blue, Slade's head was all swelled up like a pumpkin, and he could hardly see; yet we had to take our places and pretend to work as best we could. We were both so stiff and sore that fighting next day was impossible, so there it ended in a drawn battle.

Then came the great fight between Old Slade and Waterfield-Slade a square-built, powerful fellow about 5 feet 10 inches in height, Waterfield rather taller, lighter built, but wiry and quick on his legs. This was the best fight in 'green' that I saw; like ours, it was never finished; they fought gamely, both receiving heavy punishment, and neither willing to give in. This fight also had to be stopped on account of morning school, and was never continued.

This fight caused much excitement between Queen's Scholars and Town Boys, the latent jealousy flaring up. Before another week was out a third quarrel took place and another 'mill' in 'green' was arranged, this time between W. L. Francis, a dark-haired, hard-bitten 'Bishop's boy,' hailing from Scott's house, either a boarder there or a half-boarder; and G. M. Onslow, then, I think, a colleger in 'second election,' also a sturdy, strong-built lad, but he carried more weight about the belt ('bread-basket,' as Bell's Life would say) than he was entitled to. This, too, was a hardfought fight, but I cannot remember the result.

Onslow joined the 41st Regiment; Francis went to Oxford. I can remember a wordy dispute on board the eight between Onslow at No. 4 and E. Bourke at No. 5, as to the antiquity of their respective families, Onslow being a descendant of a whole line of old

Westminsters dating back to Arthur George, third Earl of Onslow, admitted 1777, and Bourke being a younger brother of poor Lord Mayo, assassinated when Governor of India in 1872. I find that Robert Bourke, fifth Earl of Mayo, was admitted at Westminster in 1807, but, as there may be older names in either family or older lists, appeal must be to Burke.

On consulting Burke, I find the Bourkes claiming descent from Fitz Adeln de Burgo, who succeeded Strongbow as Governor of Ireland in 1177, temp. Henry II., the Onslows from one Ondeslow, temp. Henry III. So, thus far, the Bourkes have it.

The row might easily have upset the boat, but Onslow at No. 4 with Bourke at No. 5 would have had the best of the fight.

Bourke, commonly called Paddy Bourke, had lost a thumb as a boy. He joined, and became Major in, the Inniskilling Dragoons, and held office as Military Secretary to his brother, Lord Mayo, when Governor of India. He was a fine, tall fellow and a good oar. The Waterfield who fought with Slade was the author of the famous epigram about Liddell and Scott.

I notice up school that the list of Waterfields has now crept down, till it outruns the list of Markhams, which till lately had the pre-eminence-meâ culpâ, perhaps, as I have sent no son to the old school.

CHAPTER XIV

THE PLAY, ETC.

The Westminster Play-College hall-Heraldry.

AFTER the Bartlemytide holidays the upper forms were always served out by Ginger with a thin bound octavo copy of a play by Terence.

I possess three of these-' Eunuchus,' 'Adelphi,' and 'Phormio,' all in drab paper covers and with green cloth backs. I have looked inside, hoping to find casts of the Play, and perhaps the state of the odds or particulars of my book on the event. In Eunuchus' I find the casts of the Play in 1851 and 1854; no information in Adelphi ' or 'Phormio.' In those days the Play was a fertile source of betting between Queen's Scholars and town boys-betting as to who would be selected for the various parts.

The cast was always kept a dead secret from the town boys. There were always two or three parts about which we town boys could be fairly certain—for instance, the part traditionally played by the captain of the school, and the girls' parts, generally assigned to some pretty young fellows in the third or second 'election.' These were the parts that the town boys [ 170 ]

were most keen to bet upon. The Queen's Scholars always wanted to bet on the smaller parts. They had this pull, 'that they knew '; but, on the other hand, they could not well refuse a bet, for fear of letting the cat out of the bag. This and the scratch fours for the silver goblets were the only events we betted on. Some fellows made up regular books on these events, and spent their time nibbling at a pencil and adding up the figures in their books-very Leviathans in their

way.

All the upper forms went through a regular course of the coming Play, till we knew the parts almost as well as the actors themselves.

I am the possessor of the library of my greatgrandfather, Archbishop Markham, who, when Headmaster of Westminster, took great interest in the Play, and presented the first set of classical scenes for it.

Before the Play there was always great rivalry amongst the town boys, not for stalls or private boxes, but for window seats. These consisted of a few sittings precariously situated on the sill of a window, without rest for the sole of your foot. To get to the far seat, No. 1 had to sit down and slide along, followed by 2, 3, 4-I think the seat held five or six. You sat on the cold stones, with your feet dangling over the heads of the guests below.

These luxurious sittings were, I think, in the gift of the seniors. The only other place provided for the town boys was 'the gods.' The boards forming the

back of the auditorium of the temporary theatre were carried straight up for 5 or 6 feet above the uppermost seats, and along these upright boards was carried a strong shelf, about 8 inches wide and about 3 feet from the top. On this the town boys stood sideways, packed as close as herrings in a box, their left elbows clinging to the top of the boards behind, and their heads looking over their right shoulders; their hands, when required for clapping, met over the next boy's shoulders. Looking back, you had a bird's-eye view of the length of the dormitory; looking to your right, you could just see the stage over your right shoulder. But what you had to do was to keep your eye upon Cerberus (the 'god-keeper ') and his cane; he stood facing us on our left. When the cane was lifted it signified 'Plaudite,' and if the hands did not go fast enough, whack! whack! whack! went the cane down the rows of legs. Once up, you had to stay up all through the Play—Prologue, Play, and Epilogue-without change of position.

After the Play-I think on the second night of the three-dear old Marshall, our tutor 'up Grant's,' used to give us a regular supper in our hall.

On one Play night-I think just before I left the school-I was invited by some of my colleger rowing friends to stop up College for supper; I did so, and had my share of Mother Shotton's celebrated sack-whey and other delights. I stayed late, could not get into Grant's, so slept the night up College. The authorities were none the wiser.