CHAPTER VII 



I WAS eighteen years of age when I left Harrow. My 

 parents considered that I was a trifle too young to go 

 up to the Varsity straight away, so made arrangements for 

 private tuition with my godfather, Canon Harding Girdlestone 

 of Gloucester. He was head of the Theological College in 

 that ancient city, and occupied a house in Dean's Yard. The 

 Girdlestones had a fair quiverful of offspring five girls : 

 Mary (" Mynie "), Josephine (" Black Joe "), Lucy, Florie and 

 Maudie, and one son, Theophilus, who was the youngest but 

 two of the bunch. Mynie was then just of age. Of course 

 I fell in love with, and proposed to, her, but was deservedly 

 snubbed for my pains ; whereupon giving Black Joe the go- 

 by I transferred my affections to Lucy. But she was already 

 enamoured of one of the students, one Charlie Stook, lately 

 down from Clare, Cambridge. Instead of bearing jealous 

 enmity I took a great liking to this lad. He did not seem to 

 me to be altogether cut out for a clerical life, but that was 

 the way with most of his fellow students. They seemed to 

 be very busy enjoying life ; on the " make hay while the sun 

 shines " principle, I suppose ! 



Little Maudie was the beauty of the family, but since she 

 was then only twelve years of age she was not on my map 

 as a prospective bride, though I made a note of her for future 

 reference. Truly, some hobbledehoys have a colossal cheek ! 



But all of the household were very kind and indulgent to 

 me ; whilst my good godfather spared no pains to cram me 

 with sufficient book learning to ensure my passing the Trinity 

 College (Cambridge) Matriculation. 



My great regret was that there was no sport to be had round 

 about Gloucester not even reasonable rat hunting. The local 



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