92 " MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE ! " 



but in the face of this trial he was still perfect, for he 

 wrote : "I fear your verses are too good for your readers ; 

 but in all things character commands success." 



It was at the end of 1868 that we lost our inimitable 

 house-master, who was taken away as headmaster of 

 Cheltenham. In a letter dated i5th December that 

 year I wrote : 



I believe we are almost certain to lose Mr Jex- Blake. He has 

 got such very good testimonials. 



I think he would fain have stayed where he was, at 

 Rugby, but he had a large family of daughters and, up 

 to then, no son : so I suppose he accepted promotion as 

 a matter of family duty. 



There were many good fellows at Rugby in those 

 days, and among them none remains more notable than 

 F. C. Selous, whose fame was destined to become world- 

 wide. He came up in the January term of 1866, and was 

 in Wilson's house. Contemporary with him at that 

 house were C. K. Francis, the well-known police magistrate, 

 whose bowling was always much argued about but was 

 singularly effective ; Harry Badger, now the best known 

 York solicitor, and somewhat younger John Feilden 

 Brocklehurst whom I believe they called " Sloper " 

 whether from some fancied resemblance to that character 

 or not but who became a fine figure of a man and is 

 now Lord Ranksborough. 



Now that I have started on this sort of list, how is it 

 to be ended within a reasonable limit ? 



There were two Tobins in our house, both very fine 

 cricketers and well worthy to be mentioned even with 

 Pauncefote, Venables, Francis and Yardley. These Tobins 

 were cousins, and young Tobin became captain of the 

 first Rugby Rifle Corps, which was enrolled in 1867, 

 and of which A. P. Humphry was one of the corporals. 

 His name will always be remembered in connection with 

 rifle shooting, for, some years later, he won the Queen's 

 Prize at Wimbledon, and there is a Humphry Prize 



