Vanity Fair

in o

bruited abroad that he was admitted into Dr. Swishtail's academy upon what are called "mutual principles"-that is to say, the expenses of his board and schooling were defrayed by his father in goods, not money; and he stood there-most at the bottom of the school-in his scraggy corduroys and jacket, through the seams of which his great big bones were bursting-as the representative of so many pounds of tea, candles, sugar, mottled-s

, my boy." Another would set a sum-"If a pound of mutton-candles cost sevenpence-halfpenny, how much must Dobbin cost?" and a roar would follow from all the circle of young

ted to a remote outhouse in the playground, where he passed a half-holiday in the bitterest sadness and woe. Who amongst us is there that does not recollect similar hours of bitter, bitter childish grief? Who feels injustice; who shrinks befor

pinafores when he marched up with the lower form, a giant amongst them, with his downcast, stupefied look, his dog's-eared primer, and his tight corduroys. High and low, all made fun of him. They sewed up those corduroys, tight as they were. They cut his bed-strings. They upset buckets and benches, so

ts in his room, in which he used to hunt in the holidays. He had a gold repeater: and took snuff like the Doctor. He had been to the Opera, and knew the merits of the principal actors, preferring Mr.

: that toasted his bread, others would fag out, and give him balls at cricket during whole summer afternoons. "Figs" was the fellow whom he

ne in the schoolroom, was blundering over a home letter; when Cuff, enterin

obbin; "I want to

know how much thought, and labour, and tears; for the poor fellow was writing to his mother, who was fond of him, although she was a grocer's wife, and

bbin said, getting off

ou go?" crowed the

Dobbin replied; "no gen

ll you go?" s

paused, turned down his coat sleeves again, put his hands into his pockets, and walked away with a sneer. But he never meddled personall

st happy. If people would but leave children to themselves; if teachers would cease to bully them; if parents would not insist upon directing their thoughts, and dominating their feelings-those feelings and thoughts which are a mystery to all (for how much do you and I know of each other, of our children, of our fathers, of our neighbour,

med and the Fairy Peribanou in that delightful cavern where the Prince found her, and whither we should all like to make a tour; when sh

e malice, not at least towards the young and small. "How dare you, sir, break the

f a mile; to purchase a pint of rum-shrub on credit; to brave all the Doctor's outlying spies, and to clamber back into the playground again; during the performance of which feat, his foot had s

ng little thief. You drank the shrub, and now you prete

ed into the inmost cavern with Prince Ahmed: the Roc had whisked away Sindbad the Sailor out of the Valley of Diamonds out of s

schoolfellow, whose face was distorted with pain. Dobbin q

hand.-Don't be horrified, ladies, every boy at a public school has done it. Your children wil

st that exercise of tyranny; or perhaps he had a hankering feeling of revenge in his mind, and longed to measure himself against that splendid bully and tyrant, who had all the glory, pride, pomp, circumst

azement at this interruption. "Hol

incredulity at seeing this amazing champion put up suddenly to defend him: while Cuff's astonishment was scarcely less. Fancy our late monarch George III when he heard of the revolt of the

ok, as much as to say, "Make your will, and communicate yo

said. "You must be my

ed; for you see his papa kept a carriage,

famous combat; at the commencement of which the scientific Cuff, with a contemptuous smile on his face, and as light and as gay as if he was at a ball, planted his blows upon hi

said to Dobbin; "it's only a thrashing, Figs, and you know I'm used to it." But Figs, all whose limbs were in a q

ever allowing his enemy to strike, Figs now determined that he would commence the engagement by a charge on his own part; and accordingly, being a left-h

hit, by Jove," says little Osborne, with the air of a connoisseur, cl

twelfth round the latter champion was all abroad, as the saying is, and had lost all presence of mind and power of attack or defence. Figs, on the contrary, was as calm as a quaker. His face being quite pale, his eyes shining open,

's column breasting the hill of La Haye Sainte, bristling with ten thousand bayonets, and crowned with twenty eagles-it was the shout of the beef-eating British, as leaping down the hill they rushed to hug the e

n as I have seen Jack Spot's ball plump into the pocket at billiards; and the fact is, w

w the cause of the uproar. He threatened to flog Figs violently, of course; but Cuff, who had come to himself by this time, and was washing his wounds, stood up and said, "It's my fault, sir-not Figs'-not Dobbin'

e to his parents an acc

use, Richmon

So Cuff is now Only Second Cock. The fight was about me. Cuff was licking me for breaking a bottle of milk, and Figs wouldn't stand it. We call him Figs because his father is a Grocer-Figs & Rudge, Thames St., City-I think as he fought for me you ou

Son, GEORGE S

cutting her out a Coach in cardboard. P

ame as any other in use in the school. "After all, it's not his fault that his father's a grocer," George Osborne said, who, though a little chap, had a very high popularity among the Swishtail youth; and his opi

h dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick. To the contentment of all he passed third in algebra, and got a French prize-book at the public Midsummer examination. You should have seen his mother's face when Telemaque (that delicious romance) was presented to him by the Doctor in the face of the whole school and the parents and company, with an inscription to Gulielmo Dobbin. All the

book, uncouth Orson had for splendid young Valentine his conqueror. He flung himself down at little Osborne's feet, and loved him. Even before they were acquainted, he had admired Osborne in secret. Now he was his valet, his dog, his man Friday. He believed Osborne to be the possessor of every perfection, to be the handsomest, the bravest, the most active, the cleverest, the most generous of created boys. He

rty, said to the ladies, "Mrs. Sedley, Ma'am, I hope you have room; I've asked Dobbin o

tout gentleman, casting a v

you; and I told him that Miss Amelia was come home, and that we were all bent on going out for a night's pleasuring; and that Mrs.

What a gawky it was! And his sisters are not much more graceful. Lady Dobb

e said archly. "Don't you think one of the d

uld take you, I should like t

in. Why, he had the yellow fever three time

e beautiful black, curling, shining whiskers, which the young gentleman himself regarded with no ordinary complacency, she thought in her little heart that in His Majesty's army, or in the wide world, there never was s

e looked towards the glass himself with much naivete; and in so doing, caught Miss Sharp's eye fixed keenly upon him, at which

sh as a rose-a very tall ungainly gentleman, with large hands and feet, and large ears, set off by a closely cropped head of black hair, and in the hideo

d from yellow fever, in the West Indies, to which the fortune of the service had ordered

n's heart, and nestled there. When she held out her hand for him to shake, before he enveloped it in his own, he paused, and thought-"Well, is it possible-are you the little maid I remember in the pink frock, such a short time ago-the night I upset the punch-bowl, ju

Dobbin was Colonel of the City Light Horse, then burning with military ardour to resist the French Invasion. Colonel Dobbin's corps, in which old Mr. Osborne himself was but an indifferent corporal, had been reviewed by the Sovereign and the Duke of York; and the colonel and alderman had been knigh

nged to see their own names in the glorious list, and cursed their unlucky fate to belong to a regiment which had been away from the chances of honour. Miss Sharp kindled with this exciting talk, but Miss Sedley trembled and gr

e most killing grace-and coming back to the table, filled himself bum

red to Dobbin, and at length the hour