Tom Brown at Oxford

ll, or Chapel, and had fastened himself upon him; often walking with him even up to the door of his rooms. But there matters ended. Hardy was very civil

soon made up his mind to break ground himself, and to make a das

dy, half-opening the door, said, "Well, goodnight; perhaps we shall meet on the river to-morrow," and was going in,

ooms," answered the other, "but come in by

n the middle, covered with an old chequered table-cloth, and an Oxford table near the window, on which lay half-a-dozen books with writing materials. A couple of plain Windsor chairs occupied the two sides of the fireplace, and half-a-dozen common wooden chairs stood against the opposite wall, three on each side of a pretty-well-filled book-case; while an old rickety sofa, covered with soiled chintz, leaned against the wall which fronted the window, as if to rest its lame leg. The carpet and rug were dingy, and decidedly the worse for wear; and the college had evidently neglected to paper the room or whitewash the ceiling for several generations. On the mantle-piece reposed a few long clay pipes, and a brown earthenware receptac

he; "where do you get them?

have them is, that they're the cheapest armchair one can get. I l

you know a man thoroughly, you must always seem to assume that he is the owner of unlimited ready money. Somehow or another, he began to feel embarrassed, and couldn't think o

urs seem," said he, takin

at," answered the other, "but ver

I'd sooner, now, have my freshman's rooms u

ut volumes of smoke. Tom felt more and more unequal to the situation, and filled his pipe in

om behind his own cloud; "shall I go out and fetch you

himself heartily out of it, "I've got my case here; and the fact is I will smoke a cigar if you'll allow

I don't keep wine but I can get a bottle of anything you like from the common room. T

pose," for he knew already that undergraduates in g

feeling very hot about the ears; "a glass

g to the cupboard, and producing a black bottle, two tumblers of different

umbler, and rolling it round between his eyes and the candle and smelling it, to show what a treat it was to him; while his host put the kettle on the

potent. However, by an effort he managed to swallow his cough; he would about as soon have lost a little finger as

the Bodleian, and fancying I should like to be a great scholar. Then I met several old school fellows going about, who are up at other colleges, and went to their rooms and talked over old tim

s if expecti

t I never was at a public school

here's plenty of liberty and good food. And the men seem nice fellows-many of them, at leas

stand," said H

gby I was rather a great man. There one had a share in the ruling of 300 boys, and a good deal of responsibility; but here one has only jus

hat," said his host, smiling; "get u

've done all the books over and over again.

ng something regularly-reading

far forward as that; I shan'

You might go and talk to y

hen I got there I was quite shut up. He never looked one of us in the face, and talked in set sentences, and was cold, and formal, and condescending. The only bit

ich the men care about. But it is more from shyness than anything else, that manner which

uch older standing than myself whom I know at all yet-I mean I don't know anybody else well enough to ta

ll before I came up

e of reading. My father was very anxious that I should become a good scholar. Then my positi

s at first. Hardy couldn't mind the subject, or he wo

ll you how I miss the sort of responsibility I was talking to you about. I have no doubt

here. It is about the toughest part of a man's life, I do believe, the time he has spent here. My university

ke me the right way. You taught me to scull, you know; or at least put me in a way to learn. But sculling, and rowing, a

se swept and garnished which the boy might have had glimpses of, but the man finds yawning within him, which must be filled somehow. It's a prett

f whom he knew so little, and half-wished the words recalled. He lived much alone, and thought himself morbid and too self-co

ay for good or evil; and this one set the hearer staring in

s, and said, "Well, I hope I sha'n't shirk when the time comes. You don't think a f

hink you would

dn't read as you or any sensible fellow would do; I know that well enough. I should just begin, sitting with my legs

were talking of just now; it all

't believe it does a fellow a bit of good to

here, after all he must be alone for a great part of his time-all night at any rate-and when he gets hi

ly a business as I do. If he does,

y; "he can't learn anything wo

to play tennis, and how to speak the truth. You can'

ruth before you can

ys do in ple

said

stinct I suppose. I never in my life felt any

ef at any rate," said Hardy, smiling; "and I shou

think I can v

out of the self-dissecting business altogether though, why should you have

ggestion, and probably betrayed it in his f

I saw you going down to-day, a

n rather deep water; so he rushed into boating with great zest,

ring a pause in their talk,

here more than two hours. I'm afraid, now, you have been w

uch society that I care about, and so I enjoy it

se's. Tom watched him in silence, much excercised in his mind as to what manner of man he had fallen upon; very much astonished at himself for hav

gan pouring out the tea, curiosi

ad nights,

e hours; longer, when

ll by yo

e a week Grey comes in to co

't called on me, I ha

say doesn't call on any man unles

't y

ause, "very few men would thank me if I did; most would

but the uncomfortable feeling which

the wine and supper party life, thoug

troubled with that sort of a thing. If they were I wouldn'

ory in my face over and over again? He can't think I care about his pove

man in society up here, whether he is poor or rich; I m

take my word for it. Keep your eyes open and judge f

at you never called on any one. Perhaps you don't give men a fair chance. They might be

ardy; "I tell you not t

where money should count for nothing. Surely, now, such a man as Jervis, our captain, has

up to everything. Besides, he isn't a poor man; and mind, I don't say that if he wer

he Dean wanted to speak to him. So he pu

I'm afraid I've been very surly and made you very

will let me," said Tom; "I hav

never you like

interfering with you

n my hands; besides, one can't read all night, and

h. But promise, now, to turn me

y, laughing; and so th

om after his interview with the Dean, who merely wanted

ay that you can tell what he is thinking about by looking at it, as many of us are apt to boast. Still more absurd would it be to expect readers to know what Hardy is thinking about, when they have never had the advantage of seeing his fa

sure," he went on, as he ran over rapidly his own life for the last three years. "Perhaps he won't flounder into all the sloughs which I have had to drag through; he will get too much of the healthy, active life up here for that, which I have never had; but some of them he must get into. All the companionship of boating and cricketing, and wine-parties, and supper parties, and all the reading in the world won't keep him from many a long hour of mawkishness, and discontent, and emptiness of heart; he feels that already himself. Am I sure of that, though? I may be only reading myself into him. At any rate, why should I have helped to trouble him before the time? Was that a friend's part? Well, he must face it, and the sooner the better perhaps. At any rate i

a volume of Don Quixote from his shelves, and sa