then said: 'Come along with me, and I will see you home.' He took us by our arms, one on the right and one on the left, and marched us off up Parliament Street. We went along like lambs till we got to the corner turning to Drummond's Bank. Here we tipped one another a wink, broke away from him, and ran off down Spring Gardens and up into Pall Mall, dodged in and out, up Haymarket, across Regent Street, St. James's Square, and so up into Piccadilly, and away to Apsley House-this all at a sharp run, and expecting to be grabbed every moment by the policeman. He was not in sight, so we slowed down, and walked back to Westminster by the low side of St. James's Park and the Birdcage Walk. By this time we were about sick of our 'night out,' so made our way round to Great College Street and Weare's backdoor.

Imagine our dismay when we found it closed! Some officious policeman, or perhaps Weare out late, must have shut it to.

What were we to do now? Try and get into Dean's Yard, by those half-pulled-down houses at the low end. They were only separated by a hoarding from the Little Sanctuary. We went round there, and knocked a board off. Farquhar, who was the thinner, squeezed through, and was immediately collared by Old Fairy-surname, I believe, Mentor or Mintonthe Dean and Chapter policeman.

I was so tired of the 'night out' that I had not energy to bolt, and squeezed through after him.

6

Then we were questioned again. Who are you?'

We said, 'The sons of Canon (the first we thought of, and, as it happened, an old bachelor). He let us go. We went into Little Dean's Yard, and tried small pebbles at some of the fellows' windows; but no one looked out except Bankes, and he for some reason made no attempt to open the door. We then crept under the steps and tried to get in by a window there, but that was fast wired up. We then retired to the cloisters, and hung about, very cold and miserable, till Stoker came at about 5.30 a.m. to light the school fires. He took pity on us, and allowed us to sit by the fire in his stoke-hole till the housemaid opened the door'up Grant's,' and we then stole in upstairs and to bed.

Who sneaked on us? I know not; but about a day after we were told to attend at the Headmaster's house after school. We determined to make a clean breast of it.

He had us in separately. I told him all from end to end. He looked rather amused at times, but finally said: This cannot be passed over without heavy punishment.' I thought I was going to be expelled, but was relieved when I heard the sentence, Kept in' and 'kept off the water' for the rest of the half—it only wanted about three weeks to the holidays. Minto, I think, must have been more reserved as to our doings, or perhaps he had previous offences scored against him, for he had lines to send in as well.

Minto Farquhar was the son of Sir Minto Farquhar. His elder brother, Eric, succeeded to the baronetcy, died young, and was succeeded by Sir Minto, and then

by Sir John, both at school at Westminster. Both these died as comparatively young men, and the title passed to a fourth brother. Johnny Farquhar served in the 7th Light Bengal Cavalry throughout the Mutiny, and became Captain in the 20th Hussars. Minto was coxswain of the eight, and Johnny won the Silver Pair-Oar Goblets, rowing with me in 1854.

CHAPTER XVIII

HISTORICAL

Widmore's 'Westminster Abbey'-Masters and under-masters— St. Ingulphus-Stow's 'Survey of London'-Pepys's 'Diary' -Sir Clements Markham's notes-Changes since my timeFinis

AND now, like everyone else who has written on the subject of Westminster School, I must, in conclusion, ask the reader's patience whilst I dip into the question of the origin and antiquity of the school. My notes on the subject are chiefly culled from another old book of Dr. Markham's, by Richard Widmore, M.A., librarian of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, published in 1743, and printed for John Stagg, in Westminster Hall, at the price of one shilling (very cheap at the price). The book is entitled 'An Enquiry into the Time of the First Foundation of Westminster Abbey, as discoverable from the Best Authorities now remaining, both Printed and Manuscript, to which is added an Account of the Writers of the History of the Church.'

I will give some extracts affecting the school: P. 121 Henry VII., in Dean Islip's time, not long after the time when Henry VII.'s Chapel was begun

[ 212 ]

(1502-1503), 'gave several estates to the monastery for the following purposes, viz., for the maintenance of three additional monks to serve in this chapel; of two lay brothers, and three students to the University, likewise additional,' etc.

P. 130, in describing the foundation of a bishopric at Westminster by King Henry VIII. after the Reformation, the author finishes thus: In other points, particularly in two masters and forty grammarscholars, it differed not from the present foundation of Queen Elizabeth.'

P. 130 (later): By Ingulphus's "History of Crowland" (see pp. 62 and 73) it appears that there was a school in this place in the time of King Edward the Confessor.' (See quotation from Stow, p. 221.)

'William Fitz Stephens, who belonged to the family of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, and wrote his life, describing London, says that "the three chief churches there had noted schools belonging to them."

'These Stow, following the opinion of antiquaries of his time, makes to be St. Paul's, Westminster, and St. Peter's, Cornhill: but it not being plain that Westminster was designed to be included in that description of London, it is more probable that the other two, beside St. Paul's, were Bow Church and St. Martin's-le-Grand.'

'From the latter part of the reign of King Edward III. down to the dissolution of the Abbey, a salary was paid by the almoner of the convent to a schoolmaster, who in the accounts of that office, as