THE VTH FORM VERSE 101 



had contrived to cut five weeks out of that term, thanks 

 to Dr Ryott and his certificates. Thus, on 2oth April 1867 : 



All the work of the term is now over. The Fifth form verse and 

 prose have both been sent in ; the Exam., of which there are only 

 4 papers at Easter, is half finished. I am second in marks for 

 the term (of course having an average for the time I have been 

 away). I am head for the Composition of the last five weeks, 

 but as Warner was head during the first 5 when I was not here, 

 and has also done many more Copies than I have, we are counted 

 equal, altogether, so I suppose I shall get a prize of some kind. 



Dispassionate reasoning would seem to prove that 

 Warner was certainly entitled to the first place on the 

 above showing, but it did not matter in the least to either 

 of us as our places in the Vlth were already unalterable. 

 My dropping five weeks out of the term, however, had 

 already begun to tell its tale, for in the same letter as 

 above : 



I had rather a disappointment in my last Copy ; the last one 

 I shall do in the Twenty. I made up my mind to get it " sent 

 up," and so it would have been only in the last line over which I 

 had rather hurried, there was an unaccountable mistake. 



Am I writing for present-day boys ? Well, perhaps 

 at this stage. To them it may be well to say, with the 

 orthodox preacher : " Oh, my young friends, take warning 

 from this awful example of neglected opportunities ! 

 Read this next letter and beware ; but before reading it, 

 understand that what was called the Vth form verse and 

 prose involved two prizes, for which all in the Twenty, 

 Vth and two divisions of the Lower Vth could compete, 

 and there used to be considerable excitement over the 

 result. As stated in the letter of the 2oth April, the com- 

 peting copies had then been sent in. Now mark what 

 happened." 



RUGBY, June i6th 1867. 



The Vth Form verse and prose is now a thing of the past ; it 

 was read out last Thursday : I did not get either ; worse than 

 that, I did not even get a second for either. Stuart Wortley 



