I was again first down to Breakfast and got through the meal helped somewhat by the morning papers which are placed in front of me on their arrival. Having eaten all I could (which sounds bad but means the reverse!) I paid a visit to Father and found him entertaining Sedgwick and Sorley. The ‘Philosopher’ is really very amusing, Father declares that when he fumbled with the butter dish he said ‘dash’ followed by ‘damn’!!! He is a most matter of fact young person and quite capable of it…
Third hour we went to J. S. who was more than usually delightful, we decided to read some of ‘Pope’ which started him off on the poetry of the century. He maintained that Dryden and Pope never quiet wrote poetry though they got very near to it…He poured ridicule on Dryden’s lyric poetry of which ‘the main idea’, as he said ‘ seemed to be to repeat one word like an Anthem of Alexander’s Feast ‘only the brave, only the brave etc’. He also remarked that Pope might have come to Westminster only being a Roman Catholic he was barred from doing so…
The Bell rang at twenty to one so that the new K.S.s might be admitted by the Sub-dean (Duckworth) in the Dean’s place. Duckworth always does these things well and his appearance is imposing since he wears the cross of the order of St. John of Jerusalem round his neck and full sleeved black gown. The new K.S.s knelt on the step by the table which Duckie said the following traditional form ‘Ego, Robinson Duckworth, huius collegiatae ecclesiae prodecanus, admitto te – , in discipulum scholarem huius collegie juxta statute ejusdem. In nomine Patris et Filli et Spiritus Sancti. Amen’…
The great event of the evening was my ‘walking the mantelpiece’. No boy is considered a boarder ‘up’ Grant’s until he has done so. I meant to have got it over last term when I first became a semi-boarder but somehow didn’t, so now I am a full-boarder I suggested this evening that I should do it before an audience of Chiswickites after the Hallites were safely ‘up’ to bed and out of the way. It is not over easy the mantle-piece is narrow and there is not much to catch hold of, a nail in the wall is helpful getting up and you go across without shoes. The difficulty is getting started, letting go of what seems your one safety (i.e. yr hand round the corner of the wall), once got going it is pretty plain sailing, the brackets have to be negotiated somehow and the pictures get in the way, but if you catch hold of the beams in the ceiling they give you a hand hold. At the end there is a fearsome leap on to the table, a deuce of a way down. I didn’t stop to think but leapt with much judgement and alighted on my ten toes all safe except for a slight skid for a minute on the table. The result was greeted with much applause…
