Tom Brown at Oxford

e slightest difficulty in carrying out this resolve. After such a passage as they two had had together that afternoon, he felt that the usual outworks of acquaintanceship had been

ilate, he was all the more pleased that chance had thrown him across a man of so much o

ped on the steps outside the hall-door, and to pass the time, joined himself to one or two other men with whom he had a speaking acquaintance, who were also hanging about. While they were talking, Hardy came out of the hall, and Tom turned and step

a new hunter of Simmons's, which one of them had been riding); so he walked away by himself to consider what it could mean. But the more he puzzled about it, the less could he understand it. Surely, he thought, Hardy must

sonable conclusion, suddenly bethought him that he was asked to a wine-party; and putting his speculations aside for a moment, with

eady sort of dogged enthusiasm, and by dint of hard and constant training, had made himself into a most useful oar, fit for any place in the middle of the boat. In the two years of his residence, he had pulled down to Sandford every day except Sundays, and much farther whenever he could get anybody to accompany him. He was the most good natured man in the world, very badly dressed, very short sighted, and called everybody "old fellow." His name was simple Smith, generally known as Diogenes Smith, from an eccentric habit which he had of making an easy chair of his hip bath. Malicious acquaintance declared that when Smith first came up, and, having paid the valuation for the furniture in his rooms, came to inspect the same, the tub in question had been left by chance in the sitting-room, and that Smith, not having the faintest idea of its proper use, had by the exercise of his natural reason come to the conclusion that it could only be meant for a man to sit in, and so had kept it in his sitting-room, and had taken to it as an arm-chair. This I have reason to believe was a libel. Certain it is, however, that in his first term he was discovered sitting solemnly in the tub, by his fire-side, with his spectacles on, playing the flute-the only other recreation besides boating in which he indulged; and no amount of quizzing could get him out of the habit. When alone, or with only one or two friends in his room, he still occupied the tub; and declared that it was the most perfect of seats hitherto invented, and, above all, adapted for the recreation of a boating man, to whom cushioned seats should be an abomination. He was naturally a very hospitable man, and on this night was particularly anxious to make his rooms pleasant to all comers, as it was a sort of opening for the boating season. This wine of his was a business matter

n action; a thoroughly well balanced, modest, quiet Englishman; one of those who do a good stroke of the work of the country without getting much credit for it, or even becoming aware of the fact; for the last thing such men understand is how to blow th

sulting, and speculating on the chances of the coming races. No, stay, there is one other man they must make room for. Here he comes, rather late, in a very glossy hat, the only man in the room not in cap and gown. He w

me in in beaver?" said Tom,

; he's the most wonderful fellow

ou mean?"

l. Miller was obliged to have him in the boat last year, though he never trained a b

. "He'll be a safe first, though I don't believe he reads more than you or I. He

our Coll

e couldn't have been

k I ever saw him

h, no one knows how. He never gets up now till the afternoon, and sits up nearly all night playi

e admirable Crichton of St. Ambrose's; and, after watchi

looks! I never sa

could have called him. You might have admired, feared, or wondered at him, and he would have been pleased; the o

the most wretched men in the College. He had a passion for success-for beating everybody else in whatever he took in hand, and that, too, without seeming to make any great effort himself. The doing a thing well and thoroughl

e had got (having smelt out the leaness of his expectations), were upon him, besieging him for payment. This miserable and constant annoyance was wearing his soul out. This was the reason why his oak was sported, and he was never seen till the afternoons, and turned night into day. He was too proud to come to an understanding with his perse

n whatever company he might be; but utterly lonely and depressed when by himself-reading feverishly in secret, in a desperate effort

whenever Diogenes raised his glass Blake shot him with some joke)-and the Captain who watched him with the most undisguised admiration. A singular contrast, the two men! Miller, though Blake was the torm

nes advised that they might fairly burden themselves a little more, and then, if they would stand a whip of ten shillings a man, they might have a new boat, which he believed they all would agree had become necessary. Miller supported the new boat in a pungent little speech; and the Captain, when appea

lay pool, others to stroll about the streets, others to whist; a few, let us hope, to their own roo

next chair but one to the Captain, where for the time he sat in perfect bliss. Blake and Miller were telling boating stories of the Henley and Thames regattas, the latter o

, "have you thought yet what new men

o spare. Besides, after all, there's lots of time to think about it. Here we're o

ler, "we must get the c

manage it," said the Captain. "I will go down a

to Smith, "how many of th

g Blake," answ

ghed Blake; "you old tub haunting flu

train, you see

s no counting on you, Blake. Now, be a good

ich is more than some of your best-traine

subject," said Miller; "but who hav

r at Eton; and so, though I don't know him, I managed to get him once d

l, Blake? You know h

ll

; and, shrugging his shoulders, added, "I

" said Miller. "Now

five names, at each of wh

freshmen?" sa

mith. "I think he'll do well if he wi

r pulled much

till this last month-si

may probably have to go in with three new hands; they mus

ain; "I'll give from two t

d have one pool," sa

one little pool aft

e three went off to the billiard-rooms; Tom in such spirits at the chance of being tried in the crew, that he hardly noticed the exceedingly bad exchange which he had involuntarily made of his new cap and gown for a third-year cap with the

had scarcely nerve for playing out a single handed match with such an iron-nerved, steady piece of humanity as the Captain, though he was the more brilliant player of the two. The party then broke up, and Tom returned to his rooms; and,

er or later. But our hero's previous education must be taken into consideration. He had not been instructed at home to worship mere conventional distinctions of rank or wealth, and had gone to a school which was not frequented by persons of r