Rejoicing, though shame-smitten, Godwin exhibited this remittance to his mother, from whom it drew a deep sigh of relief.  And forthwith he sat down to write quite a different letter from that which still lay in his private drawer,—­a letter which he strove to make the justification (to his own mind) of this descent to humility.  At considerable length he dwelt upon the change of tastes of which he had been conscious lately, and did not fail to make obvious the superiority of his ambition to all thought of material advancement.  He offered his thanks, and promised to give an account of himself (as in duty bound) at the close of the twelvemonths’ study he was about to undertake:  a letter in which the discerning would have read much sincerity, and some pathos; after all, not a letter to be ashamed of.  Lady Whitelaw would not understand it; but then, how many people are capable of even faintly apprehending the phenomena of mental growth?

And now to plan seriously his mode of life in London.  With Christian Moxey he was so slightly acquainted that it was impossible to seek his advice with regard to lodgings; besides, the lodgings must be of a character far too modest to come within Mr. Moxey’s sphere of observation.  Other acquaintance he had none in the capital, so it was clear that he must enter boldly upon the unknown world, and find a home for himself as best he might.  Mrs. Peak could offer suggestions as to likely localities, and this was of course useful help.  In the meantime (for it would be waste of money to go up till near the end of the holiday season) he made schemes of study and completed his information concerning the School of Mines.  So far from lamenting the interruption of his promising career at Whitelaw, he persuaded himself that Uncle Andrew had in truth done him a very good turn:  now at length he was fixed in the right course.  The only thing he regretted was losing sight of his two or three student-friends, especially Earwaker and Buckland Warricombe.  They, to be sure, would soon guess the reason of his disappearance.  Would they join in the laughter certain to be excited by ’Peak’s Dining and Refreshment Rooms’?  Probably; how could they help it?  Earwaker might be superior to a prejudice of that kind; his own connections were of humble standing.  But Warricombe must wince and shrug his shoulders.  Perhaps even some of the Professors would have their attention directed to the ludicrous mishap:  they were gentlemen, and, even though they smiled, must certainly sympathise with him.

Wait a little.  Whitelaw College should yet remember the student who seemed to have vanished amid the world’s obscure tumult.

Resolved that he was about to turn his back on Twybridge for ever, he found the conditions of life there quite supportable through this last month or two; the family reaped benefit from his improved temper.  Even to Mr. Cusse he behaved with modified contempt.  Oliver was judicious enough to suppress his nigger minstrelsy and kindred demonstrations of spirit in his brother’s presence, and Charlotte, though steadily resentful, did her best to avoid conflict.