One of those stupid little difficulties arose today which are so annoying and hard to deal with. Rigaud’s use in their yard a very superior leather ball which is not inexpensive and which they kicked on to our roof. Cowie, who is not a monitor, went up to Startin and asked him to get it, to go up on the roof for it, which the silly child went and did, Cargill shouting directions from the Yard. It is of course forbidden to go on the roof and the offence was aggravated by Hobson being in ‘Inner’ all the time who of course they should have asked. He heard this going on and after a minute as I wasn’t there ‘halled’ and told Startin to come down at once and had them both in and cursed them and they both admitted they knew it was breaking a rule! Startin I am sure did so quite innocently, probably thinking Cowie (Cowie forsooth!) was sufficient authority.
Who is the person to blame? It is an irritating little question but after thinking it over I decided to leave it as it was as Hobson assures me they won’t dare to go on the roof again. Anyhow, Rigaud’s have had to do without their ball until tonight.
I tried at tea to stir up Hobson about House Drills; College are too keen about it to be altogether pleasing to me, we must try and keep the cup. Hobson, Graham, Miles and Pemberton very busy emptying pails of water in yard to make a slide for tomorrow, if it freezes. I had a long talk with Pemberton tonight from 9-9.30. He really is a nice person buy as Father remarked ‘his aimiability sometimes carries him to the wrong people’. Meanwhile Hobson, Graham and Miles on the roof (I gave Hobson the hey to get balls) were behaving like overgrown babies and snowballing people in College Street, to their amusement and their victims disgust as they (Hobson and Co.) were quite invisible so they say and I trust they were. ‘Eugh! Babieth’ as Dr Hawtrey said.