8o THE EARLY DAYS OF 



story, which he declared was confided to him by the detective and 

 the College cook, that my purloined prize was subsequently served 

 up in one of the formidable pies, which, when Saturday came round, 

 was said to contain the scraps which had accumulated during the 

 previous week. But as he was fond of exercising his wit, frequently 

 at the expense of truth, I refrain from retailing here what we at the 

 time thought a highly entertaining story. 



The next time I visited my trap, I found I had caught a Pole-cat, 

 the only specimen of that animal I ever saw alive, so that the 

 owner of the chalk-pit had very little cause to complain of my 

 depredations hitherto. But at last I caught a rabbit, much to my 

 delight, and instead of taking it to school I took it to a house on 

 the Pewsey road, where a woman sold " table beer," and she 

 agreed to cook it for me the next Saturday, when a half-holiday was 

 given to the School. 



Three other fellows, of the baser sort, and poor grammarians like 

 myself, to whom I confided my success, at first would hardly believe 

 my tale, but as they knew I was to be trusted, we all went on 

 Saturday to the place of rendezvous, where we found the rabbit 

 cooked, and on the table a quart of beer for which we paid three- 

 half-pence. I remember that quart of so-called beer, better than 

 any other I have seen before or since, as one of my companions, an 

 over-grown raw-boned lad, took such a tremendous swig at it 

 directly it was put upon the table, that there was precious little left 

 to divide among the other three, and I have never ceased wondering 

 that it did him little injury. Indeed it seemed to do him good, and 

 in the table-talk which followed, he was the most brilliant of us all. 



The spice of danger added much flavour to our feast, and 

 afterwards we produced a pack of cards and played at whist until 

 it was time to go. One of the party also produced a pipe, which I 

 remember very well, because our cook brought out a thing she 

 called a " boa," and hung it over the smoker's head, in order, so 

 she said, to dislodge certain moths which had taken refuge there. 



We often visited this house, and as we never knew the owner's 



