fear I shall not be able to visit your church"; and the Daker's suave reply: "Then, my Lord, I must endeavour to bear that deprivation with what fortitude I may." Our rustic Sussex humour always speaks of a signpost as a parson, and when challenged explains it by saying that it points the way, but is careful not to go it. To Dickins, at any rate, this reproach could never have been made. He died in June, 1920, at the age of 83, after 50 years as Vicar, and lies in the cemetery beside Mallie Graham, his beloved curate. T CHAPTER XI SUNDRY JOTTINGS HE following are some irreverent verses current in my time, supposed to be descriptive of the masters. Audrey and John Desborough were before my time: Beetle is Wickham; Chalker was the Rev. C. Hawkins, who used to teach Euclid, sing the tenor recitatives at Concert, and try to interest the school in Shakespeare. I cannot recall what Ridding had done to be described as a breaker of the Sabbath. Great Ridding breaker of the Sabbath Laws The crane-like Stoney riled too sudden grows And for mere nothings firks you down whole rows: Toye up to books exclaims "Great owl" and "Fool" The downy Root astonished doth look At those great duffers who compose Fourth Book: Thus speaks John Des: "We've done our vulgar fractions : Fat Richard pulls his beard, and then remarks, During my time at Winchester I kept an elaborate Journal which I have looked through. As one might anticipate it is largely concerned with details of work and games and people, most of whom I have forgotten, but I have discovered an entry here and there which may be worth quoting. 1879. Weds., July 9. Three weeks to the end of Term. Extra halfrem. for Judges coming down. Repack a box sent by Goolden. [this was my Science Master at Cheam, who afterwards started an electrical firm, Goolden and Trotter] containing 2 lb. Hg., 2 lb. Cu SO, 12 lb. H2SO, 1 lb. No. 30 B.W.G. Cotton covered wire ; to which I added 22 zinc rods made by Jolly at a cost of 3d. a rod, and a Gravity Sulphate Cell 1s. 6d., which I got from Dale and Crampton. July 11. Buy "Boy's Own Paper at Wells. Can't say I think it worth the money. July 13. With great trouble compose a letter of 3 pages to Auntie. July 16. Granny intends to come to-morrow; don't know if she will all the same. Hurts my throat to swallow, and my head is feverish. July 17. Better. Thought so; Granny doesn't come after all. Thinks now she won't come for the rest of the term. July 23. I went Continent on July 19 according to my intentions. Symptoms :-sore throat, coughing, with great heaviness and sleepiness. This turned out to be measles! Aug. 2. All infection over to-day; come to Dover Street. Aug. 6. Leave London with Uncle Rollo at 6.45 a.m. on the 4th, and arrive to-day in Glion, 2,000 ft. above the sea. Aug. 8. Aug. 13. Aug. 14. Aug. 15. a waterfall of Go to Les Avants. Steamer across Lake Thun, Interlaken. Went to Lauterbrunnen and saw the Staubbach- Sept. 17. Came back to Winchester. Have put up my telegraphs in the holidays, and leave it and an electric bell working well. The line wire is 500 yd. of No. 11 B.W.G. galvanized iron wire fixed to the trees by staples 11⁄2 in. long. The instruments are needle, and it is worked by a 4-cell Daniell at one end, and a 2-cell Leclanché at the other though one cell is sufficient to produce a marked deflection. Earth is made by a wire wound round water pipes. Sept. 24. Weigh 8 st. 3 lb. Sept. 28. Aunt Maude came to evening chapel and before we went to tea with Mrs. Richardson who was very nice and kind, and showed us over College. Sept. 29. Leave-out day. On arriving at Portsmouth we found the Admiral's man waiting for us to take us (Aunt Maude, Watney sen., and me) to Admiralty House. We soon left that and were taken round the dockyards in a little carriage and locomotive, and we saw iron plates cut and punched and drilled, one of which was for the Devastation. Then we went over the Inflexible, a new turret ship which was in dry dock being built, and the Dreadnought, which is a turret ship of four guns, and was then in commission. After that we had a splendid dinner, and Capt. Wells of the Steam Reserve came, and after luncheon took us in his steam launch, which I managed myself, to the Victory, in which Nelson died; The Queen's yacht, the Albert Edward, which was gilt all over, carpeted and matted, and which costs £1,000 a year to keep in order; the Minotaur, an old form of ironclad, and the Duke of Wellington, a receiving ship. Then we went to tea, and at 6.45 after a beautiful day, we left the Harbour Station and arrived at Winchester much tired at 8.20 p.m. Nov. 17. Du Boulay Hill lets us look through a spectroscope to-day-I saw the sodium lines very distinctly. Dec. 29. In London I went to Aunt Maude's night school and took a class of four boys for her in arithmetic, reading, and writing. They are much better behaved than when I first went there two years ago. 1880. Jan. 25. Stoney gave me 200 lines yesterday for saying "How do you do?" to him, but I hope he doesn't expect to get them. Jan. 28. While we were up at House I had a mill with Willoughby; sat on him for about half an hour altogether, and socked him completely, though he did scratch my hand most vilely. I am rather glad I have milled Willoughby, it has been coming for some days, and it was better for the storm to burst at once and have it over. Feb. 29. Du Boulay preached in Chantrey this evening from Romans XII "Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good." It was not quite as good as his sermons usually are, but all the same very much to the point. Mar. 10. Jockey up from junior to second senior for knowing G that cubit is derived from cubitus, the outstretched arm, and when I get there Toye seizes my notes among Livy pages, which he thinks at first are welching notes, but finds they aren't. Mar. 16. A Liberal placard appeared posted on Root's house. Owing to my daring to express a feeling of joy on seeing it there I get smitten on the head; under which blow I still smart. Mar. 20. Sent four lines of verse in English to Punch to-day signed O.O.F.M.H.-One of Freddy Morshead's House. Apl. 5. Uncle Rollo and I went to Red Lion Square to hear the result of Middlesex. Gladstone beaten by 4,000. He seemed not at all dispirited. Polling over Midlothian to-day; if Gladstone, Senr., gets in he will resign for Leeds, and perhaps Herbert may contest it. Apl. 25. Uncle Rollo's not going to America after all; as I ought to have expected. May 13. William Harcourt has been turned out for Oxford, and Tories rejoice greatly that their brewer has got him out. May. 15. Get a letter from Warburtons advising, perhaps I should say commanding, that I go there every other Sunday. 66 June 10. Dress and proceed with tickets given by Dick to Agamemnon," a play acted in Greek after the Greek fashion; it was most interesting and exciting. After it Aunt Maude and I had supper with Mrs. Dick and "Chorus " in costume. [This was the time Frank Benson performed "Agamemnon for the school.] June 24. Eton Match. It was very sad towards the end, because we had four wickets to go down and only about 13 runs to make, and yet we didn't do it. I believe poor Jahra was very much distressed. I think a sort of shiver or sigh came from all around as the last wicket was bowled and his bails flew on the ground. June 30. I can't understand Permutations and Combinations a bit in Kenny's div.-I think he doesn't give time enough to explaining things to us. July 1. Bradlaugh the great atheist M.P. for Northampton was shut up in the Clock Tower the other night for refusing to leave the House when told. It is a pity not to have let him affirm at once; they will have to do so soon. July 3. Jockey up Senior to-day for knowing that póTOVOL was the Greek for some of ship's ropes. July 12. Toye wouldn't hear Morning Lines this morning |