118 CAMBRIDGE. [ch. v. 



out telling you, that of all the blackguards I ever met with, 

 you are the greatest and the best. 



In July 1829 he had written to Fox : 



" I must read for my Little-go. Graham smiled and 

 bowed so very civilly, when he told me that he was one of 

 the six appointed to make the examination stricter, and 

 that they were determined this would make it a very differ- 

 ent thing from any previous examination, that from all this 

 I am sure it will be the very devil to pay amongst all idle 

 men and entomologists." 



But things were not so bad as he feared, and in March 

 1830, he could write to the same correspondent : 



" I am through my Little-go ! ! ! I am too much ex- 

 alted to humble myself by apologising for not having writ- 

 ten before. But I assure you before I went in, and when 

 my nerves were in a shattered and weak condition, your in- 

 jured person often rose before my eyes and taunted me 

 with my idleness. But I am through, through, through. I 

 could write the whole sheet full with this delightful word. I 

 went in yesterday, and have just heard the joyful news. I 

 shall not know for a week which class I am in. The 

 whole examination is carried on in a different system. It 

 has one grand advantage being over in one day. They 

 are rather strict, and ask a wonderful number of ques- 

 tions. 



And now I want to know something about your plans ; 

 of course you intend coming up here : what fun we will 

 have together ; what beetles we will catch ; it will do my 

 heart good to go once more together to some of our old 

 haunts. I have two very promising pupils in Entomology, 

 and we will make regular campaigns into the Fens. Heav- 

 en protect the beetles and Mr. Jenyns, for we won't leave 

 him a pair in the whole country. My new Cabinet is come 

 down, and a gay little affair it is." 



In August he was diligently amusing himself in North 

 Wales, rinding no time to write to Fox, because : 



" This is literally the first idle day I have had to myself ; 

 for on the rainy days I go fishing, on the good ones ento- 

 mologising." 



November found him preparing for his degree, of which 

 process he writes dolefully : 



" I have so little time at present, and am so disgusted 

 by reading, that I have not the heart to write to anybody. 

 I have only written once home since I came up. This must 



