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. M^e 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 
