books, a square table, six chairs, fender, fireirons, and a gaslight; to this furniture we added pipkins of red earthenware, frying-pan, saucepan, toasting-fork, and sometimes a sort of miniature oven, which could be hung on the bars of the grate, in which you could cook sausages, and even mutton-chops. Fried potatoes, toffee, and chestnuts were always being cooked; in fact, most of our winter evenings were spent in cooking. We also had a battery of small cannon which we used to load and fire, also a bowling catapult, the propelling force arising from a pair of indiarubber trouser-straps, holes being bored in the table for the wickets, miniature bats, and marbles for the cricket-balls. These small games were mostly played in the third 'Chiswick.'

In the second Chiswick' cooking continued, but whist was the fashion; we played with diminutive cards, one's hand arranged inside an atlas or some big book, so that if Marshall by any chance looked in, one closed one's atlas, swept the tricks off the table, and all looked most studious when he entered the room; he seldom troubled us, but cards were tabooed, and it was well to be ready. In the second 'Chiswick' we clubbed our spare cash and bought a set of boxinggloves, and night after night we used to set the table up on end in front of the fire, stow the chairs away, and have regular good rounds.

My house and form companions all this time were Lord Richard Grosvenor and W. G. H. Bankes; we worked our way up the school together. Poor Bankes was my chief opponent with the gloves; he had no

science, and as long as I could keep him off I could hit him as I liked. But our rounds always ended with a rough-and-tumble wrestle; if he got me down, he sat on the top of me till I could chuck him off. He would never cry Pax,' and I have sat on his chest for half an hour or more, holding his hands down, he quite exhausted but refusing to give in. Poor fellow! he joined the 7th Hussars, and was killed in action at Lucknow. When wounded and being carried to the rear, both his legs were taken off by a round shot, and he bled to death. They say that when so terribly wounded he showed the same pluck, and I believe that the Victoria Cross, which he so well earned, was sent to his people after his death.

One other recollection about Grant's. It must have been on All Fools' Day that we devised this practical joke on poor Marshall. We got a bolster, rigged it up with a jacket and trousers, and, with a towel for the face, tied it to a long rope, and had it ready at an open back-window over Marshall's study window. Accomplices below started a sham quarrel and fight in the yard. Marshall looked out over his blind, pushing his hair up on end, as he always did when excited, when at a signal from below down flashed the dummy close past his face, falling into the yard below. Marshall, rather short-sighted, took it for a boy, rushed out of his room, downstairs, and into the area. Meanwhile the dummy had been hauled up again and stowed away; we, too, had disappeared under beds or elsewhere. Dear old Marshall accepted it as a joke, and made no inquiries about it.

Each year when the Play took place, Marshall—I think on the third night-used to give us quite a smart supper in the hall, the chief delicacy being small glasses full of custard, with a sprinkling of grated nutmeg on the top; a glass of this was set out beside each plate.

In the morning, if you felt disinclined for school, you went down, knocked at Marshall's door, and said, 'I don't feel very well, sir.' He used to half open the door, look out, and say, 'Let me see your tongue.' You put your tongue out, giving the upper surface a hard pressure with your upper teeth, and out came a tongue white enough to satisfy any doctor. The danger was that sometimes you were not allowed to recover as quickly as you wished, and you were told not to go on the water or into 'green' on that day.

When I on one occasion was really ill with the measles, Grosvenor and I arranged an excellent billiardtable by turning the American-cloth cover of a large round table upside down; it was smooth on the top, woolly below. On this we arranged cushions and pockets by means of books, and we got some big marbles for billiard-balls, made our own cues, and had capital games. The cloth was made to turn down over the edge of the table, and when reversed kept our balls in and our cushions steady. This also is not patented.

CHAPTER V

UP SCHOOL

School-hours-Half-school days-'Early plays'-Routine-Prayers -The 'lost-box '-A departure-The 'rod-room'-Repetition -Themes-Speeches and epigrams-Dress.

SCHOOL-HOURS on whole-school days were in summer from seven till eight; one hour out for prayers in your house and breakfast; then from nine to twelve completing the morning school, the break for breakfast being only an interlude; then afternoon school from two till four. In winter, I think, the morning school commenced later by half an hour.

On half-school days there was no afternoon school, but there were lock-hours, called 'lockers,' in both College and the boarding-houses from two till four, from which you were allowed out for arithmetic, French, drawing, or other extra teaching.

The whole-school days were Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The half-school days were Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. On Saturday there were no afternoon 'lockers,' and boys were free after morning school.

On saints' days, on March 1, being St. David's Day, and on Shrove Tuesday, there was an early play-i.e., school only before breakfast. On the

saints' days there was service in the Abbey for the whole school at ten; on St. David's Day, no Abbey ; and on Shrove Tuesday you were free as soon as the Pancake Grease was over.

Before school the Headmaster used to appear in cap, cassock, and gown at his little side-door, near the arch into Great Dean's Yard, and stroll leisurely up to the school steps; here he was joined by the under-master, habited like himself, and by the form masters in gowns and caps, but without cassocks. I think that on wet days the meet took place in the library.

After a little conversation they moved up school, by which time all the boys were supposed to be in their places. The masters then formed in single file: Headmaster in front, then the under-master, then the form masters according to the seniority of their forms. The monitor of the school then came out with his book, and dropped on both knees in front, the masters all dropping on their right knees and removing their caps. The monitor then rattledor shall I say gabbled ?-through the Lord's Prayer, in Latin, then clapped his open book together and returned to his seat.

The masters then dispersed to their several forms and proceeded with their work. The Headmaster went on to the library, where by this time the Sixth Form were assembled. The same ceremony was gone through at the close of mid-day and afternoon school, a grace being said after the Lord's Prayer as follows: 'Gratia Domini nostri, et caritas Dei Patris, et communicatio Spiritus sancti sit semper cum omnibus