Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

FLIGHT. 171
expect. I have got to win money and a name for the sake of one
who is worth winning it for. Very likely I shall go abroad, to the
land where the stuff comes from they make sovereigns of, and try
my luck at getting some of the yellow rubbish. And she will wait
in the old house at Ranford."
He paused here. The thought came upon him, " Would it not
be more honorable to absolve Adelaide from her engagement?
Was he acting generously in demanding of her to waste the best
part of her life in waiting till a ruined man had won fortune and
means? "
The answer came. "She loves me. If I can wait, why not
she?"
" I have wronged her by such a thought, Grip. Have n't I,
my boy?" — and so on. I need n't continue telling you the
nonsense Charles talked to his dog. Men will talk nonsense to
their dogs and friends when they are in love; and such nonsense
is but poor reading at any time. To us who know what had
happened, and how worthless and false Adelaide was, it would
be merely painful and humiliating to hear any more of it. I only
gave you so much to show you how completely Charles was in
the dark, poor fool, with regard to Adelaide's character, and to
render less surprising the folly of his behavior after he heard the
news at Ranford.
Charles judged every one by his own standard. She had told
him that she loved him; and perhaps she did, for a time. He
believed her. As for vanity, selfishness, fickleness, calculation,
coming in and conquering love, he knew it was impossible in his
own case, and so he conceived it impossible in hers. I think I
have been very careful to impress on you that Charles was not
wise. At all events, if I have softened matters so far hitherto as
to leave you in doubt, his actions, which we shall have to chronicle immediately, will leave not the slightest doubt of it. I love
the man. I love his very faults in a way. He' is a reality to
me, though I may not have the art to make him so to you. His
mad, impulsive way of. forming a resolution, and his honorable
obstinacy in sticking to that resolution afterwards, even to the
death, are very great faults; but they are, more or less, the
faults of many men who have made.a very great figure in
the world, or I have read history wrong. Men with Charles
Ravenshoe's character, and power of patience and application
superadded, turn out very brilliant characters for the most part.
Charles had not been drilled into habits of application early
enough. Densil's unthinking indulgence had done him much
harm, and he was just the sort of boy to be spoilt at school, - a
favorite among the masters and the boys; always just up to his
work, and no more. It is possible that Eton in one way, or