Part 11 (1/2)

He had just sat down to a second edition of tea, and was reading a letter that the post had brought him from his sister Mary, in which she said, ”I dare say by this tihtful~ companion, and I ~am sure~ a very ~valuable~ one; as, from what the rector says, he appears to be so ~steady~, and has such ~nice quiet~ coreat noise just without his door, caused the letter to drop fro hands; and, between loud ~fanfares~ from a post-horn, and heavy thu ”Entrance in the Proctor's name”

[80 ADVENTURES OF MR VERDANT GREEN]

Mr Verdant Green had for the first time ”sported his oak” Under any circumstances it would have been a mere form, since his bashful politeness would have induced him to open it to any co from his chair, and while impositions, rustications, and expulsions rushed tuh his disordered brain, he nervously undid the springlock, and admitted - not the Proctor, but the ”steady” Mr Charles Larkyns and his ”nice quiet companion,” little Mr Bouncer, who testified his joy at the success of their ~coup d'etat~, by blowing on his horn loud blasts thatthrough poor Verdant's head with indescribable jarrings

”Well, Verdant,” said Charles Larkyns, ”how do you find yourself this ? You look rather shaky”

”He ain't a very lively picter, is he?” remarked little Mr Bouncer, with the air of a connoisseur; ”peakyish you feel, don't you, noith a touch of the rubs in your collywobbles? Ah, I knohat it is, my boy”

It was more than our hero did; and he could only reply that he did not feel very well ”I - I had a glass of claret after soreed with me”

”Not a doubt of it, Verdant,” said Charles Larkyns very gravely; ”it would have precisely the same effect that the salreat hilarity, succeeded by a pleasing deliriu in a horizontal position, and a demand for soda-water”

”I hope,” said our hero, rather faintly, ”that I did not conduct ht; for I am sorry to say that I do not relamps, You were as drunk as a besom,” said little Mr Bouncer, with a side wink to Mr Larkyns, to prepare that gentleot on pretty well till old Slowcoach cao it, and no racious! is it possible that ~he~ saw me? I don't remember it”

”And it would be lucky for you if ~he~ didn't,” replied Mr, Bouncer

”Why his roole of the quad as Smalls'; so, when you came to shy the empty bottles out of Smalls'

at ~his~-”

”Shy easped the freshman

”Why, of course, you see, he couldn't stand that sort of game, - it wasn't to be expected; so he puts his head out of the bedroo out, as you pointed to the tassel of his night-cap sticking up straight

[AN OXFORD FRESHMAN 81]

on end, 'Tally-ho! Unearth'd at last! Look at his brush!+' Don't you reroaned Mr Bouncer's victim; ”I can't remember, - oh, what ~could~ have induced me!”

”By Jove, you ~must~ have been screwed! Then I daresay you don't re to have a polka with him, when he came up to Smalls'

roo him if his mother kneas out, - and what he'd take for his cap without the tassel; and telling him that he was the joy of your heart, - and that you should never be happy unless he'd smile as he on't to s all sorts of bosh? What, not remember it! 'Oh, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!' as some cove says in Shakespeare But how screwed you ~lamps!”

”And do you think,” inquired our hero, after a short but sufficiently painful reflection, - ”do you think that Mr Slowcoach will - oh! - expel me?”

”Why, it's rather a shave for it,” replied his tory at once: pitch it pretty strong in the pathetic line, - say it's your first offence, and that you'll never be a naughty boy again, and all that sort of thing You just do that, Giglaoes to - the proper place”

”Oh, thank you!” said the freshitation both of mind and body, he composed and penned the note, Mr Bouncer ordered up so> beer, and Charles Larkyns prepared soave Verdant to drink, and which considerably refreshed that gentleo out for a constitutional; for walking-tih you have but just done your breakfast A blow up Headington Hill will do you good, and set you on your legs again”

So Verdant, after delivering up his note to Mr Bouncer, took his friend's advice, and set out for his constitutional in his cap and gown, feeling afraid to move without them, lest he

[82 ADVENTURES OF MR VERDANT GREEN]

should thereby trespass soained hie; and he inal of that iownsman who appears in Turner's well-known ”View of Oxford, fro-