Ravenshoe

n a way disappointed. You may be asked out to dinner to meet a man called, say, Jones (or, if you like the name better, Delamere D'Eresby), whom you believe to be you

ou are glad to know; and yet you are disappointed. You don't meet the man you e

ring to yourself the sort of man your friend must have developed into, and you find him different from what you

t I may not be about to introduce him to you under the most favourable circumstances; but he created those circumstances for himself, and must abide by them. As it is not my intention to follow him through any part of his University life, but only to resume his history when he q

ad by this time reached Oxford, and was shining aslant into two pretty little Gothic windows in the inner or library quadrangle of S

s face was rather marked, his nose very slightly aquiline, and plenty of it, his mouth large and good-humoured, which, when opened to laugh, as it very frequently was, showed a splendid set of white teeth, which were well contrasted with

harles R

pting to give any idea of it in black and white. Every moveable article in the room-furniture, crockery, fender, fire-irons-lay in one vast heap of broken confusion in the corner of the room. Not a pane o

burnt the college down. What a devil that Welter is when he gets drink into him! and Marlowe is not much better. The fellows were mad with fighting, t

in through the broken door, as if from a witness-box, anno

youth, "All serene!" dressed himself by putting on a pilot coat, a pair o

inion of the porter, had graced the college for fifty years. It had begun suddenly at half-past twelve, and had been continued till three. The dons had been afraid to come and interfere, the noise was so terrible.

as he came up shook their heads sorrowfully; one, a tall one, with large whiskers, s

job, Charley,"

s; "I hope mine is not among the nu

ers shook his head. "The s

it?" eagerly

ght o'clock, and at half-past the dean himself was gazing on your unco

, and proceeded with a sinking

at his breakfast, who, as soon as he saw his visitor, regarde

avenshoe," w

adding to himself, "Confound you, you cruel old

tty business,"

glad to know to

ommon room at two. The proctor has sent for your character also. Altogether, I congratulate you. Your career at the University has been br

"common room," every countenance wore a look of dismay. Five more, it appeared, were

hed a good deal, rather nervously, and took the thing pluckily-the terror was there, but they fought against it; but the behaviour of Charles extorted applause from everybody. He was as cool and as merry as if he was just going down for the long vaca

who was as near crying as he could possibly be without actually do

age of despair. Had I half your chances, I should be as bad as you. I

ice, "I expect my old governor will cut his throat, or something; I'm fifteen hu

, and there seems at first nothing in any way remarkable about him. But look at him again, and you are struck with a resemblance to some one you know, and yet at first you hardly know to whom

n taking refreshment with that young gentleman, and who had for some time

s, Charles believed; he would tell him in the

ou were going down by. His lordship told me to say, sir, that Lord Welter of Christchurch would leave

t a dose! I didn't think they'd hav

doing the same. He had been sent home three times, and had reappeared; that was nothing so very bad. On his word of honour he had not tripped up the marshal; Brown himself thought he m

all. There were terrible odds against him-the master and six tutors. It was no u

worst described in that book sank into nothing, actually dwindled into insignificance, before last night's proceedings. It appeared, he continued (referring to a paper through his gold eye-glasses), that at half-past twelve a band of intoxicated and frantic young men had rushed howling into the college, refusing to give their names to the porter (among whom was recognised Mr. Ravenshoe); that from that moment a scene of brutal riot had commenced in the usually peaceful quadrangle, and had continued till half-past three; loaded weapons had been resorted to, and fireworks had been exhibited; and, finally, that five members of another college had knocked out at half-past thr

he was quite sober, and had tried t

oe would hardly deny having let

it to keep the fellows quiet; but the excuse fel

should have come out himself last night, but that he was afraid, positively afraid, of personal violence; and the odds were too heavy against him. He, for one, did not want any more words about it. He allowed the fact of Mr. Ravenshoe being perfectly sober, though whether that could be pleaded in extenuation was very doubtful. (Did you speak, Mr. Bursar? No. I beg pard

rd Welter had been r

give his family the benefit of his high spirits. As there were five other gentlem

in extenuation. Mr. Ravenshoe had never been previously accused of havi

o be of a diametrica

for poor Charles, the Master said

he hoped th

y, he might as well have held his tongue. And then the Master pronounced