200 When ive Old Fogeys ivere Boys. 



instead of being semper long-stop, be allowed to go off 

 fagging if he made a catch, and if a good field, he would 

 be chosen as a regular fag in single-wicket matches, and 

 would probably pass into the junior eleven, which corres- 

 ponded with " Sixpenny " at Eton, and if he really stuck to 

 the game, he had a prospect in view of eventually passing 

 into the second eleven, with visions of some day being in 

 the "Lord's eleven," tlie ambition of all. Anyhow, a fag 

 who made the best of matters, and tried all he could, would 

 become popular with prefects and would not have half a bad 

 time of it. 



In his social life also he would have a definite status, and 

 become valet to one of the prefects in his chamber, looking 

 after his cricket and football things, and always in attend- 

 ance on him before and after all sports ; and better still, 

 in hall and in chambers he would be initiated into the 

 mysteries of cooking, frying kidneys, potatoes, chops, 

 making coffee, and coming in for the debris, for good 

 fellows always had enough for their fags, as well as them- 

 selves, and the slavery was divested of many of its hard- 

 ships. So a boy had three natural protectors— his boy- 

 tutor who was assigned to him, the prefect to whom he was 

 valet, and also the prefect to whom he was breakfast fag ; 

 and when in trouble he could go to one or all, and they 

 always took his part, and not unfrequently the boy who 

 bullied the little junior got a good licking on the spot, with 

 a promise of double allowance if he did it again. 



There always was a class, mostly muffs, who, when 

 prefects, would have six fellows to watch out at cricket, 

 when three only were wanted, and who thrashed little 

 boys for missing balls which they could not have stopped 

 themselves ; who would call " Junior " for the sake of 

 hearing their own voice, to bring them a book which was 

 six yards off; just the same kind of fellows who in after 



