Part 4 (1/2)

”I trust he will, indeed, sir,” replied Mr Green; ”it is the great wish of my heart And I am sure that you will find ular in his duties, and always in bed by ten o'clock”

”Well, I hope so too, Mis-ter Green,” said Dr Porten-tle-u-lar and or-der-ly when they first coreat dif-fer-ence But I dare say in-ius,---”

”Verdant,” s your par-don,” apologized Dr Portman; ”but I dare say that he will do as you say, for in-deed, hted - proud!”up to his spectacles

”We are ve-ry full,” Dr Ports froin --- Verdant, Verdant, I have put some rooms at his ser-vice; and if you would like to see them, ly summoned, and received orders to that effect; while the Master told Verdant that he must,

[AN OXFORD FRESHMAN 35]

at two o'clock, present himself to Mr Slowcoach, his tutor, ould examine him for his matriculation

”I ae--- Ver-dant, to dine with me to-day; but I do hope that the next time you come to Ox-ford I shall be more for-tu-nate”

Old John, the Comovernors” through enerations of fresh035jpg> were suggestive of anything but full credence in his hted with Dr Port that the intervieas at an end, e~, and left the Master of Brazenface to his Greek particles

They had just got outside, when the servant said, ”Oh, there is the scout! ~Your~ scout, sir!” at which our hero blushed fronity; and, by way of appearing at his ease, inquired the scout's name

”Robert Filcher, sir,” replied the servant; ”but the gentle the scout to hientlemen

[36 ADVENTURES OF MR VERDANT GREEN]

to the rooms kept for Mr Verdant Green; and then took hiht perhaps have been forty years of age, perhaps fifty; there was cunning enough in his face to fill even a century of wily years; and there was a depth of expression in his look, as he asked our hero if ~he~ was Mr Verdant Green, that proclailance Mr Filcher was laden with coats and boots that had just been brushed and blacked for their respectiveof buttery ale (they are renowned for their ale at Brazenface) to the gentle in the sun as they dangled froentlemen,” he said; ”it's only just across the quad Third floor, No 4 staircase, fust quad; that's about the lanced curiously round the Quadrangle, with its picturesque irregularity of outline, its towers and turrets and battlerey time-eaten walls, its rows of mullioned heavy-headed s, and the quiet cloistered air that spoke of study and reflection; and perceiving on one side a row of large ith great buttresses between, and a species of steeple on the high-pitched roof, he made bold (just to try the effect) to address Mr Filcher by the naned to him at an early period of his life by his Godfathers and God was the chapel

”No, sir,” replied Robert, ”that there's the 'All, sir, ~that~ is, - where you dines, sir, leasthen you ain't 'AEger,' or elseweer

That at the top is the lantern, sir, ~that~ is; called so because it never has no candle in it The chapel's the hopposite side, sir

-Please not to walk on the grass, sir; there's a fine agen it, unless you're a Master This way if ~you~ please, gentleuiled thee 4 painted over it; inside was a door on either hand, while a coal-bin displayed its black face from under a staircase that rose i the scout (who had vanished for a moment with the boots and beer), and when they had passed the first floor they found the ascent by no ht The once white-washed walls were coated with the uncleansed dust of the three past ter porter-bottles, or the heels of Wellington boots, its surface had afforded an irresistible teraduates who displayed their artistic genius in candle-smoke cartoons of the heads of the University, and other popular and unpopular characters All Mr

Green's caution, as he crept up the

[AN OXFORD FRESHMAN 37]

dark, twisting staircase, could not prevent hi, and he gave vent to a very strong but quiet anathelided quietly and audibly into the remark, ”Confounded aard staircase, I think!”

”Just what Mr Bouncer says,” replied the scout, ”although he don't reach so high as you, sir; but he ~do~ say, sir, when he, coht from some wine-party, that it ~is~ the aukardest staircase as was ever put before a gentleo so far, sir, as to ask the Master, if it wouldn't be better to have a staircase as would go up of hisself, and take the gentlemen up with it, like one as they has at some public show in London - the Call-and-see-eested Mr Green ”And what did Dr

Portman say to that, pray?”

”Why he said, sir, - leastways so Mr Bouncer reported, - that it worn't by no means a bad idea, and that p'raps Mr Bouncer'd find it done in six ain from the country For you see, sir, Mr Bouncer had ot the porter out o' bed, and corked his face dreadful; and then, sir, he'd been and got a Hinn-board fro it on the Master's private door; so that when they went to early chapel in the , they read as how the Master was 'licensed to sell beer by retail,' and 'to be drunk

[38 ADVENTURES OF MR VERDANT GREEN]