‘I think it was more than good of you to come,’ answered the other; ‘but now you are here, I do wish you could stay till I go, if you can. You see, things are not altogether smooth here, and----’ ‘All right. I will stay, and we can go up to London together. But what put it into your head to go into a lawyer’s office?’ ‘I want to go to the bar, and this is the first step.’ ‘But why?’ ‘Because that is the great avenue by which men rise to political power. Three-fourths of the men in the House of Commons (that is, of the respectable men), who have not had the advantages of birth or fortune, have entered by that door.’ Blake stared at his companion. ‘I had no idea you were so ambitious,’ he said. ‘But I doubt whether, even if you did get into the House, you would be much nearer your goal than you are now. And you have no idea of the difficulty of getting a practice at the bar, unless you have a connection among solicitors, or unless you are a born advocate.’ ‘Of course there will be plenty of difficulties. I’ve made up my mind to that. But I can see you think I ought to have taken my uncle’s offer.’ ‘It might have been more prudent. If your ambition is to get into Parliament, you might have done that, perhaps, more easily as a wealthy manufacturer than as a struggling barrister. And yet, I don’t know. Every man to his taste. It is a great thing to choose one’s own work. You will have a wider and more varied life in London certainly, and----there’s somebody running after us.’ ‘It’s Cameron!’ cried Alec, as he turned round, and ran to meet his friend. ‘This is awfully good of you, old fellow! coming to bid me good-bye,’ he exclaimed, as he grasped his former chum by the hand. ‘I heard you were going to the land of the southron, so I thought I would give the poor folk at the infirmary a holiday, and come to give you my blessing ere you departed,’ answered the Highlander. Alec introduced Blake to his old companion, and the three continued to stroll on in company. ‘Don’t you think,’ said Cameron, addressing Blake, ‘our friend here was greatly left to himself, when he decided not to help to illuminate the world by means of paraffin oil, and to woo the jade Fortune in your country instead?’ ‘I don’t believe you think he was wrong,’ answered Blake, with a smile. ‘You Scotchmen look upon England as your natural prey.’ ‘It’s not everyone that goes to fish that comes back wi’ a full creel,’ responded Cameron; ‘but we’ll hope that Lindsay will spoil the Egyptians of much fine gold, and rise to be Lord Chancellor. Last summer I took a run down to Manchester, and as the assizes were going on, I looked in at the courts. It was a fearfu’ sight.’ ‘Was it a murder case?’ asked Blake.