1833-36 'BREAKING-UP' DAY AT ETON 75 



parture, and a concourse of ladies had assembled 

 at the door leading to the back of the school- 

 room. This part was occupied by a series of 

 raised benches behind the seats appropriated for 

 their Majesties and suite. In front of the latter 

 was a semicircular space destined for the speakers 

 of the speeches ; the rest of the schoolroom was 

 occupied by series of forms disposed length- 

 wise, and rising one above the other on either 

 side a middle alley leading from the main 

 entrance of the schoolroom to the open space in 

 front of the royal chairs. From this description 

 you will perceive that, had we gone in with the 

 visitors, we should have been behind the King. 

 George, therefore, cast about for one of the 

 masters, who intimated to us that if we came in 

 along with the boys we might slip into the side 

 seats flanking the middle alley, and he thought 

 that, as George was well known to many of them, 

 they would not treat us as intruders. We accord- 

 ingly crept in with the rear and clambered up 

 into a capital place for seeing the tout ensemble. 

 In the meantime Dr. Keate was darting up and 

 down the middle alley marshalling the boys and 

 enforcing order and silence, which he had some 

 trouble to do, as some of the urchins seemed 

 inclined to be rebellious on the eve of emanci- 

 pation. Black neckcloths are forbidden to the 

 scholars ; but many of them had put them on in 

 a spirit of boyish daring this morning. Still, such 



