MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE. 77 



" Sons of your parson ! " cried the other, " Sons of your parson ! " 

 he repeated with a shout. " Then they must treat us both, and 

 come forthwith to the nearest pubhc house, and give us some gin 

 and water." 



This remark was thought so very funny by our friend, that he 

 bent his body forward as far as his figure would allow, pressed his 

 clasped hands between his knees to prevent his falling to the ground, 

 and with protruding eyes turned heavenward, he exhausted himself 

 with laughter. But before he had recovered his original position, 

 both my brother and I had slunk away. 



The captain of the set to which I belonged at school, was an 

 overgrown lad with a very sportive turn of mind, who although he 

 found the same difficulty as I did in mastering the Latin grammar, 

 and consequently was always at the bottom of his class, was 

 regarded as quite an oracle, whose decision must be conclusive, 

 when we referred knotty arguments to him, regarding the orthodox 

 way to hold a gun or reins, or the way to train up a cur. I always 

 had some animal to ride at home, and I could generally manage to 

 hold my own in our chief topic of conversation — sport, both in and 

 out of school without confusion, and on one occasion, when I and 

 another boy had a dispute as to which of us was the best rider, it 

 was agreed that each should write to the huntsman of the respective 

 packs located near our homes, and hear what he had to say upon 

 the subject. 



Accordingly at the dictation of the captain, whilst half a score of 

 other boys stood by to throw in suggestions here and there, I 

 scrawled a letter to the celebrated Jim Hills, of the Heythrop 

 hounds, who knew me very well by sight, as he and his brother Tom, 

 of the Surrey hounds, and who was an old friend of my father's, 

 would occasionally come over to the rectory, and have luncheon 

 there. In due time a favourable answer to my letter came, whilst 

 my rival's letter remained unnoticed. As this was put down to the 

 negligence of the post office, my rival challenged me to shew my 

 skill compared with his, during the fair, where thirsty souls would 

 let us have a ride upon their nags in exchange for beer. 



