For a while Mr
Pontifex senior was really pleased, and told his son he would present him
with the works of any standard writer whom he might select. The young
man chose the works of Bacon, and Bacon accordingly made his appearance
in ten nicely bound volumes. A little inspection, however, showed that
the copy was a second hand one.
Now that he had taken his degree the next thing to look forward to was
ordination--about which Theobald had thought little hitherto beyond
acquiescing in it as something that would come as a matter of course some
day. Now, however, it had actually come and was asserting itself as a
thing which should be only a few months off, and this rather frightened
him inasmuch as there would be no way out of it when he was once in it.
He did not like the near view of ordination as well as the distant one,
and even made some feeble efforts to escape, as may be perceived by the
following correspondence which his son Ernest found among his father's
papers written on gilt-edged paper, in faded ink and tied neatly round
with a piece of tape, but without any note or comment. I have altered
nothing. The letters are as follows:--
"My dear Father,--I do not like opening up a question which has been
considered settled, but as the time approaches I begin to be very
doubtful how far I am fitted to be a clergyman.
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