When he came into
his 5000 pounds and became independent of his father, 15 or 20 pounds
served to cover the whole of his unauthorised expenditure.
He joined the boat club, and was constant in his attendance at the boats.
He still smoked, but never took more wine or beer than was good for him,
except perhaps on the occasion of a boating supper, but even then he
found the consequences unpleasant, and soon learned how to keep within
safe limits. He attended chapel as often as he was compelled to do so;
he communicated two or three times a year, because his tutor told him he
ought to; in fact he set himself to live soberly and cleanly, as I
imagine all his instincts prompted him to do, and when he fell--as who
that is born of woman can help sometimes doing?--it was not till after a
sharp tussle with a temptation that was more than his flesh and blood
could stand; then he was very penitent and would go a fairly long while
without sinning again; and this was how it had always been with him since
he had arrived at years of indiscretion.
Even to the end of his career at Cambridge he was not aware that he had
it in him to do anything, but others had begun to see that he was not
wanting in ability and sometimes told him so.
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