46 THE EARLY DAYS OF' 



called this phase of robbery at school, for it was given me by my 

 mother. But if it was, and is in the College library now, I should 

 be glad to have it back, and " The Newgate Calendar " too, as they 

 were probably first editions, and worth money now. 



The second cause for anxiety was, that in the early College days, 

 before we had a Chapel to ourselves, we used to attend the Parish 

 Church from whose old tower the curfew nightly rang ; and there 

 on Sundays, we were put through a fearful ordeal which was called 

 "being Catechised," but which was really little better than a 

 burlesque for the entertainment of outsiders and the College 

 servants, who crowded in the gallery to hear the extraordinary 

 questions asked and answers given. 



Q. " The eighth commandment, boy ? " 



A. " Thou shalt not steal." 



Q. " Do you ever pick or steal ? " 



A. "No." 



Q. " Do you ever soil your clothes or books ? " 



No answer, on which the question is repeated. 



A. With trepidation, " Sometimes." 



" There ! " exclaimed the Catechist, triumphantly, " you rob your 

 parents, and break the eighth commandment." 



" O, you little rogue ! " a saucy damsel, who assisted in the College 

 laundry, cried to me one da}', amid the loud laughter of several 

 companions equally saucy. " Oh, you wicked little rogue ! " she 

 repeated, pointing to a patch of mud upon my trqusers, the result 

 of failing to surmount a fence, " I feel quite ashamed of you, I do ! 

 for robbing your poor pa and ma." 



When the answer to my father's letter about the symbols arrived 

 however, no mention of either of these incidents was made, much 

 to my relief. As regards my progress, it explained that I seemed to 

 take no delight in Latin grammar, and as regards my conduct, on 

 enquiry and after much rummaging among black-books, the worst 

 offence they could fairly charge me with was a propensity for 

 damaging trees by " swarming up them ; " a charge which, perhaps, 



