GROUSE AGAIN. 169 



u 



Ah yes, Hope ; such men leaven selfish humanity. 

 And you have them even at school, Fred ; what you 

 call bricks, who stand up for a friend and divide 

 freely their cakes and tips." 



"I see," said Fred. "Hunter and Phillips are the 

 sort Major Duncan means, eh, Hope?" 



"Why Phillips once thrashed you badly, Fred." 



"To be sure, but in fair fight ; and he didn't bully 

 me afterwards." 



"What are your notions of fisty-cuffs, Major?" I 

 asked. 



"Antiquated, of course; and had I a son I should 

 rather see him come in with a black eye than a 

 scented handkerchief." 



" What a Goth to approve of rude fighting, 

 boys ! " 



"No; neither coarse nor quarrelsome. But there 

 is a deal of cant now about boys' dignity ; besides, 

 the Greek and Eoman fellows they read about 

 were always fighting, and neither Csesar nor Scipio 

 wanted dignity." 



"Oh, ho!" said Ward; "you bringing in those 

 tiresome classics." 



" Come, Hope, don't affect to have misunderstood 

 me ; I am only anti-finical, not anti- classical. One 



