his grandfather, or on Mr. Potts, Guy's lip did not suffer, and he only
asked how many hours a day he ought to read. 'Three,' said Mr.
Lascelles, with a due regard to a probable want of habits of
application; but then, remembering how much was undone, he added, that
'it ought to be four or more, if possible.'

'Four it _shall_ be,' said Guy; 'five if I can.'

His whole strength of will was set to accomplish these four hours,
taking them before and after breakfast, working hard all the morning
till the last hour before luncheon, when he came to read the lectures
on poetry with Charles. Here, for the first time, it appeared that
Charles had so entirely ceased to consider him as company, as to
domineer over him like his own family.

Used as Guy had been to an active out-of-doors life, and now turned
back to authors he had read long ago, to fight his way through the
construction of their language, not excusing himself one jot of the
difficulty, nor turning aside from one mountain over which his own
efforts could carry him, he found his work as tough and tedious as he
could wish or fear, and by the end of the morning was thoroughly
fagged. Then would have been the refreshing time for recreation in
that pleasant idling-place, the Hollywell drawing-room. Any other time
of day would have suited Charles as well for the reading, but he liked
to take the hour at noon, and never perceived that this made all the
difference to his friend of a toil or a pleasure. Now and then Guy
gave tremendous yawns; and once when Charles told him he was very
stupid, proposed a different time; but as Charles objected, he yielded
as submissively as the rest of the household were accustomed to do.