Everybody more or less punctual this morning, Gilmour crept in some-what late in felt slippers! I was amused by the new ‘man’ Minchin standing at the door of Hall and darting in when he saw me to announce, presumably, that H. M. Myself was coming! Minchin is a most imposing person, brother in law of Mrs Brind the Cook, he has been butler in various good families (11 years at the German Embassy) and has all the solemn aspect of a butler. The general opinion seems to be as expressed to me by two of the boys ‘very superior’. ..
Spent the first two hours up-Library trying to arrange the seats in Hall, a matter of some arrangement, partly House order, partly Form order and partly from personal observation of who goes with who. I know from my own experience that to sit next to one’s friends in Hall was practically the only opportunity one had of seeing anything of them if they were in different forms to oneself.
Marriott still very subdued (calm before the storm I wonder?), and seems really different. I hope that he has outgrown his awkward stage.
Miles between 9 and 10 produced a dead mouse which had just been caught in Hall and Hobson with eyes which gloated on the poor beast with anticipatory pleasure announced his intention of skinning it. Inner is becoming unbearable with this budding Doctor, first was have human bones now we have skinned mice. Eugh! How disgusting!…