138 THE EARLY DAYS OF 



climate soon proved too much for his constitution, and the last I 

 heard of him was that he had been wandering about in a state of 

 non compos mentis, until a friendly hand led him to his bed from 

 which he never rose again. 



But all this time dark deeds were being carried on, and I heard 

 some lads had tried to set fire to the school ; and whilst chapel was 

 progressing, some of the more daring sprites broke into the masters' 

 rooms, and did much damage. 



It was said that they got hold of a manuscript edition of 

 Sophocles, which the Head-master for a long time had been 

 preparing, and committed it to the flames. But considering the 

 numerous editions of the great Attic tragedian already in existence, 

 scholars probably had less cause to deplore its loss than they had 

 when " Diamond ! " little knew that he had committed a similar 

 act of incendiarism. 



The Head-master sent for me one day to come into his private 

 room, and there I found him in a state of considerable distress. He 

 said he knew not whom to trust, and he asked me what I thought 

 about it all. But I replied truly, that I took very little interest in 

 the matter, and knew nothing more than what was already known 

 to all. He then remarked that he had no intention of asking me to 

 peach on anyone, for which I thanked him, but without mentioning 

 names, he wished very much to know if skeleton keys were being 

 made use of by the rebels. I was perfectly ignorant of the fact, and 

 indeed, with the exception of the desk affair, I had seen no damage 

 done. 



The interview, which made a great impression on me at the time, 

 soon came to an end. When I entered the room I saw one whom 

 hitherto I had regarded almost as a god, but now when I came out, 

 he had henceforth, in my estimation, to take his place with other 

 mortal men. 



The old astrologers who saw, or thought they saw, the destinies 

 of men in the movements of the stars, would perhaps have traced 

 some connecting link between me and the first two Head-masters of 



