Tom Brown at Oxford

long. Not a week had elapsed before he himself arrived suddenly in Hardy's room in as furious a state of mind as th

ight? You look fierce enough to sit for a po

he usually occupied, so hard as to make it crack again; "been! I'

erm with me; we have been reading for degree together.

ow with a stiff neck, who

rling man at the bot

here. You don't kn

N

nt to any of

N

the ground was clear for him. "I never was amongst such a s

me of fortune have t

all among suc

r slow, it's all the same. I never think twice about the matter, and generally, I like all the fell

tell me what'

uld think. At any rate, he asked me to wine, and I went as usual. Everything was in capital style (it don

te, of course, if they had been a little blackguard and indecorous.

cross at him for half a minute to see whether

muslin curtains-I give you my word, mu

doubt, to insult you. No wonder you looked,

enough if it hadn't been for their talk. From one thing to another they got to cathedrals, and one of them called St. Paul

line was neglected,"

up the cudgels

to my text though, and they drove me into saying I liked the Ratcliffe more than any building in Oxford; which I don't believe I do, now I come to think of it. So when they couldn't get me to budge for their talk, they took to telling me that every body that kne

he authorities?" said Hard

no right or wrong in the matter, and I had as good a right

y, laughing; "you caught

s took me in hand, and I got a lecture about the middle ages, and the monks. I said I thought England was well rid of the monks; and then we got on to Protestantism, and fasting, and apostolic

able British infantry at Albuera. You held your p

e; and, when I come to think it over, a good deal of what some of them said had something in it. I should like to h

this sort of thing now. They can do nothing themselves, and get a sort of platform

fond of the Church as any of them, but I don't want to be jumping up on her back every minute, like a sickly chicken getting

ardy; "there are some very

d I don't want to see any more, for it seems to be

eration he had hardly commenced, when a knock came at the door, and in answer to Hardy's "Come in," a

think?" said Hardy, looking round from the fire, where he was

emies. Tom saw this, and put on a cool and majestic manner in consequence, which evidently increased the discomfort of Grey's seat, and kept Hardy on the edge of an abyss of laughter. In fact, he had to ease himself by talking of indifferent matters and laughing at nothing. Tom had never seen him in this sort of humor before

? You haven't been here once. I've been obli

e," said Grey, looking sideways at Hardy, and then at

"can't you come in to-morrow night to talk

en't been able to look at them

ners are all for science and history; it won't d

aid Grey. "You'll have enough to do then," said

ght schools, and wanted some help. So I have been doing what I could to help him; and really,"

nouncement, and began to look less haughtily at the wall.

d Hardy; "but do yo

f me, that I'm only fit for bed now, when I get back. I'm so glad I've told you. I have wanted to do it for some time.

ike. But it's rather hard to take you awa

ve been very glad if it hadn't happened just

help you. Can't I take a n

bad for you, Hardy. It can't want much scholarship to teach t

mean," he said, getting very red, "it's very kind of you, only I'm used to it; and-

lay back in his chair laughing till the tears ran down his cheeks. Tom, who

y so? Did you see what a fright he was in at once, at the idea of turning you into the night sch

ed at me a bit. He wouldn't have

that doesn't look as

d man-millinery, do

his tea, an

it," he said. "Do you think he is really thrown

ly to draw him off reading; I can see that he doesn't get on as he us

ike the teaching wo

, so far as

ry fine thing of

an-millinery dictum, so

rtily; but not as to

e, in this college. Even the worst of them is making some sort of protest for s

t-muslin curtains, a p

m; he has only a little hankering after mediae

mfery of them were there, and

hought you would have been so furious against

never spoke to m

ut I tell you they are the only men in the college who

ay to yourself

if it isn't wrong in itself, and doesn't hinder anyone else. I

Just so; well, then, mustn't it be right for you to have? You wouldn't have i

you, it's rather slippery ground, especially for a freshman; and there's a good deal to be

looking at a fellow as if he were a Turk, because

't bristle up like a hedgehog. I'll never mention that unfortunate wine again. I saw the eigh

t, "I find it awfully hard to pull up to Jervis

es or so, and his is the most trying stroke on the river. You quicken a li

in the races next term, and Blake seven, and then Diogenes will go to five. He's obliged to pull seven now, bec

eat pity,"

savage. He walks into us all as if it were o

oo sharp tongued. You can't get a man's

he puts one's back u

splendid fell

oo easy, at least wi

to make them train,

e. If you would pull, now-why shouldn't y

I wish I had, for I should have liked to have

ain," said Tom, "I'm sur

lf off from everything of the sort two years ago, a

irits at having drawn this confession out of Hardy-the more so, perhaps, becaus