210 PRÆTERITA-I

but it had not occurred to the hospitality of my entertainers that I probably knew as much about wine as they did. When we broke up at the small hours, I helped to carry the son of the head of my college downstairs, and walked across Peckwater to my own rooms, deliberating, as I went, whether there was any immediately practicable trigonometric method of determining whether I was walking straight towards the lamp over the door.

236. From this time-that is to say, from about the third week after I came into residence-it began to be recognized that, muff or milksop though I might be, I could hold my own on occasion; and in next term, when I had to return civilities, that I gave good wine, and that of curious quality, without any bush;¹ and saw with good-humour the fruit I had sent for from London thrown out of the window to the porter’s children: farther, that I could take any quantity of jests, though I could not make one, and could be extremely interested in hearing conversation on topics I knew nothing about,-to that degree that Bob Grimston condescended to take me with him one day to a tavern across Magdalen Bridge, to hear him elucidate from the landlord some points of the horses entered for the Derby, an object only to be properly accomplished by sitting with indifference on a corner of the kitchen table, and carrying on the dialogue with careful pauses, and more by winks than words.

The quieter men of the set were also some of them interested in my drawing; and one or two-Scott Murray,² for instance, and Lord Kildare-were as punctual as I in chapel, and had some thoughts concerning college life and its issues, which they were glad to share with me. In this second year of residence, my position in college was thus alike pleasant, and, satisfactorily to my parents, eminent: and I was received without demur into the Christ Church

¹ [As You Like It, Epilogue.]

² [Charles Robert Scott Murray, of Danesfield, Bucks; M. P. 1841-1845; died 1882.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]