the place, he could not enter
it.

But it was when he came to tell his uncle of his debts that the other
felt surprise and anger most keenly, and broke out in speeches most
severe upon Pen, which the lad bore, as best might, without flinching. He
had determined to make a clean breast, and had formed a full, true, and